Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz

Last updated
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz
Super monkey ball banana splitz.jpg
Developer(s) Marvelous AQL
Publisher(s) Sega
Director(s) Jun Tokuhara
Yuichiro Shirai
Producer(s) Jun Tokuhara
Designer(s) Junichi Morita
Programmer(s) Noboru Yanagisawa
Composer(s) Saori Kobayashi
Yoshitaka Hirota
Series Super Monkey Ball
Platform(s) PlayStation Vita
Release
  • JP: June 14, 2012
  • NA: October 23, 2012
  • EU: October 24, 2012
  • AU: October 26, 2012
Genre(s) Platform, party
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz [a] is a platform video game developed by Marvelous AQL and published by Sega for the PlayStation Vita. Similar to other entries in the Super Monkey Ball series, the game involves the player directing a monkey encased in a sphere through an obstacle course to a gate at the end of the level. The game was released early on in the Vita's lifespan, in June 2012 in Japan, and in October in Western regions. Reviewers were mixed on the game's merits; while some appreciated the game's core gameplay, others felt it was too redundant to prior entries. The game did not perform well commercially, and was the last completely original entry in the series to be released on a dedicated video game console until 2024's Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble . The next title, Super Monkey Ball Bounce , played as a Peggle pachinko clone on mobile devices.

Contents

Gameplay

The gameplay is largely similar to the gameplay of prior entries in the Super Monkey Ball series. [1] The game is split into two main components - the main game, and the side mini-games. [2] The main game involves the player guiding a monkey encased by sphere through a maze-like level of an obstacle course. [3] Each level is completed by directing the monkey through an end-goal gate before the time limit, [1] using either the joystick or tilt-based motion control. [4] If the monkey falls off the edge of a level or the time limit reaches zero, a life is lost. Losing all the lives ends the game. [1] Floating bananas are also scattered throughout levels; collecting them increases the player's score and leads to earning further lives. [1] In addition to over 100 pre-made levels, [5] user-generated mazes can be created in the game's "Creation Mode" in which real-life photo's taken from the PlayStation Vita's camera are roughly converted into a maze for playing in the game. [3]

In addition to the main game, there is a collection of eight mini-games. [6] "Monkey Target" involves launching monkeys off a ramp and onto a dart board like platform, gaining points based on where the monkey lands. [2] "Love Maze" involves controlling two monkeys at the same time, one with each of the Vita's joysticks, and moving them through separate halves of an obstacle course concurrently from a top-down perspective, [7] similar to the game Kuri Kuri Mix . [8] "Monkey Bowling", as the name suggests, is a game of bowling, but with different shaped lanes and obstacles to avoid. [8] "Monkey Billiards" is a four-player concurrent variant of billiards with obstacles placed on the table. [9] "Monkey Bingo" is a variant of the game bingo. [9] "Monkey Rodeo" involves a free-for-all where the player is placed in an area where they must collect bananas and attack other opponents to steal their bananas. [10] "Number Ball" involves selecting balls in the correct order. [10] Lastly, "Pixie Hunt" involves the use of the Vita hardware's camera function; the game tells the player a color, and the player must take a picture of something with the described color. [10] Dependent on if and how well the color was captured, a number of pixies appear for the player to collect for points. [10]

Development

The game was first announced in September 2011, prior to the release of the Vita, and was initially scheduled to be released in "early 2012" placing it as a title in the platform's "launch window". [11] [12] A 50% complete build of the game was made playable at a Sega press event in New York that October. [12] However, its release was later pushed back mid-2012, [13] and then finally June in Japan [14] and October for North America and Europe. [6] Unlike most entries in the series, the game was not developed internally by Sega, but rather by Marvelous AQL. [2] [15] The game's Japanese release contained a code to download a level based around Japanese super model Yukie Kawamura (making the game receiving a C rating by CERO instead of the A one, which most games of the series received). [16] This content was not included in the game's North American release. [4] While the game is playable on any Vita handheld video game consoles, it was not made compatible with PlayStation TV, Sony's home video game console variant of the Vita. [17]

