Fans of the Super Monkey Ball series will love the upgraded release of the first three classic releases in the series with Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania. The series is filled with cute characters, bright and colorful courses, and lots of challenges and fun and the remastered version takes what was so appealing about the series to new levels.
I played the game on our PS5 and enjoyed how much brighter, sharper, and faster the graphics and gameplay were. Players select a character who travels around a series of courses in a ball as they attempt to collect as many bananas as possible and reach the goal before time expires or they fall off the course.
I am more in the get to the goal as fast as the possible style of play while my wife wants to collect every banana and explore every area even if it makes time management difficult.
As the game unfolds; the courses become harder and harder to the point where racing to the end no longer works and players must alter their strategy as the game goes along.
The game is also more than simply a new coat of paint on prior levels as new modes are introduced which makes players complete various levels in new ways and in doing so increases the fun and the challenge.
One such mode requires players to not touch rotten bananas and is a nice variant on the gameplay. Players who load up on the precious fruit will be able to unlock new characters and cosmetics to add to the fun of the game and there are plenty of options for players to enjoy.
Aside from the fun and family-friendly appeal of the game; the sheer variety of levels, cosmetics, and fun makes the game well worth a look even from hardcore fans of the series who have played the earlier versions of the game.
In the end Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a great update to the classic series and offers fans a fun and fresh take that has never looked nor played better.
4 stars out of 5
