Started in 2001 on arcade machines, exclusively in Japan, before moving to consoles, both home and portable, the series Super Monkey Ball has come a long way in the meantime. Its original developer has long since closed its doors, and it is now the studio Ryu Ga Gotoku, also (and especially) known for the franchise Yakuza (Or Like a Dragon) that is responsible for the production of the new opuses. Because no, despite the fact that the recipe has changed little over the years, that the franchise has never armed itself with strong communication to announce its releases, Super Monkey Ball don't feel bad. On the contrary, since a brand new opus exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, subtitled Banana Rumblearrives this month.
An episode which, at first glance, does not do much more than the others, namely offering numerous puzzles where the recovery of bananas is perfectly incidental, and a well-felt multiplayer dimension. What more could you ask for, ultimately, especially when everything is sold for around fifty euros on the eShop, and can even be found for ten euros less in a physical version? While there is no doubt that Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble will not be the game of the year, and it has no pretensions in that direction, can it at least aspire to that of a fun and refreshing summer experience?
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Test conditions: We received a Switch code for the title, on which we spent just under ten hours, which allowed us to take a good tour of its single-player content and try our hand at its split-screen multiplayer .
Banana-Kiwi Diabolo
How good it is to see our little monkeys again at the start of summer! Even more so when these same primates take on a whole new adventure. Unlike the last two opuses to date, namely Banana Blitz HD And Banana Maniarather nice indeed, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble is not a re-release. Understand by this that it is neither a remake, nor a remaster, nor a compilation, but indeed a brand new episode. First good point, especially for those who know the franchise well, and who haven't had a real new game since… Banana Splitz on PlayStation Vita, in 2012…
Twelve years is a long time! But it goes without saying that for this new iteration, SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio pulled out all the stops… well, in a way. Because Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble sees things big, with no less than 200 levels, which can be played alone or with others, up to four. Both on the same screen and locally with multiple consoles, or even online. Excellent thing, since it natively guarantees a certain replayability, and a certain fun potential. Especially since you only need a Joy-Con to play, only the joystick and a button being necessary.
As a reminder, in Super Monkey Ball, whatever the episode, you do not control your little monkeys, but the scenery, which you tilt to make your primates move, enclosed in small transparent balls. This is not immediately obvious in the first levels, but quickly becomes obvious once you add a little depth to the equation. Of course, this changes the way you play a lot, compared to a more conventional platform game, like Super Mario 3D World For example. Inertia, centrifugal force, the inclination of any slope and speed must be taken into account at all times, otherwise you will end up in a vacuum.
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So, if at first glance we might believe that we are facing a classic platform game, this is not the case in reality. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble is, like all the other games in the franchise, a compendium of nerve-wracking puzzles. So, know where you are going before falling for this colorful experience, because it is not primarily intended for young children discovering video games. If an occasional player can perfectly enjoy Banana Rumblehe will nevertheless need strong determination and perseverance to see the end of the adventure.
A fairly rich adventure, it must be admitted, for a title of its kind. This offers the luxury of a funny little story, not flying very high but acting as a decompression valve, with its pretty cutscenes, between two worlds. Each world includes ten levels, which you will have to complete one by one to unlock the next one, in the purest tradition of the genre. Note that it is perfectly possible for you to progress with several people, which can be made easier by an option allowing you to deactivate any collision. Remember, however, that you are timed, with each puzzle having to be completed in less than 60 seconds.
Keep the peach or banana
It is not easy to write a review on a Super Monkey Ball avoiding repetition, since in a certain way, all the games in the franchise are very similar. What changes is the inertia, which is quite convincing here, and sometimes some gameplay mechanics. Nothing really extraordinary here: you control your monkey with the left joystick, and can use a boost by pressing button B. Note that by pressing for a longer or shorter time, you can vary the strength of your boost, and thus granting you more or less speed. Gauging your velocity is one of the essential components in progression. Getting started is therefore immediate, but mastery will take time.
The little extra, which will bring back good (or very bad, depending) memories to those who once owned a Nintendo Switch, is the Motion Gaming-style gameplay. It is thus possible to simply orient your controller in one direction or the other so that the scenery follows the same inclination. Which is a pure horror at first, not guaranteeing the necessary precision at certain levels, especially if you use a Pro controller rather than a simple Joy-Con. But it must be admitted, there is something refreshing about this way of playing, and in any case, if it doesn't suit you, it is perfectly optional, which can be activated or not in the settings.
As for the faults that must be highlighted in this Banana Rumblethey are again identical to what could be said of the previous Super Monkey Ball. Like every opus in the franchise, this one doesn't end in a long time. Even if, we're not going to lie, after a certain stage the puzzles will require much more investment and rigor. But, as always, everything is designed to make players want to improve their score, whether it is the number of bananas collected in the levels, or the minimum time to complete them. And on this subject, it goes without saying that speedrunning enthusiasts will be happy.
Because like in a Trackmania, each event can be carried out in several different ways, but each time there is a way (often very complex) to get to the finish line in a handful of seconds. As far as we are concerned, we have some solid records to our credit, notably 7 seconds 45 on the Chemin Vague level, or 9 seconds 38 on Bascule… but we have no illusions, a few days after the release of the game (if that). is D-Day), our personal bests will be shattered. And that's ultimately a good thing, because it's also what makes you want to come back to a Super Monkey Ball.
So of course, this is not a prerequisite for enjoying the experience. In a way, the simple fact that it is a colorful game with an original concept in the video game landscape is a solid selling point. Especially since Banana Rumble does a lot to please, with its technique very suitable for the Switch, and its soundtrack fitting perfectly with its summer release period. Nothing that will stick in your head or that you will listen to outside of the game, of course, but it is good to note that even at this level the title is neat. Even if we wouldn't have been against a little extra, like the possibility of changing music on the levels, to help get rid of the impression of repetition when we're stuck on the same one for a long time… But we're quibbling .
The fruit of all passions
But the biggest selling point of this episode is of course its whole multi dimension. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble offers games for up to 15 players online, across five different modes, in the Battle section of the main menu, each with their own rules. Enough to vary the pleasures a little, and have a good time. Especially since each one offers several rather nice and complex cards. Unfortunately, due to testing, we were not able to try multiplayer. We are therefore not able to tell you if the servers are working well, and especially if they are full of players ready to fight.
We were nevertheless able to compete against the computer on the different maps available, and even like that, we had a lot of fun. Of course, a feeling of weariness quickly set in, and will certainly affect many solo players, if not all. Whether on this game mode, or on the main adventure for that matter, despite all the efforts that the latter makes to vary the situations and settings. Once again, this is a flaw that can be found in all the opuses of the franchise, and which will obviously affect less the fans of the first hour than the newcomers.
On the other hand, we tried local cooperation in adventure mode, and we can already tell you that this is, in our eyes, the best aspect of this episode. Not that the maps always lend themselves to it wonderfully, far from it, and like every opus again. But getting away with it in environments that don't lend themselves to confrontation at all is always a lot of fun. And in our experience, playing in pairs is also a good way to progress more efficiently in certain complex levels. Also note that several monkeys are playable, each having slightly different statistics, which again allows for a bit of variation.
Finally, to try to provide a small layer of additional content, the developer added a store allowing you to buy (with bananas, don't worry) all kinds of cosmetic items to dress our monkeys. Nothing very extraordinary, and even perfectly incidental, we're not going to lie. But the presence of this little extra is obviously good to have despite everything, especially since it contributes to the player's desire to improve his scores. That being said, the content remains a little sparse despite everything.