Super Monkey Ball is a serious contender to be the Gamecube game I played the most at the time. Sega had just left Dreamcast behind to become a third-party developer, and delivered a title that had exactly the components fans loved it for: stripped-down, slightly arcade-like, super-intuitive, and extremely fun gameplay.
I’m sure you know the basic premise, which essentially involved rolling monkeys into balls through colorful environments in search of the best time and most bananas collected. That’s all it took, and when I go back to my Gamecube every now and then, I can still watch old saved replays and wonder how my friends and I managed to beat each other to the semi-unrealistic records we achieved.
But… For the sequel, Sega did what it usually does (which probably contributed to the Dreamcast’s failure), which was to overcomplicate things. Rolling monkey balls suddenly wasn’t enough, and they had to add entirely new elements that overshadowed their brilliant gameplay (much like when they decided taxis should be able to jump in Crazy Taxi 2). Plus, the monkeys needed personality, and a story was added without anyone asking for it.
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Since then, Sega has tried countless times to replicate the success of Super Monkey Ball without really finding the magic again. Sure, it’s still fun to roll the monkeys around, but Sega still doesn’t trust that it’s enough and keeps feeding us a story. I bring this up because over the past few days I’ve been playing the Switch exclusive game Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, and I’ve been happy and annoyed in equal measure.
For the first time since the 2001 original, I think Sega has gotten the level design right. Getting to the finish line is rarely a big deal and is played and beautifully designed. But… doing it quickly and finding all the secrets is much harder. Even after a few levels, it takes a composure worthy of the best Zen monks to accomplish anything, and rather than moving on to the next one, I often choose to try again.
For those new to the world of Monkey Ball, there are also very useful tools that make the game easier, and after too many failures, a help system automatically kicks in and asks if you need help. This can be turned off, but thanks to the ability to see ghosts while others play, you honestly never get stuck.
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Also, this time we have a new gameplay mechanic that really adds something and fits perfectly into the basic concept. It’s nothing revolutionary, it’s called Spin Dash and is reminiscent of the sprint Sonic the Hedgehog can do by crouching and gaining speed. Here, however, you can perform a Spin Dash while moving, with a certain cooldown preventing him from abusing it. This lets you quickly gain speed during jumps, crash into things in the hopes of getting the monkey off the ground and onto a ledge, or try out a crazy shortcut. It really adds something and makes playing Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble even more enjoyable, and since all the monkeys are different, there’s a lot to explore here.
There’s a nice sense of déjà vu when I’m transported back to the glory days of the Gamecube. Of course, there are still some levels that rely on gimmicks that add nothing to the gameplay, but Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio delivers really good level design throughout and there’s plenty of environmental variation as well as the option to play co-op. But… then there’s the story, which Sega still thinks we need. It’s resulted in an absolutely gruesome story where we have to search for a missing monkey and an artifact while battling a Team Rocket-like gang that doesn’t have much personality other than being rude. Still, there are plenty of scenes – with voices – where the monkeys mutter phrases reminiscent of the Swedish Chef from the Muppets.
It’s really frustrating to have to put up with this, and my poor girlfriend kept asking me to turn the volume down because it sounded so stupid and childish. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there, because in addition to a story, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sega have also decided that the game needs to feel like a live service, so there’s a huge amount of cosmetic items to buy that you can’t that affect anything.
In addition to the fun and well-made campaign with around 200 levels to play (rounded off with a system similar to achievements), there is also a collection of mini-games that you can enjoy locally and online for up to 16 people, with several phases available to add more variety. One of them is called Ba-Boom and it quickly became a favorite, where we’re not supposed to be the monkey holding a bomb at the end of the round in a vaguely battle royale-like premise. Also fast-paced and fun is Goal Rush, where you and your team have to go through doors to capture them, and whoever has the most doors at the end wins. A simple and classic premise that really works. Obviously I couldn’t try it online, but I could locally and there are bots to refuel.
All in all, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is still the most fun I’ve had with the series in over 20 years, and in fact, at the time of writing, I’m looking forward to going on vacation with my Switch to break my own records. I just wish Sega would cut back on production, because less is more here. Trying to add a story in this case is about as relevant as trying to improve on Tetris with a story about lost blocks, rival gangs, and tetrominoes speaking in a made-up language with fake children’s voices. It wasn’t because of their charming personalities that I once learned to love AiAi, MeeMee, Bano, and GonGon, but because they were in an incredibly good game.