A balloon floats upward on its own, and everything above it wants to pop it. In Rise Up you do not steer the balloon at all. You control a shield instead, shoving blocks and other objects aside so the climb can continue safely.
It helps to look a little ahead of the balloon rather than at it, and to clear one obstacle at a time instead of chasing everything at once. Steady control of a single paddle is also what Arkanoid Flash rewards.