Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania

After releasing the poorly-received remaster of Sonic Colors to mark the blue hedgehog's thirtieth birthday, I was starting to worry that Sega might not be very good at celebrating important anniversaries. Thankfully, they've redeemed themselves with the release of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, a new compilation that combines the first three entries into one overwhelming package. With hundreds of levels, all kinds of fun party games and a staggering number of modes and items to unlock, Banana Mania makes a strong argument for why Super Monkey Ball has managed to endure for two full decades. Let's take a look at why both longtime fans and newcomers should be excited for this comprehensive collection.

Looking back on the original GameCube release, it's easy to see why Super Monkey Ball was such a big hit. Not only was the game adorable, but it was also incredibly easy to wrap your head around, making it the perfect experience for casual and hardcore gamers alike. And even after you've grown tired of rolling your monkey balls into the goal, there were a bunch of fun multiplayer mini-games just waiting to extend the game's life. Toss in a cast of likable characters and one hundred vibrant puzzles to overcome and you have a game that is hard to resist.

I'll confess, I was caught up in Super Monkey Ball's charm back in the early 2000s. I loved both the GameCube original and its 2002 sequel, but then quickly fell off as the bananas started to stack up. Even with all the fun bonus modes and cameos, the core gameplay and level designs didn't change enough from one installment to the next to keep me invested. Sega opted for gameplay gimmicks instead of truly shaking up the formula, something that left me cold when I reviewed Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD back in 2019.

As a compilation, Banana Mania does a great job of reminding us what made those first few Monkey Ball titles so great to begin with. There aren't a lot of gimmicks here, just fun (and infuriating) level designs that look simple, but are in reality devilishly tricky to complete. The idea is to navigate your way to the goal by tilting the stage in the direction you want the monkey ball to roll. Think of it like one of those marble mazes you buy at a toy store, where you have to move the whole board around in order to get anywhere.

Of course, the game isn't nearly as simple as it sounds. They draw you in with straight-forward levels that even the most novice gamer can complete on the first try, but it won't take long before you're forced to put up with floating platforms, leaps of faith, narrow paths, floors with monkey ball-sized holes and pretty much anything else they can throw at you. It's the kind of game where a single stage may only take twenty or thirty seconds to beat, but that comes after dozens of attempts where you roll off the side and into a bottomless pit.

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In case you're wondering, there's a story mode that is based on a bunch of Monkey Ball-infused television shows. It's the usual setup, where the villainous Dr. Bad-Boon sucks up all the bananas, prompting the monkeys to jump into a bunch of balls to get them back. The barely-there story is only there to take us to a bunch of different locations, including a volcano, the ocean, an amusement park, a washing machine and even inside of a whale. At one point, the evil doctor literally shrinks our heroes in hopes of using them in a delicious stew.

What this compilation has going for it is content. Lots and lots and lots of content. By including stages, modes and mini-games from Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2, as well as Deluxe, Banana Mania contains more than three-hundred stages, all of which look better than ever in this remastered package. On top of having an overwhelming amount of levels to go through, there are also hundreds of missions to complete, including stage and challenge tasks that will have you reaching the goal in a set amount of time or picking up as many bananas as possible. For every banana you pick up, level you beat or mission you complete, you'll earn coins that will unlock new characters, balls, costumes and even a few filters.

While most of that is cosmetic in nature, I was surprised to see that the jump ability was available for purchase next to Beat from Jet Set Radio. This is just one of several ways this compilation makes the harder levels easier to manage, and I can attest that being able to jump makes a huge difference. For those still having trouble completing a stage, there's now a slow-motion button, plus a way to extend the time limit and show the optimal path to the goal. Observant Monkey Ballers may also notice a few tweaks to the stages, re-balancing some of the more notoriously tricky stages. But don't worry, you can still play the old school stages in the Original Mode. And don't forget about the Reverse Mode, Dark Banana Mode, Golden Banana Mode and Deluxe Mode. Yeah, like I said, there's a staggering amount of content in Banana Mania, and (obviously) most of it is banana-related.

And we haven't even talked about the twelve party modes, which is where all of the multiplayer fun is stored. This section of the game includes all of the fan-favorite mini-games from the first few installments, including monkey racing, monkey billiards, monkey bowling, monkey golf, monkey dogfights and monkey soccer. Some of these games make more sense than others. For example, the monkey tennis mode feels almost indistinguishable from the real sport, whereas monkey baseball is the kind of thing you could only do in Super Monkey Ball. These mini-games are hit or miss, and your fun will probably depend on whether you're going up against the computer or playing with a bunch of friends.

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In a lot of ways, this is almost a complete one-eighty when compared to Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD. When I reviewed the remastered port a couple years ago, I complained that players could see most of what the game had to offer in just a couple hours, making it feel overpriced at $40. Banana Mania, on the other hand, retails for the exact same price, yet feels like a bargain. With hundreds of stages, tons of modes and all of your favorite party mini-games, this has almost everything a Super Monkey Ball fan could possibly want. This is a great birthday gift for the fans and one of the best compilations Sega has released in a long time.

The problem I ran into is that by having so much content, it only worked to remind me just why I stopped playing Super Monkey Ball in the first place. Sure, the gimmicks and additional nonsense got in the way after a while, but so did the repetition. While I appreciate the large variety of stage designs and all of the weird obstacles they throw at you, I ended up getting to a point where I simply had enough. I just didn't want to play Super Monkey Ball any more. Granted, this was after completing more than a hundred stages, but it reminded me that the simple concept could only go so far. The good news is that there are still more than a hundred stages waiting for me whenever I get the itch for more Monkey Ball, plus all kinds of modes and extras.

I think part of the problem is that the developers aren't good at ramping up the difficulty. Too many of the more challenging stages involve elements that are completely out of your control. The levels will set it up so that you can't tell where the ball is going to go or gauge where you're going to land. There are also a number of luck-based stages, which I found more frustrating than fun. There are certainly more good stages than bad, but some of the level designs can leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Let me be perfectly clear: These are minor complaints. Whining that I got bored halfway through playing three-hundred stages is a lot like being upset that the delicious chocolate cake is too big. Most people aren't going to try to binge the entire game in a few sittings, but rather have a regular-sized slice whenever they feel like it. Banana Mania is perfect for that kind of diet. With so many levels and mini-games, you'll be collecting bananas and completing missions for months to come. There's a lot to like about Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania. Almost too much.