In a world where many modern games ask players to invest a huge chunk of their precious time, a game that’s easy to pick up and play can be a real breath of fresh air. At the end of a long day, playing something with complex mechanics and systems can seem like a chore rather than something to help unwind. If you feel that way, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble might be the game for you.
Like other Super Monkey Ball titles, it’s a game that anyone can easily understand how to play the moment they pick up a controller. The beauty lies in its simplicity. Don’t be fooled, however, as Banana Rumble offers just as much challenge and depth as it does casual fun.
A New Super Monkey Ball Adventure
This marks the first entirely new Super Monkey Ball title in years, as the other most recent entries in the series are remakes. With this in mind, you can imagine that the developers at RGG Studio had no small task ahead of them. Banana Rumble has the responsibility of capturing what made the original games so appealing and fully reviving the Super Monkey Ball series with new content.
Fortunately, I believe that the game mostly succeeds in this regard. In many ways, Banana Rumble feels like a game from the past with a modern coat of paint. I could easily imagine it releasing 15 years ago as a Wii title, and I mean that as a good thing. It’s the kind of game that the whole family can enjoy, regardless of skill level.
Banana Rumble makes it clear that it prioritizes fun above all else and provides several features to allow players to enjoy the title in the way that they desire. If you want to experience the game with a friend on the couch, you can. Do you want to play the party games in Battle Mode with CPU-controlled opponents? That’s possible as well.
Banana Rumble Is Full of Cheer
While I doubt that many play Super Monkey Ball for what little story it has to tell, it does exist for those who want it. Banana Rumble contains a surprising number of cutscenes throughout its Adventure Mode, and they are all fully animated. Perhaps not so unexpectedly, the narrative here is fairly low-stakes and lighthearted.
The story follows AiAi and his friends as they join newcomer Palette on an adventure in search of the Legendary Banana. There aren’t many twists and turns along the way besides the ones found in the stages themselves. It’s a simple journey that focuses on the value of friendship, and that’s all it really needs to be.
Banana Rumble‘s story will likely appeal more to audiences far younger than I am, but that’s not to say I didn’t get any enjoyment out of it. In fact, the cutscenes exhibit the game’s vibrant and colorful art direction incredibly well. It’s endearing to see the Monkey Ball characters be more expressive than ever before, and I hope that potential sequels take inspiration from this title in this regard.
Rolling Around at the Speed of Round
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble has no jump button. Instead, the game introduces the new “Spin Dash” mechanic to assist movement around stages. If you have ever played a Sonic the Hedgehog game, you probably have an idea of how this mechanic works. It’s very similar in how it functions.
Charging up a Spin Dash grants a greater boost in speed. However, charging it also increases the cooldown period after its use. This is why it’s not always ideal to use the Spin Dash at its full power in addition to it easily sending the player to their doom when not used with caution. A small boost is sometimes all that is needed to clear an obstacle.
Overall, the Spin Dash really helps breathe some new life into the classic Super Monkey Ball formula. It’s a lot of fun to use and adds more depth to the game than a jump mechanic ever could. I found myself using it a lot to discover optimal paths through stages, as it opens the door to many new tricks for the player to utilize.
Practice Makes Perfect
Despite the cheery vibes and aesthetic, Banana Rumble can be an extremely difficult game. The previous game I reviewed was Nine Sols, which isn’t a walk in the park by any means, so believe me when I say that this game is tough. There are a few stages where I found myself nearly shouting obscenities in frustration.
It may be easy enough to complete most of the story levels, but after the credits roll, the real game begins. Many of these later stages require surgical precision from the player. Even a slight tilt of the control stick can mean the difference between victory or the beginning of your 100th attempt. Fortunately, this unforgiving challenge makes completing a difficult level all the more satisfying.
However, I do recommend playing Banana Rumble with a Switch Pro Controller if possible. The small range of motion on a Joy-Con control stick makes precise movement more difficult than it needs to be. I still had fun with the game in handheld mode, but it feels undeniably better to play with a larger control stick. Additionally, motion controls are an option, but I couldn’t get this method to work very well.
A Large Pack of New Super Monkey Ball Stages
Banana Rumble features 200 brand-new stages for fans to enjoy. Even though I don’t love every single level the game has to offer, there is a large variety of them. Furthermore, many stages only take a matter of seconds to beat when utilizing tricks. It’s always worth pushing through some of the more tedious sections because there is plenty more fun to be had.
Each level has three optional missions to complete. If the game isn’t somehow challenging enough, these objectives can make one spend a lot more time in some areas than they might expect. This adds a layer of replayability to the game and will potentially add quite a bit more play time for completionists.
If a stage proves to be too difficult, players can opt to turn on “Helper Functions”. These can come in really handy when you just want to move on from a particularly troublesome level. However, there is a catch, as you won’t be able to complete missions with this enabled.
The Multiplayer Madness of Banana Rumble
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble offers a Battle Mode for up to 16 players to participate in. If that sounds a tad chaotic, that’s because it is. There are five different mini-games to choose from, but matchmaking will automatically select which one you will play. While I did not have the opportunity to experience this mode with other players, I did play several rounds with bots.
All of the mini-games here should provide a fun party experience, but I definitely had the best time playing “Race” and “Goal Rush”. Races in particular are impressive and surprisingly fleshed out. The combination of kart racing elements and the platforming from the main game make for a tense mode that’s a really fun distraction. While the other mini-games are still enjoyable, they don’t take advantage of the game’s mechanics as well.
Unfortunately, I did experience a noticeable dip in performance when compared to Adventure Mode. I understand that I can only ask so much out of Switch hardware, but low frame rates directly affect the enjoyability of a game that requires such precise inputs. It could be possible that my specific console is the culprit, but I doubt this is the case. I advise being wary and keeping your expectations in check.
Super Monkey Ball Is Back
Despite some of my technical gripes, I am absolutely hooked on Banana Rumble. For some, the game can serve as a great introduction to speedrunning, thanks to its simple control scheme. I had so much fun honing my skills and trimming down my stage times. As of writing, I currently hold the world record on the leaderboard for Banana Farm, which I’m sure will be surpassed by several others soon after the game releases.
Although the soundtrack does mesh well with the joyful tone of the game, it is largely forgettable with a few notable exceptions. The theme for Rose Garden, in particular, is likely my favorite track in the game, and I wish more of the music could match its energy.
Whether you are looking for some arcadey thrills or just want a casual party game to enjoy with friends, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble has a bit of something for everyone. It certainly isn’t flawless, but I can guarantee that this new entry will be a great time for most.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble will be available on June 25 exclusively for Nintendo Switch. For more reviews, be sure to keep an eye on Final Weapon!
Disclaimer: SEGA provided Final Weapon with a copy of Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble for review purposes.
