Super Monkey Ball | |
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![]() Logo used from 2006–2019 | |
Genre(s) | |
Developer(s) | Amusement Vision (2000–2004) Sega (2005–2012) Traveller's Tales (2006) Marvelous AQL (2012–2018) Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (2019–present) |
Publisher(s) | Sega |
Creator(s) | Toshihiro Nagoshi |
Platform(s) | |
First release | Monkey Ball June 23, 2001 |
Latest release | Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble June 25, 2024 |
Super Monkey Ball is a series of arcade platform video games initially developed by Amusement Vision and published by Sega. The series debuted in 2001 with the arcade game Monkey Ball, which was ported to GameCube as Super Monkey Ball later that year. Several sequels and ports have been released.
The gameplay involves moving one of several monkey characters in a ball through an obstacle to a goal in a time limit. Bananas can be collected for extra points. In addition, several minigames can be played, making the series party games as well.
2001 | Monkey Ball |
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Super Monkey Ball | |
2002 | Super Monkey Ball 2 |
Super Monkey Ball Jr. | |
2003 | Super Monkey Ball (N-Gage) |
2004 | |
2005 | Super Monkey Ball Deluxe |
Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll | |
2006 | Super Monkey Ball Adventure |
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz | |
2007 | Super Monkey Ball: Tip 'n Tilt |
2008 | Super Monkey Ball (iOS) |
Super Monkey Ball: Tip 'n Tilt 2 | |
2009 | Super Monkey Ball 2 (iOS) |
2010 | Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition |
Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll | |
2011 | Super Monkey Ball: Ticket Blitz |
Super Monkey Ball 3D | |
2012 | Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz |
2013 | |
2014 | Super Monkey Ball Bounce |
2015 | |
2016 | |
2017 | |
2018 | |
2019 | Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD |
2020 | |
2021 | Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania |
2022 | |
2023 | |
2024 | Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble |
As opposed to normal games where the player takes control of the character itself, Super Monkey Ball has the player move their character around in a gachapon ball by tilting the direction gravity pulls them down (the exception of this being Super Monkey Ball Adventure). By tilting gravity at various angles, players can control the speed and turning of the character. The goal of each level is to reach the goal gate before the timer runs out, and without falling off the floor. Bonus points and extra lives can be earned by collecting bananas on the stage. Early games use traditional controllers to play while many recent titles utilize modern technology, such as the accelerometers of the Wii and iPhone titles. The gameplay is similar to Atari Games' 1984 arcade video game Marble Madness .
The original Monkey Ball arcade cabinet featured three playable characters: the primary protagonist AiAi, his wife MeeMee, and their son Baby, who has traveled back in time from the future; a fourth, AiAi's best friend and former rival GonGon, was added in the game's GameCube port, Super Monkey Ball . [6] [7] These four have become the primary characters of the series, appearing in every subsequent title to date. Two new characters, the martial artist lemur YanYan and the amnesiac scientist Doctor, were introduced in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz , while another two, athletic trainer Jam and AiAi's archrival Jet, first appeared in Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll and Super Monkey Ball 3D , respectively. Several games feature unlockable variations of these characters wearing alternate costumes, along with occasional guest playable characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog. Some games such as Super Monkey Ball 2 and Super Monkey Ball Adventure have also featured various non-player characters, such as the villainous Dr. Bad-Boon, a scientist from Baby's time who travels to the past to prevent MeeMee from marrying AiAi and take her as his bride. [6]
Characters from the Super Monkey Ball series have been featured in other Sega titles. AiAi has appeared as a playable character in Sonic Riders and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing , while both AiAi and MeeMee make playable appearances in Sega Superstars Tennis and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed . AiAi was also featured in Archie Comics' adaptation of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed in issue #45 of Sonic Universe .
