super monkey ball banana mania developer

#SUPER MONKEY BALL BANANA MANIA DEVELOPER SERIES#

Soundtrack And Announcer Changes May Disappoint There is an inherent charm to the freneticism of the older music as it plays into the series’ arcade roots perfectly, and as such purists may decry the changes in that department, doubly so perhaps because the original soundtrack is available as separate downloadable content. With that comes a new soundtrack and announcer which both do serviceable jobs, though the songs can become a little grating as they each play out for the entirety of the world. The 10-stage worlds in the main story mode comprise of the likes of an active volcano, the inside of a whale, and a pot of boiling water – typically hospitable places for AiAi and friends. Truth be told, that’s not exactly a bad thing as there would be nothing worse than coming up against a wall only to then find the proceeding stages equally as difficult.

For newcomers, the first number of stages teach you the tricks but the gentle uptick in difficulty is not linear and in later worlds some levels can prove tricky, while the stage to immediately follow is a doddle.

#SUPER MONKEY BALL BANANA MANIA DEVELOPER SERIES#

This approach becomes untenable after a couple of stages such is their set-up, so focusing on the goals is always a better course to chart.įor the most part, the game’s stages are well designed, and series veterans will of course be immediately familiar with them. These objectives are a good focal point to aim for, as your innate thought is to charge towards all the bananas before clattering into the completion gate with a second to go.

It’s rarely a case of ‘collect all bananas’, (that’s reserved for the Golden Banana mode purchased from said shop) but rather ‘finish the stage in a certain amount of time’, ‘collect a certain amount of bananas’, ‘finish the stage without stopping’, etc. What’s tricky is how the stages iterate and gain an air of complexity that demands you take momentum, anticipation and speed into account.Įach level tasks you with four ‘missions’ that earn you in-game currency to spend in the Point Shop. At its core, Super Monkey Ball is relatively simple: guide a monkey (or a Kiryu) suspended in a ball through increasingly devious stages by tilting the world, all while collecting bananas and completing challenges along the way inside a 60-second time limit. With Banana Mania, however, that’s not the case, what with its foundation being the classic entries in the series. Moreover, other characters, such as Beat from Jet Set Radio are purchasable via the game’s Point Shop, alongside a slew of clothing, skins, and other customization options.īut what’s an avalanche of content if the core game feels ‘off’, as was the case for many with Banana Blitz HD, primarily due to the fact that the stages were designed with the Wii Remote in mind presumably, meaning they were more forgiving and by extension underwhelming. In truth, the proverbial toy chest has been spilled and out’s popped the likes of Kazuma Kiryu and Sonic, complete with the titular banana being replaced with rings, and Staminan X for the former. Fast forward to now, and – perhaps as a make good following Banana Blitz HD’s tepid reception – in comes Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, a robust package that contains the original game, its sequel, and the additional content housed within 2005’s Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, all remastered in 4K resolution and at 60 frames per second.Īs is par for the course for collections of this nature, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania packs quite the glut of content, boasting 300 remade stages from Deluxe, (itself drawing the bulk of its material from the first two games) a raft of additional modes, party games, as well as the ability to forgo playing as series staples such as AiAi and MeeMee in favour of other favourites in the Sega archives. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania Swings Onto PS5 Offering The Series’ Best In One Enticing PackageĮnthusiasm for Super Monkey Ball’s frenetic gameplay and whimsy was rife upon release, and no sooner than a year later a sequel arrived, packing an additional challenge mode and doubling down on the series’ burgeoning multiplayer aspect with four times the mini-games and thus burgeon four times the animosity amongst friends.Īfter, then, lying dormant for a number of years in terms of major home console releases the series re-emerged with the release of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD, a curious HD remake of one of the less-than-revered entries which first appeared as a launch game for Nintendo Wii. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania PS5 Review

Super monkey ball banana mania developer