Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is the best of classic Monkey Ball with some fantastic new touches to keep things interesting, though accessibility takes a back seat in these remakes.

It’s a shame that the camera works against you at times, and pretty much all of the content here may be recycled from previous games, but that doesn’t stop Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania from being outrageously entertaining. Also, while the game’s premise is simple, there’s a great level of challenge here that will keep players returning time and time again to master all of the stages on offer. Throw in the party games that each offer their own unique take on Monkey Ball action, and you have a package that’s not to be missed by those who simply like to have fun.

There isn't much new in this best-of compilation, but when the core package is this well-made and feature-packed, that's easy to overlook.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a solid celebration for the 20th anniversary of the series’ inception. It caters to fans who have stuck around to see the next big thing and does so in a complete package with new surprises and things to come.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania was a pleasant surprise, in that it doesn’t mess too much with a formula that works and it makes strides to welcome newcomers into the fold. Not all of its stages are created equal, but this is a great entry point into a series that’s been lacking one on modern platforms for a long while.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania truly does feel like a copious offering of many things good in the franchise with a vibrant touch-up. There’s no lack of things to do and challenges to overcome again and again. The polish, music, and occasional level rearrangement makes everything feel fresh and great and you can even challenge the unarranged levels as a bonus. The Party Games are also loads of fun, even if some are better than others. The camera controls are tough to work around and it’s pretty silly that you can’t play Party Games online or with the unlockable characters. That said, Super Monk...

For fans, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a no-brainer, and even newcomers will find tons of fun here. Some slightly annoying gameplay can't hinder the mountain of content and extras tied into this package.

They see me rollin', they laughin'

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania does at least update the technical side of things, and on Xbox Series X and PS5, or indeed any of the 4K-equipped consoles, you’re getting the sharpest ball monkeys yet. The visuals are otherwise as bright and simplistic as they’ve ever been. They look nice, but no one is likely to be wowed. That’s not really the point. That simplicity makes it a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch, where it looks as sharp as you would hope for, outside of some lacking texture filtering.

“Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is a welcome, but imprecise remake that's lacking detail.”

While these levels stay true to the original versions from the early 2000s games, the developers have made an attempt to mitigate difficulty, tweaking some levels and adding a helper system. After failing to complete a level numerous times, the game automatically asks if the player would like to enable the help system, although it can be turned on from the pause menu at any moment, too. With help enabled, the time limit is extended from 60 seconds to 120 seconds, and players are given directional arrows showing the easiest way to travel to the finish line. Additionally, points can be used to c...

Another sub-par remaster of Super Monkey Ball that ruins the precision and elegance of the originals and replaces it with janky, unpredictable controls and shoddy presentation.