Monkeying Around with Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 13 June 2012 / 2,853 Views
SEGA’s bizarre rolling monkey franchise keeps on chugging along with its upcoming PlayStation Vita debut, titled Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz. I got to try out a sizeable demo at this year’s E3 which allowed me to sample four unique game modes.
The first game mode was bowling. The setup couldn’t be any simpler. You simply line up the Monkey Ball with AiAi inside and set the ball in motion with the tap of a button. After the ball is released you can control which direction the ball travels by manipulating the Vita’s motion controls. This game mode promises to be a challenging one because, try as I might, I was never able to throw a strike during my time with the demo. For the most part though, it's just a straightforward application of the Vita’s controls and the Monkey Ball presentation to the game of bowling. Pass and play multiplayer also promises to offer a fun way to compete with a friend using only one device.
Next, I tried my hand at more traditional Monkey Ball gameplay with the game’s challenge mode. The version I played had both Basic and Difficult stages to play on. The easier levels serve as a great introduction to the game’s mechanics. You can tilt the stage, thereby influencing where your Monkey Ball goes, by pushing the left analog stick or titling the Vita itself, which feels much more natural. During gameplay your objective is to reach a gate with a clock symbol over it before time runs out in order to progress to the next level. The first level I tried had hardly any room for failure because there were bumper rails preventing the ball from falling off the stage and the goal marker was only a few yards away. Things only got more difficult, though, with levels that required jumping and left less room for error before tossing you from the side of the stage. By the time I was ready to tackle the harder stages I could feel the sweat form on my brow due to how much concentration was required to keep AiAi from falling. The game should be classic fun for Monkey Ball fans.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz even has a feature that allows you to create levels from pictures taken with your Vita. With nothing else serviceable around me, I decided to take a picture of my face. After doing so the game asked me to create the level by shaking the Vita in my hands. Onscreen this is represented by a monkey frantically shaking a box in his hands. The resulting stage didn’t seem to be a digital version of my face but rather a complex, multi-tiered maze of a level that hovered over a trash receptacle that seemed to have torn bits of my photo inside. Though I wasn’t particularly enthused about the outcome I still hold out hope that this feature will yield some fun to play levels nonetheless.
The final game mode I tried seemed to fit in best with the Banana Splitz of the title. In this Love Mode, you control a boy and girl monkey on two separate mazes who are connected by a tether of pink energy. You control both independently by moving the right and left analog sticks as needed. The two mazes differ slightly so you must concentrate and keep your reaction times fast if you hope to succeed. If either of the two lover monkeys fall, then you fail and must start again from the most recent check point. Also if the distance between them becomes too great then their bond is broken and you will have to try again. This mode is really challenging and I found myself getting really into it during my time with the demo. It was easily the most memorable part of the experience.
Overall, I enjoyed my time monkeying around with Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz. The game will come replete with various game modes including a bevy of party games with various configurations for local and online multiplayer. Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz will release this summer exclusively on the PlayStation Vita.
