The Super Monkey Ball franchise has had a rough past. The original titles from 2001 and 2002 were hugely popular with gamers. The games had something special, which means that they still have a special place in the hearts of many people in 2021. Due to the success of the first games, many more Super Monkey Ball games have hit store shelves. Unfortunately, according to the old fans, SEGA couldn’t quite reproduce the magic of the first games anymore. Then suddenly came the announcement of Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania: a return to the past of Super Monkey Ball. According to Monkey Ball fans, the trailers van Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania looking good old-fashioned. Even as a Super Monkey Ball layperson, that piqued my interest. With Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania I enter a Super Monkey Ball game for the second time. Is the game indeed as good as the trailers make it seem, or is there no monkey ball to it?
Old-fashioned fun gameplay
Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a remaster of Super Monkey Ball 1, 2 and Deluxe. The game takes you back to the more than 300 levels from these games to mark the 20th anniversary of the franchise. All twelve original party games also return. All this content has been given a new lick of paint, so that the games are also playable for a modern audience. The biggest change is the HD graphics. AiAi and his friends have their modern looks and look as you would expect. Also the worlds in Banana Mania look more beautiful than ever before. The in-game story is now told in a comic book style. All spoken dialogue has been removed from the story, allowing younger players to understand the story as well. Furthermore, the music has been cleaned and there is also a lot of new content to be found. All in all, this makes for a huge Monkey Ball package that will keep you busy for many hours. There is plenty to do and you definitely get your money’s worth.
The gameplay of Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is old-fashioned fun. As always, you play like a monkey in a hamster ball. Your goal is to reach the end goal of each course while rolling. You do this by tilting the level. Then gravity does its job and your monkey rolls in the desired direction. That leads to interesting and fun level designs. The concept of Super Monkey Ball is still rock solid in 2021. The gameplay is extremely addictive. Especially the moments where you can skip a significant part of the level by skillfully maneuvering your monkey are very satisfying. Yes, skips are more than possible. That’s something that makes me and many other Monkey Ball fans happy. For example, I once managed to complete a level within ten seconds by hitting an edge at full speed, which launched AiAi and ended up in the goal. It’s moments like these that you feel the magic of Super Monkey Ball running through your veins. Monkey Ball is back and it feels good. The real fun is in replaying levels and getting faster times. Keep your finger on the record button, because you’ll be using it regularly.
How many bananas does that cost?
One of the biggest additions in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is the digital store. As you complete the many courses in the game, you will collect bananas. In the original games, you received an extra life when you gathered thirty of these yellow guys. That is no longer the case. In Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, the crooked boys form a currency. Your bananas are converted into points for your digital bank card. Also by completing challenges, your balance is replenished. There are plenty of them, so there is always something to get. This is a very nice concept that gives the bananas usefulness again. Life system enthusiasts are sadly disappointed. There is no possibility to play with lives anymore.
The digital store is packed with cool rewards. Your eye is probably first on the many characters. Banana Mania introduces a lot of iconic game heroes to the game. That’s how it is Beat van Jet Set Radio in Super Monkey Ball and rolls too Kazuma Kiryu uit Yakuza mee in Banana Mania. In total there are twenty characters that you can unlock in the game for free. Your monkeys can also be adapted. There are over a hundred cosmetic items that allow you to change the appearance of AiAi and his friends. Even the hamster ball can be adjusted. You can also unlock various modes by exchanging points. For example, in Reverse Mode, you should try to complete a level backwards. Original Stage Mode unlocks over twenty old levels with the original difficulty. Also the jump from games like Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD returns as an unlockable reward. However, this one is completely optional. If you prefer not to use it, you can choose not to. Accessibility is the magic word at Banana Mania. The game has multiple options to make the gameplay accessible to all players. For example, there is an option that shows you the path to the finish. Are you having trouble with a certain level? Then you can slow down the time or even skip the whole level. It is also possible to rotate the camera, so that you can better see what is happening around you. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of the camera is too low, so you have to turn the camera for a long time. However, that is not a huge problem. The game is also playable without using the camera. Prefer to play with motion controls? That too is possible. All these accessibility options make the game playable for a wider audience and are therefore a very welcome addition. Especially because the game is definitely not easy – especially for newcomers.
Party like it’s 2001
The fun in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania doesn’t end with completing the main adventure. The game comes bundled with twelve different party games. All partygames in Banana Mania return from the first three parts. That means we can knock down skittles in Monkey Bowling, ram monkeys out of the ring in Monkey Fight, and take to the skies in Monkey Target as before. The party games are entertaining on your own, but turn into fun chaos with a group of friends. If you don’t already own a Mario Party game, the party games in Banana Mania are a good alternative. However, it is very unfortunate that many of the unlockable characters are not playable in the party games. If you want to play tennis or football with Sonic and Tails, you should be somewhere else.
Audio-wise, the game does a lot of good. The new soundtrack is a success and gives off a completely different vibe than the original music. Graphically, the game looks fine, but not terribly impressive. The backgrounds have been given a nice makeover and look modern. I did find it a pity that the surfaces of the levels are quite standard, just like in the original. I would have liked them to be more in line with the theme of the levels in this remaster. Due to the standard surfaces, the level themes melt together and are not easy to differentiate from each other. It’s not a disaster, because you play Super Monkey Ball for the gameplay. And he is mustache. The same is not true for the frame rate. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania also runs on Switch at 60fpsUnfortunately, the game doesn’t always achieve that goal. Fortunately, my experience was largely stable.
The final verdict of
Nils Hoogervorst
Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is an old fashioned good Super Monkey Ball game with modern additions. Although the game could have been a little stronger graphically and technically, the gameplay is rock solid. This one is as fun as ever and feels immensely satisfying. The levels in the game are endlessly replayable and there is enough content to keep you busy for a long time. Not only the main game, but also the twelve party games are a success. All in all, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a great pack not only for franchise veterans but also newcomers. Super Monkey Ball is back and it feels good.
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Pros
- A lot of content
- Gameplay is extremely entertaining and satisfying
- Endlessly replayable
- Many options
- Accessibility comes first
- Party games are very entertaining
- Cool soundtrack
- Value for your money
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Negatives
- No option to play with lives
- Camera sensitivity too low
- Many characters not playable in party games
- Level themes are somewhat merging
- Frame rate not always stable on Switch
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