Hot Air Game

Hot Air puts you in charge of a small balloon that can't move on its own. You control a whirring hand-fan with the mouse, and the fan pushes the balloon around whenever it's close enough to blow on it. The closer the fan sits to the balloon, the harder it pushes, so most of a level comes down to short, careful bursts rather than one steady stream of air.

Each level opens on a green pad and ends on a red one, and getting between them means threading the balloon past spikes, saws and hazards that pop it on contact and send you back to the start. Some levels add keys that have to be collected before a gate will open, and stars tucked into tighter corners of the level for players willing to take the risky route.

Controls

Mouse only: move the cursor near the balloon and hold the mouse button down to run the fan. The balloon drifts toward whatever direction the fan is blowing from, with the push getting stronger the closer the cursor is to the balloon.

Tips

• Short taps of the fan give you more control than holding it down continuously — the balloon keeps drifting after you let go.
• Move the fan close for a strong nudge past a hazard, then pull back so the balloon doesn't overshoot into the next one.
• Grabbing every key on a level before heading for the exit is required if a gate is blocking the red landing pad.
• Go back for stars once you know a level's hazard layout — chasing them on a first attempt is usually what pops the balloon.

It's a slow, physics-driven puzzle game rather than a reflex test, and it suits players who like figuring out a level's layout through a few careful failed attempts before finally floating a clean run to the finish.