Nintendo Switch Review: Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble

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Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble takes you on a whirlwind adventure filled with monkey madness. While the game doesn’t offer a narrative-driven experience, it does present a charming backdrop of monkeys navigating through various levels to collect bananas and gold bananas as they traverse 100 different stages across 10 unique worlds. The story is more about the journey and the challenge, with each level providing its own unique obstacles and puzzles.

The single-player campaign delivers a consistent and fun experience, reminiscent of the classic Super Monkey Ball games. While the story might not blow you away with creativity or depth, the levels themselves offer a satisfying selection of well-designed challenges. For fans of the series, Banana Rumble delivers just what you’d expect from a Super Monkey Ball game—plenty of bananas and plenty of fun.

Banana Rumble brings back the classic Super Monkey Ball gameplay that fans know and love. Players roll their monkey-filled balls through maze-like stages, collecting bananas and racing against the clock. The game offers 100 levels, each filled with its own set of obstacles and challenges. The levels start simple but quickly ramp up in complexity, testing even the most experienced players with intricate designs and tricky traps.

A new twist in the gameplay is the introduction of the spin dash ability. Inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog, this feature allows players to charge up and unleash a burst of speed, which is essential for navigating the more complex stages and finding shortcuts. The spin dash adds a new layer of strategy, making each level a thrilling race to the finish line.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble maintains a colorful and vibrant aesthetic that captures the playful nature of the series. While the graphics may not push the boundaries of what the Switch can do, they are bright and appealing, perfectly suited for the game’s whimsical tone. The dynamic environments and animated backgrounds add depth to each level, making them feel alive and immersive.

However, the graphics do take a hit during multiplayer sessions. While the single-player experience is smooth and visually satisfying, adding more players results in a noticeable drop in frame rate, which can be distracting. Despite this, the game maintains its charm, and the graphical downgrade doesn’t detract too much from the overall experience.

The essence of Super Monkey Ball is in its fast-paced, precision-based gameplay. Each level is designed to test your quick reflexes and ability to navigate through complex paths while collecting bananas and gold bananas. The challenge lies in mastering the controls to speed through the levels efficiently while avoiding obstacles and finding the best routes.

Banana Rumble excels in providing a variety of levels that encourage players to experiment with different strategies. The levels are filled with opportunities for daring shortcuts and high-speed maneuvers, making every stage a thrilling adventure. Players will find themselves replaying levels to improve their times and perfect their runs.

Banana Rumble includes a variety of multiplayer modes, but they don’t quite hit the mark. With five modes such as Race, Banana Hunt, Baboom, Gold Rush, and Robot Smash, the multiplayer experience feels a bit chaotic. The modes often lack the balance and polish of the single-player campaign, making them less enjoyable.

The Race mode, for instance, becomes a visual mess when too many players are involved, making it difficult to keep track of your character. The frame rate also drops significantly in multiplayer, further impacting the experience. While the Baboom mode shows some potential, the other modes feel lacking in depth and excitement.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble is a mixed bag of fun and frustration. The single-player campaign is the star of the show, offering a solid selection of levels and engaging gameplay that harkens back to the classic days of Monkey Ball. The spin dash ability adds a refreshing twist to the core mechanics, keeping the gameplay exciting and dynamic.

Unfortunately, the multiplayer modes fall short of expectations, hampered by chaotic gameplay and frame rate issues. Despite these shortcomings, Banana Rumble is worth exploring for fans of the series who are eager for more single-player antics. While it may not reach the heights of the original GameCube titles, it still delivers a satisfying experience that’s sure to keep players rolling back for more.

Gameplay Video

Check out my Nintendo Switch Gameplay without Commentary.

Rapid Reviews Rating

4 out of 5

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