Balloon Slider Mania is a ROM hack created by ArcticJaguar725 and Mel (as Team Cornersoft) for the SimpleFlips' Slide Hack Competition (2024) ft. PirateSoftware, in which it placed 2nd.
The latest project by Team Cornersoft; Balloon Slider Mania is a high score based slider romhack where you collect balloons for points as you scale down mountains, structures, and unique locales! Go for a quick time, find all the Team Cornersoft Tokens, and maybe attempt to earn the always elusive G rank! Project made and developed for the SimpleFlips Slide Hack Competition 2024.
This hack contains eight courses, with only four being initially available to the player when a new save is loaded. Four of the five secret courses are unlocked by collecting TCS Tokens in each main course. These TCS Tokens are one-of-a-kind and often placed on routes hidden along the primary route, reachable by following a different path.
Items and Points[]
On each slide, there are a wide variety and number of collectable items that will influence the player's score. Of them, only the TCS Tokens are unique, as there is only one per course. Bowser balloons only appear on secret courses, and red balloons are the stand-in for red coins.
A time bonus will be awarded based on how quickly the player reached the ending. The times required for certain numbers of bonus points varies depending on which course was played, presumably to account for the varying lengths of each course.
In each course, a key can be obtained that will unlock an alternate route in a later part of the course. This key is always hanging from a balloon, and is typically in awkward spots that are a challenge to reach safely. Unlike the TCS Token, this key is only applicable to the player's current run. Collecting it in a course will not permanently unlock the alternate route; after finishing the race, the alternate course will once again be locked and require the key to be collected. The alternate routes are typically quite short but have more points available to collect from balloons, often including gold balloons and at least one red balloon.
| Item Name | Points | Appearance | Icon |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCS Token | 125 |  |
 |
| Key | 0 |  |
 |
| Red Balloon | 5 (1) 15 (2) 30 (3) 50 (4) 75 (5) 125 (6) 200 (7) 300 (all 8) |
 | |
| Grey Balloon | 5 |  |
None |
| Green Balloon | 10 |  | |
| Blue Balloon | 25 | ||
| Purple Balloon | 50 |  | |
| Gold Balloon | 100 |  | |
| Bowser Balloon | -100 |
Level Select screen
Courses[]
There are a total of eight courses to play, with only the four main tracks initially visible to the player. Upon starting the game, the player will only have access to the first course, Snowy Peak, but can unlock the next course, Aquaduct Flow, simply by reaching the end of the slide. Each course must be unlocked by finishing the slide of the prior course, regardless of rank or items collected.
Snowy Peak[]
In the last segment of this course, Mario can discover five Secrets by passing through each of the ski goals. If done, an extra gold balloon will appear in front of the finish line.
Obtaining the TCS Token in this course will unlock its mirror-style secret course, Holiday Peak.
Aqueduct Flow[]
Obtaining the TCS Token in this course will unlock its mirror-style secret course, Dragon Flow.
The TCS Token can be found on a path diverging from the main path near the beginning of the race. Before crossing over the wooden bridge, Mario must follow the line of grey balloons leading off to the right and enter the green pipe in the chasm below. The pipe will warp him to a separate area with the TCS Token in the path's centre.
Fungi Canyon[]
Obtaining the TCS Token in this course will unlock its mirror-style secret course, Twilight Canyon.
Starlight Fest[]
Of the four main courses, Starlight Fest is one the longest. There are at least two segments that require Mario to enter and shoot out of a cannon to proceed.
Obtaining the TCS Token in this course will unlock its mirror-style secret course, Cyber Fest. The TCS Token can be found in the final section of this course, in the scale model of a solar system, on top of one of the planets.
Holiday Peak[]
This is the mirror course for Snowy Peak.
Dragon Flow[]
This is the mirror course for Aqueduct Flow. This course includes a number of switching pathways that can be activated be striking a gong- some of these pathways need to be switched to in order to avoid a dead end that will end Mario's run.
Twilight Canyon[]
This is the mirror course for Fungi Canyon.
Cyber Fest[]
This is the mirror course for Starlight Fest.
Cornersoft Parade[]
Ranks[]
| Rank | Snowy Peak | Aqueduct Flow | Fungi Canyon | Starlight Fest | Holiday Peak | Dragon Flow | Twilight Canyon | Cyber Fest | Cornersoft Parade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | 0 - 782 | ||||||||
| D | 925 | ||||||||
| C | 1284 | 1238 | |||||||
| B | 1477 - 1519 | ||||||||
| A | 1506 - 2472 | 1590 | |||||||
| S | 1728 | ||||||||
| G |
Trivia[]
- Upon completing the level Corner Soft Parade, a new character is unlocked: Elise. To use it, hold Z when starting each level.
Gallery (Extra)[]
