My journey with Super Monkey Ball started in 2008 when it first hit mobile devices. I spent hours mastering the accelerator of the iPod Touch, rolling monkeys in glass spheres to safety while collecting bananas. 16 years on, and the franchise hasn’t lost any of its charm, but it also hasn’t gained much flavor.
At its core, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is everything you would expect from a casual, light-hearted, and upbeat platformer. However, it falls short in various aspects, with rough edges and unpolished mechanics that make the game’s challenges more frustrating than exhilarating.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble releases on June 25 for the Nintendo Switch.
Sega’s platformer makes use of a unique mechanic. Rather than controlling the character directly, you tilt the entire level. Think of the labyrinth marble game, but instead of a steel marble, you roll a monkey inside a glass sphere through the maze.
The game features several game modes that can be played solo or with other players locally or online. As a fan of platformers, the Adventure Mode grabbed my attention the most. Here, you roll your way through levels to unlock new worlds, each boasting strikingly different themes, intricate designs, and upbeat soundtracks.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble’s Level Designs Keep Things Fresh
The level design is where the game shines the most. The stages gradually get more challenging, as new mechanics and ways of clearing a level are introduced.
Initially, you just have to roll from A to B. Later, shifting and disappearing platforms and objects as well as mechanics such as activating buttons and using launchpads are introduced. These challenges keep the experience fresh and varied, leaving you with a feeling of achievement after clearing each level.
Things take a turn from rewarding to frustrating when you reach the later stages of the game. These require a level of precision that neither the console nor the game’s mechanics are cut out for.
While trying to maneuver the sphere along a narrow, winding path, the thumb stick’s lack of precision on the joy-con becomes painstakingly apparent, while the accelerator allows for even less accuracy. On top of that, the camera somehow never points in the right direction at the right time, making things unnecessarily hard.
An extensive list of settings allows you to tweak these variables. However, despite constantly adjusting them, I never quite found a sweet spot, leaving the game feeling overall clunky and unbalanced.
Go Bananas with Friends
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble has various multiplayer modes that let you share in the fun (and misery) with other players. It is refreshing that you can progress through the Adventure Mode with a friend, either locally or online, which makes each stage a lot more enjoyable as you overcome challenges together.
Make sure to choose your co-op partner wisely, as the later stages will test both your patience and relationship as you bang your heads against the wall trying to beat the tougher levels.
Those who’d rather compete can face off against friends, online players, and bots in five different arcade-style Battle Modes. These are a great way to mix things up, but they lack substance and excitement and get stale very fast.
The game aims for a Fall Guys-esque experience but falls short. It seems the Battle Modes didn’t receive the same attention as the level designs in the Adventure Mode, leaving them feeling undercooked and rather dull. More stages and modes are set to be added to the game, though, so this might improve in the future.
The team put a lot of love into the customization options, as you can choose from dozens of cosmetics to personalize each character. Besides their unique looks, each also has its own stats, making them more or less suitable for certain tracks.
With a ton of diverse levels, various single- and multiplayer modes, and a roster of customizable characters, there is fun to be had in the game. Leaderboards, new cosmetics, and daily rewards offer an incentive to come back for more – were it not for a clunky and rather flavorless experience.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is a potassium-enriched amalgamation of minigolf, Mario Kart, and Fall Guys that lacks substance and fails to bring these concepts together in a cohesive and engaging experience. The game tries to be the Legendary Banana but instead is just a green fruit that would have needed more time to ripen.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble – 6/10
