Tremendous Monkey Ball: Banana Mania evaluation — Extra enjoyable than a … you already know

First off, spoiler alert, I’m giving Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania a 5/5. This will appear foolish to a few of you. Sure, that is in some ways a easy sport. You will have a monkey. They’re in a ball. And it’s a must to tilt that ball towards the aim.

That is additionally a remaster. Effectively, form of. Banana Mania accommodates the entire ranges and minigames from the primary three Tremendous Monkey Ball video games. However a lot of them have seen adjustments (don’t fear, you may unlock the unique variations too). The format can also be totally different right here. Earlier than, you needed to beat the marketing campaign earlier than working out of lives. Like with many trendy video games, the lives idea is gone right here now. Should you die, you may hold attempting.

So, yeah. I’m giving a 5/5 to a remastered compilation of Tremendous Monkey Ball. Banana Mania is a number of the most enjoyable I’ve had gaming this yr. Should you choose this one up when it launches on October 5 for Change, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, I guess you’ll have an analogous expertise.

By the way in which, I performed on Change. Should you’re frightened about getting Banana Mania on that platform due to Sega’s lackluster port job with Sonic Colors: Ultimate on the system, don’t be. Banana Mania runs nice on Change and runs at a easy 60 fps (so long as you’re not enjoying break up display screen multiplayer, then the framerate expectedly drops a bit).

Above: Ranges can get fairly wild.

Picture Credit score: Sega

I’m a (banana) maniac

OK, so why do I like Banana Mania a lot? First off, Tremendous Monkey Ball is enjoyable. It was enjoyable again after I first performed it as a GameCube launch sport. It’s nonetheless enjoyable in 2021. It’s a easy idea that enables for some artistic, difficult ranges. Typically you’re simply navigating your monkey by means of a comparatively easy impediment course. Different instances it’s a must to grasp extra distinctive ideas or gimmicks, like utilizing totally different switches to hurry up, reverse, or pause spinning platforms so you may cross safely.

These ranges might be difficult, however with some persistence and thoughtfulness, you’ll finally conquer them. And now that lives aren’t a factor, you don’t have to fret about too many failures forcing a sport over and making you replay ranges you already beat. Certain, generally you’ll come throughout a stage that you simply’ll get caught on for what can really feel like hours. However, dang, it certain does really feel good whenever you lastly cross the aim line on these ones.

I’m additionally a giant fan of any sport with enjoyable unlockables, and Banana Mania delivers right here. You earn factors by enjoying, and you need to use these to earn new characters, costumes, and even sport modes. That is how one can unlock different Sega stars, like Sonic and Tails, as playable characters. You may even buy a leap button that you need to use within the single participant content material.

None of those goodies are too costly, so that you’ll be capable to unlock what you need simply by enjoying a good little bit of the principle sport.

Above: Sonic is in Monkey Ball!

Picture Credit score: Sega

Social gathering prefer it’s 2002

Should you ever play Tremendous Monkey Ball earlier than, you already know that social gathering video games are sometimes the very best a part of the package deal. Banana Mania comes with 12 of those multiplayer minigames. This consists of Monkey Struggle, which has 4 gamers rolling round and attempting to punch one another off a platform whereas battling over upgrades. You even have Monkey Racing, a surprisingly first rate kart racing-like expertise. Monkey Billiards, Monkey Tennis, and Monkey Bowling are precisely what you count on, and someway higher. I imply, Monkey Bowling is just about all the things I would like from any bowling sport.

After which there’s Monkey Goal, in all probability the best minigame of all time. On this one, as much as 4 gamers roll down a hill, shoot off a ramp, and float their technique to far off targets. Then they attempt to land on zones which might be price probably the most factors. It’s like aggressive Pilot Wings.

Once more, this sounds easy, but it surely’s silly how enjoyable that is with buddies. In a single memorable sport, me and three buddies have been taking pictures for a protracted strip of land. The furthest, smallest a part of this island simply earlier than the sting was price probably the most factors. The primary considered one of us to achieve this space deployed too late and simply landed on the platform flat on his monkey abdomen. Then the following particular person reached the second-best rating zone. Not unhealthy. After which I flew in and knocked him off. We each fell into the scoreless ocean. We have been all howling, after which the final of us soared down and landed on the final inch of the part that awarded the prime factors. At this level, we have been all off the sofa and leaping and screaming with pleasure.

These minigames are simply improbable to play with buddies in the identical room. And it’s simple to swap between them. You may play a spherical of bowling, then do a bit on Monkey Goal, and possibly end off with a single race or a bout of Monkey Struggle. The variability is unimaginable and might make a night of gaming with buddies go rapidly.

Monkey round

Sure, Banana Mania is basically simply the sort of Tremendous Monkey Ball sport that you simply’d count on. I simply didn’t notice how a lot I’ve missed this collection. The one participant ranges current a difficult and artistic expertise, whereas the minigame choices make this assortment important to anybody who likes to play native multiplayer.

That is the very best Tremendous Monkey Ball has ever been.

Tremendous Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is out on October 5 for Change, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Sega gave us a Change code for this evaluation.