Has a circle come full circle or were banknotes waved vigorously? Since the Super Monkey Ball series made its debut on Nintendo’s GameCube, it seems fitting that the latest offspring, Banana Rumble, has found a home exclusively on Switch. On the other hand, it’s surprising why potential monkey fans are being spurned on other systems.
So the first new adventure of the rolling primate clan since 2012 (everything after that was a remake) remains on the hybrid console and offers basically what you would expect: with a lot of skill, you steer a ball through obstacle levels and collect bananas on the way to the goal. Controls and camera can be adjusted in many ways and while jumps have been removed, the “Spin Dash” has been added. If you hold down B, a bar charges up – when you let go, you trigger a boost to master shortcuts or steep ramps, for example. In practice, it takes practice and tact to use the dash efficiently. In story mode, in addition to very banal cutscenes, there are 200 new levels that can be completed alone or with up to three friends, as well as a reasonably exciting selection of party disciplines that can also be played online and with a total of 16 participants. All in all, Banana Rumble proves to be more competent and experienced than fresh and lively – but that’s okay.
