Latest Monkey Ball Game is a New Favorite Among Fans
The Monkey Ball series is about as inconsistent as it is weird. The arcade style game franchise sees players control the level itself in an attempt to collect bananas and reach the goal with their, well, monkey in a ball. As you may expect, these games can be hit or miss- with either end of the extreme demonstrated in the last two games in the franchise: Banana Blitz HD and Banana Mania. Blitz HD, as a remaster of the Wii’s entry in the series, was bombarded for its poor controls and uninteresting levels. Conversely, 2021’s Banana Mania (a collection of original GameCube Monkey Ball titles) fared much better- reaching a strong critical reception on Opencritic.
Image by Sega
Considering its past, you may be curious as to how the latest entry in the series, titled ‘Banana Rumble’ is faring. With reviews now out, it seems that Banana Rumble may just be amongst the best in the franchise. Launching exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, the game has more characters, levels and even new moves to thrust the game into the future rather than copy the same manuscript that other entries have kept since the 2000s. The spin dash mechanic gives players a lot more control and removes some frustration that is inherent in an arcade game like this. GamingTrend had the following to say in their 85/100 review:
“Banana Rumble shows the value of adding a new spin on a tried-and-true formula. This series has wallowed in its past for a long time, so I'm glad to see the new Spin Dash mechanic propel it into new and exciting places”
On top of this, new multiplayer modes make their way to the series and, according to the opinions of critics, these are far and away better than what was offered with Banana Blitz on the Wii. God is a Geek had the following write up with their 8/10 review:
“Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is a great entry in the series, with loads of single player stages and fantastic frantic online multiplayer.”
Image by Sega
Overall, while nothing completely life changing, the latest entry in the surprisingly long running Monkey Ball series is a great one. If you’re looking for a short and sweet single player campaign with a lot of frustration stripped out or simply want a fun multiplayer game to add to your collection on the Switch, Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble looks to be just that.
