Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio properly reintroduced a classic Sega IP with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania in 2021, providing a graphically enhanced collection of the first two titles. Sloped stages and multiplayer party games have been regarded as main attractions since the original Super Monkey Ball, and Banana Mania brought back much of the classic gameplay from that first title to modern consoles. Despite some issues found in its mini-games and controls, fans might be excited about the possibility of Sega reinvigorating this platformer with a new game that brings the IP to the cutting edge.
This challenging-yet-lighthearted series is unique in its emphasis on coordination; players are tasked with balancing monkeys as they roll across winding paths on a time limit. Collecting hidden bananas and building momentum to bounce off of platforms are also integral to the game flow, as this Sega arcade action applies gravity in ways that are far removed from reality -- the games simply implement physics that fits in with this cartoonish adventure. A great challenge might be developing a sequel that innovates without sacrificing its authenticity, as fans would hope that a new Super Monkey Ball could not only be green-lit but also remain true to the originals.
How Sega Can Modernize Super Monkey Ball
In light of the advanced physics capabilities of modern game engines, Sega has many technological avenues for how it might tune the gaming experience in a potential Super Monkey Ball follow-up. Banana Mania was built on Unity and managed to emulate much of the feel of the classic GameCube games in the main stages. Given the warm reception of this collection, there exists a relatively recent precedent for this gameplay returning without losing its quality. Overall, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania was held in higher regard as one of the best platformer games of 2021, so there still might be an interest in exploring the IP in the not-so-distant future.
Game engines are not always a surefire measurement in determining how smoothly development teams can execute their designs. After all, even fans can endeavor to get Doom running in Unity on current systems; experienced studios often leverage the modularity of robust tools to deliver games across a range of genres. Super Monkey Ball is also a series that might continue to experiment with its puzzle-oriented stages and embracing new tech could enable destructible geometry, variable levels of friction, or more environmental interactions to breathe more life into those virtual worlds.
Another issue that Sega would encounter if it were to take the series outside its original constraints is scope. Many of the best open-world games have evolved from series that were originally more linear by comparison, and sometimes a classic formula can be transposed into a wider landscape - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being a prime example of this evolution.
Popular platforming games, such as Super Mario Odyssey and Sonic Frontiers, have entertained fans in their exploration segments while also celebrating their respective brands within the genre. Super Monkey Ball Adventure was a 2006 spin-off that attempted to blend a more free-form structure with the IP's gameplay, but that combination, unfortunately, failed to find the same success as Sega or Nintendo's later attempts.
Super Monkey Ball Needs New Stages and Puzzles
Although Super Monkey Ball has been known to favor speed and precision, the games also offer a sense of accomplishment that comes with its variety of stages and forms of play. Straightforward controls lend themselves to a spectrum of creative levels that encourage players to think outside the box as they roll past obstacles and avoid falling off the map. Bushnell's Law, "easy to learn and difficult to master," is the core of Super Monkey Ball's fun factor - building towards an endurance test where quick, trial-and-error challenges can train players' reflexes over time. This series demonstrates a high replay value comparable to puzzle games, and this proven format could fit well in a sequel to Banana Mania.
Switches, moving platforms, and pitfalls are a few notable features in classic Super Monkey Ball stages. Puzzles that are true to the pacing of the first two games should still include features that are non-disruptive to the rolling movements of the player character, which would go a long way in preserving the rate of progression for experienced players. Super Monkey Ball has found success similar to the fastest speedrunning games, bringing together a community where players fling the games' monkeys at speeds that rival racing games.
Going Open World In Super Monkey Ball
In 2022, Sega released Sonic Frontiers, which transported the company's mascot to a vast wilderness rife with collectibles and activities. Many considered it to be a flawed, yet solid blueprint for a Sonic game in this format, and this could be a sign that the publisher is willing to invest in more expansive versions of its properties. It is commendable that Sonic Frontiers embraced new ideas in the open-world genre, having ambitions that could inspire upcoming titles in Sega's library. If there was a concept for an open-world Super Monkey Ball, it might just be a new game that links its stages organically.
Retro titles that might have influenced the Super Monkey Ball series such as Marble Madness could inspire more obstacles and traversal mechanics over the course of a modernized adventure. Gates, catapults, or tubes might be interesting additions in a hypothetical open-world sequel, embracing the kinetic nature of older games but on a much larger scale.
The popular party royale genre has shown that players can still enjoy timed challenges that balance their characters against dangerous roadblocks. In the last couple of years, Fall Guys revealed a Super Monkey Ball crossover, and these games might just share more creative DNA than players might assume. Fans can hope that interest in the franchise persists in the years ahead, as Super Monkey Ball deserves its spot as one of the most endearing platforming IPs.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
