Donpan

In the opening sequence of Donpan, you see a girl whose balloon floats away, caught by the wind. That balloon turns out to be none other than the magical creature Donpan. Floating on the wind, Donpan now sets out on a journey toward his home island, where he will be greeted as the king.

Donpan is a side-scrolling avoid'em'up comprising several levels: the town, the sea and the Donpan island. The player sprite bounces constantly, and one can only control how high it should bounce and if it should bounce back or forward.

As a balloon creature, or some kind of magical puffer fish, Donpan can blow himself up and spurt out air from his belly on incoming birds, which would otherwise puncture him. If too much air is let out, Donpan shrinks and can no longer use this ability. In order to blow himself up, he can catch balloons, some of which carry gifts containing a score bonus.