Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is the next game in the long-loved series, and it's clear that it takes the best of the traditional Super Monkey Ball formula and shakes it up with modern capabilities. For instance, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble's Battle Mode lets players compete with up to 16 players for the first time in online multiplayer. It could be the perfect recipe for a lot of chaotic fun, but a lot of elements such as level design go into making such game modes the best they can be.
Game ZXC recently spoke with Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble director Daisuke Takahata about Battle Mode from a design perspective. Takahata also discussed how the game is designed to "give everyone a chance to win" while still appealing to hardcore fans.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble - Axel Reveal Trailer
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble welcomes in Axel from the classic Sega arcade driving game Crazy Taxi, coming in Fall 2024.
Battle Mode
Since Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble's release announcement earlier this year, there's been a lot to look forward to. In particular, many fans may be most curious about the various Battle Mode games. Takahata explained how Battle Mode compares to previous mini-games in the franchise, including physics to standardize ball-rolling behavior across game modes (which gives everyone a chance to learn maps, playstyles, and more).
"Previous mini-games were individual experiences that were completely separate from Adventure Mode. By contrast, the Battle Mode in this game shares the same controls and techniques found in Adventure Mode—it's all related in its design. However, the maximum number of players has been increased to 16 and the environment has changed significantly."
Takahata also spoke about how the developers wanted to give all players "a chance to win" via the online multiplayer matchmaking process, where sometimes casual or more experienced players could find themselves competing. It's not fun, after all, if a game such as Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble was designed to give blanket newcomers or longtime fans the advantage. As such, positioning and certain level design elements (like the help floors in Races or golden robots in Robot Breakers) were added to adjust gameplay proportionately. This might seem geared toward newcomers, but there are still a lot of things factored in for traditional fans. For example, they may have a leg up on other players when considering how things like an opponent's position come into play:
"One of the most exciting aspects of this game's Battle Mode is that not only your own controller but also your opponent's position and movement will affect your operation and the outcome of the game. Therefore, the obstacles in the race stages have been placed in such a way that players can try to attack the stages from various paths. Of course, everyone has their own “strong points” and “weak points,” so we encourage you to challenge yourself and see which route you can take."
New and old fans alike will be able to check out all of these adjustments when Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble releases, in just a few short days as of this writing.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble
Sega's Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble focuses on multiplayer, allowing 16 players to compete online or up to 4 users in local action.
