Crazy Arcade — Nexon's Water Balloon Game That Won a Generation

Crazy Arcade is a 2D online game that Nexon launched on October 16, 2001. It started as a collection of several small games in one program, but one of them, "BnB," in which you place water balloons to trap opponents, became overwhelmingly popular and effectively became the face of the game. In Korea it's often shortened to "Keu-a."

With simple rules and cute characters, Crazy Arcade drew huge numbers of players in the early 2000s, and characters such as Dao and Bazzi went on to appear in many other Nexon games, starting with KartRider. Then, on August 13, 2026, it ended its Korean service after nearly 25 years.

In this post, we cover how Crazy Arcade began, how it plays, why it's considered a classic, and the series it spawned, along with how you can still experience it today.

At a Glance

Origins

An "Arcade" of Many Games

As the word "Arcade" in its name suggests, Crazy Arcade was originally a game collection that ran multiple minigames from a single client. According to Wikipedia, it had five modes over the years.

• BnB (Bomb and Bubbles): A battle game where you trap opponents with water balloons
• Tetris: A block-stacking game, just as the name says
• Hidden Catch: A spot-the-difference game where you find differences between two pictures
• Digipang: A game where you destroy the enemy base with bombs
• Biz: A bead-matching puzzle game

Of these, only BnB lasted to the end, and the rest were discontinued for various reasons. Hidden Catch was at one point spun off as a separate service, then reopened on December 13, 2013. This is also why the game was long titled "Crazy Arcade BnB."

Quick Success

The response was fast. According to English Wikipedia, by October 17, 2002, one year after launch, it had recorded 35 million cumulative users and a peak of 330,000 concurrent players, making it a commercial success.

The Bomberman Plagiarism Controversy

Because BnB played similarly to Hudson's classic Bomberman, it faced plagiarism allegations. In 2003 Hudson claimed copyright infringement, and Nexon later filed a lawsuit of its own. In 2007, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in Nexon's favor, finding no substantial similarity because the map layouts, characters, and overall color schemes were significantly different. Nexon stated that while it had previously paid a small settlement, it had never admitted to copyright infringement.

How It Plays

Trap and Pop with Water Balloons

BnB's rules are simple. When you place a water balloon on the floor, it bursts after a moment, sending streams of water out horizontally and vertically. A character hit by the stream gets trapped inside a water bubble. If a teammate comes and touches them, they're freed, but if an opponent touches them first or no one touches them within a certain time, that character is eliminated. So rescuing trapped teammates matters just as much as trapping opponents.

Rooms and Teams

Up to eight players can fight together in one room, though some maps limit the number of players further. There's a "Manner" mode that splits teams evenly by color and a "Free" mode where teams can be formed freely. You earn experience after each match: the most for a win, the next most for a draw, and the least for a loss.

Characters and Stats

There are eight default characters to choose from, including Dao and Bazzi. Each character has different starting and maximum stats.

Each stat can rise from its starting value up to the maximum set for each character. Depending on which character you pick, your strategy changes between playing aggressively and dodging quickly while waiting for an opening.

Maps and Ranks

BnB has more than 20 areas with different themes, each containing multiple maps. In most, you win by eliminating all opponents, but in some areas you win by completing that area's unique mission. Ranks are shown by combinations of medal shape, medal color, and stripe color and count, totaling 720 levels.

Why It's a Classic

Rules You Learn Instantly

Crazy Arcade's greatest strength is its simplicity. You move with the arrow keys and place balloons with a single key, so even first-timers could catch on quickly. Matches were short, making it great for a quick game during a break. In its review of the North American version, the game review site GameZone gave it 8 out of 10, noting that it can be enjoyed without investing much time while its short matches can get very intense.

The Fun of Playing Together

BnB is a game that's more fun with a group than alone. Every time you block a path with balloons to corner an opponent or rush to rescue a trapped teammate, laughter and cheers erupt. Gathering with friends in the same room, forming teams, and competing remains a scene from early-2000s online gaming culture.

The Starting Point of Nexon's Characters

Dao and Bazzi were born in Crazy Arcade and became Nexon's signature characters. As these characters moved to KartRider and became hugely popular again, they showed that a single game's characters could become a brand linking multiple games.

Series and Influence

Crazy Arcade's success gave rise to a series.

Of these, KartRider became a national favorite that achieved even greater success than Crazy Arcade. The game also spread overseas: in North America it opened a public beta in 2010 under the name "PopTag!" but closed in July 2011, citing difficulty in supplying steady content. It was also served in various parts of Asia, including China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

How to Play Today

Unfortunately, Crazy Arcade can no longer be played in Korea. Nexon announced the end of service on June 11, 2026, and the Korean service ended on August 13, 2026. The mobile version, Crazy Arcade BnB M, had already ended service in 2022.

There aren't many ways to revisit Crazy Arcade now.

• KartRider series: KartRider, a branch of the Crazy Arcade franchise, can still be played through the mobile game KartRider Rush+, and a Korean relaunch of the original PC version has also been announced.
• Overseas services: Some versions were operated in certain overseas regions, but the situation differs by region, so check directly before trying.

Crazy Arcade has now become a game that lives on in records and memories. Still, the simple yet powerful fun that brought many people together with nothing more than a water balloon remains a great textbook for anyone making casual battle games today.

References

• Crazy Arcade – Wikipedia
• Crazy Arcade - Wikipedia (Korean)
• Crazyracing KartRider – Wikipedia