As of December 8, 2006, the franchise has sold 4 million copies. [8]
The iOS version in 2008 was one of the first games on the App Store and was the best selling app on launch day. [9]
In 2009, Edge ranked the first Super Monkey Ball #39 on its list of "The 100 Best Games To Play Today". [10] Writing in 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die , Christian Donlan described Super Monkey Ball as "one of Sega's grade-A triumphs". [11] An enhanced engine of the GameCube games was used in F-Zero GX , [12] which was critically acclaimed [13] and Nintendo considered a step forward for the franchise. [14] The developers of Super Monkey Ball went on to make the Like a Dragon series. [15] [16]
When commenting on the differences of the franchise between the GameCube games and the Wii entries with Banana Blitz and Step & Roll in a Tokyo Game Show 2009 interview, Toshihiro Nagoshi stated that they were made easier for kids and families. However, he stated that if they got the chance, they definitely would like to go back and make a game in the style of the old games that particularly the fans overseas want. [17] Due to the older demographic of the PlayStation Vita, the difficulty for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz was made more on par with the GameCube entries. [18]
In 2015, the mobile games were removed from App Store and Google Play and thus are now considered lost media. [19]
The 2020 battle royale game Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout has been described as "Super Monkey Ball for the Fortnite generation" by Tom Wiggins of Stuff magazine. [20]
In 2023 the emulator touchHLE was released, supporting the 2008 original iOS version of the game. [21] [22]
Super Monkey Ball is a 2001 platform party video game developed by Amusement Vision and published by Sega. The game debuted in Japan at the 2001 Amusement Operators Union trade show as Monkey Ball, an arcade cabinet running on Sega's NAOMI hardware and controlled with a distinctive banana-shaped analog stick. Due to the discontinuation of Sega's Dreamcast home console and the company's subsequent restructuring, an enhanced port dubbed Super Monkey Ball was released as a launch title for the GameCube in late 2001, garnering interest as Sega's first game published for a Nintendo home console.
Super Monkey Ball Adventure is a platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Sega. Part of the Super Monkey Ball series, it was released on 2006 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and GameCube.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is a platform game developed and published by Sega, the seventh title in the Super Monkey Ball series, following Super Monkey Ball Adventure. It was released as a launch title for the Wii system on November 19, 2006, in North America, December 7 in Australia and December 8 in Europe.
Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is a platform video game developed by Tose and published by Sega. It was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2005. The game compiles all stages from Super Monkey Ball and Super Monkey Ball 2, as well as adding original levels.
There have been numerous Monopoly video games based on the core game mechanics of Parker Brothers and Hasbro's board game Monopoly. They have been developed by numerous teams and released on multiple platforms over 35+ years.
Tantalus Media is an Australian video game developer based in Melbourne. It was founded in 1994 by programmers Andrew Bailey and Trevor Nuridin. Since its inception, Tantalus has developed almost 100 games and has won multiple game awards. In March 2021, Keywords Studios acquired 85% of Tantalus Media for US$46.8 million.
Sega Superstars Tennis is a sports video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. It is the second title in the Sega All-Stars series, preceded by Sega Superstars (2004), and crosses over characters, locations, and soundtracks from several Sega franchises, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Channel 5, and Super Monkey Ball.
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a 2010 kart racing video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. It was released for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, and Windows, featuring characters from multiple Sega franchises. The game is the third title in the Sega All-Stars series, preceded by Sega Superstars Tennis. A mobile version was developed by Gameloft, and released for iOS in June 2011, as a paid download. A version for OS X was released by Feral Interactive in April 2013.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I is a 2010 platform game developed by Dimps, with assistance from Sonic Team, and published by Sega. It is a sequel to Sonic & Knuckles (1994), following Sonic as he sets out to stop a returning Doctor Eggman. Like the Sonic the Hedgehog games released for the Sega Genesis, Episode I features side-scrolling gameplay, with movement restricted to a 2D plane. The player races through levels collecting rings while rolling into a ball to attack enemies. The game also features special stages in which the player collects Chaos Emeralds and online leaderboards comparing level completion times and high scores.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is a kart racing video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. It was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U in November 2012; for PlayStation Vita in December 2012; for Windows in January 2013; for Nintendo 3DS in February 2013; and for Android and iOS devices in January 2014. The PS3 and Wii U versions of the game were released in Japan on May 15, 2014.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II is an episodic platform video game developed by Dimps with assistance from Sonic Team, and published digitally by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS, Android, and Microsoft Windows in 2012, with ports to the Ouya and Nvidia Shield releasing in 2013. It is a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (2010), taking place shortly after the events of the game and following Sonic and Tails as they attempt to once again stop Doctor Eggman and a newly revived Metal Sonic from using Little Planet to power the Death Egg mk.II space station. Like its predecessor, Episode II is restricted to a 2D plane with players guiding Sonic and Tails through levels, collecting rings and rolling into enemies; collecting Chaos Emeralds also requires players to access Special Stages by ending a stage with enough rings.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a platform party game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is a remake of the first three console entries in the Super Monkey Ball series, and was released in celebration of the series' 20th anniversary for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 5, 2021. A version for Amazon Luna was released on May 12, 2022.