Reception and sales

The game received generally mixed reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the game has an average score of 66 out of 100, which indicates "mixed or average reviews" based on 31 reviews. [25] Many critics' criticisms revolved around the premise and trajectory on the series in general; the initial Super Monkey Ball games were well-received due to in part of the simple premise, subsequent game's efforts to add to it made it lose its simple charm, while later entries, such as Banana Blitz, was seen as an attempt to return the series to its roots, but it now, in effect, lacked the originality of the original games. [1] [15] [2] [26] Reviewers were divided on many aspects of the game. While some reviewers praised the game's tilt-based motion control input for directing the monkey, [26] [27] [9] other reviewers panned the motion controls for being imprecise compared to using the joysticks. [7] [1] Similarly, while some reviewers like Game Revolution praised the game's ability to create levels off of photographs taken with the Vita hardware, [28] reviewers more frequently complained that it rarely created levels that were fun or resembled the original photograph. [7] [2] [8] [12] In regards to the mini-games, "Love Maze" was singled out as a stand-out aspect of the game. [7] [1]

The game did not perform well commercially, with it failing to chart any of the major video game charts; it did not make the UK's top 40 weekly chart, [29] Japan's top 20 weekly chart, [30] or North America's monthly chart. [31] The next installment in the franchise, Super Monkey Ball Bounce , released for iOS in 2014, and played entirely differently from other entries in the series, instead playing more like Peggle and Pachinko games. [32] [33]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known as Super Monkey Ball: Tokumori Asobita! (スーパーモンキーボール 特盛あそビ～タ！) in Japan.

Related Research Articles

<i>Super Monkey Ball</i> (video game) 2001 video game

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.

<i>Jet Set Radio</i> 2000 video game

Jet Set Radio is a 2000 action game developed by Smilebit and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. The player controls a member of a youth gang, the GG's, as they use inline skates to traverse Tokyo, spraying graffiti, challenging rival gangs, and evading authorities.

<i>Sega Superstars</i> 2004 video game

Sega Superstars is a party video game developed by Sonic Team for the PlayStation 2. It was published by Sega and released in Europe on October 22, 2004; in North America in November 2, 2004; and in Japan in November 11, 2004. The game features several minigames based on various Sega titles that are controlled using the EyeToy peripheral. Upon release, the game received "average" review scores from critics.

<i>Sonic Labyrinth</i> 1995 video game

Sonic Labyrinth is an action-puzzle game developed by Minato Giken and published by Sega for the Game Gear in 1995. The game features Sonic the Hedgehog exploring maze-like stages from an isometric perspective. Dr. Robotnik has robbed Sonic of his trademark speed, so Sonic walks slowly but can roll into a ball and dash across the stages.

<i>Super Monkey Ball 2</i> 2002 video game

Super Monkey Ball 2 is a platform party video game developed by Amusement Vision and published by Sega in 2002 for the GameCube. It is the second installment in the Super Monkey Ball series, and the first installment to have a storyline and to be exclusively released on a home console.

<i>Super Monkey Ball Jr.</i> 2002 video game

Super Monkey Ball Jr. is a platform game, part of the Super Monkey Ball series, developed by Realism and Creations for the Game Boy Advance. It is one of the few games on the system to make use of its 3D graphics capabilities. It is generally seen as a port of the first game in the Super Monkey Ball series, as it reuses many levels from it, but has a few differences.

<i>The Jungle Book</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Disney's The Jungle Book is a series of platform video games based on the 1967 Disney animated film of the same name. The game was released by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1994 for the Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System, Master System, Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and MS-DOS. While gameplay is the same on all versions, technological differences between the systems forced changes – in some case drastic – in level design, resulting in six fairly different versions of the 'same' game. This article is largely based upon the Genesis/Mega Drive version.

<i>Super Monkey Ball Adventure</i> 2006 video game

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.

<i>Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz</i> 2006 video game

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.

<i>Sonic and the Secret Rings</i> 2007 video game

Sonic and the Secret Rings is a 2007 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Wii. A spin-off from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, it is the first title in the franchise for the system, and follows Sonic the Hedgehog's quest to stop an evil genie named Erazor Djinn. In addition to the basic platforming gameplay of previous Sonic titles, Secret Rings uses a system of experience points and levels, as well as special moves that are unlocked by means of progression.

<i>Super Monkey Ball Deluxe</i> 2005 video game

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is a platform video game developed 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.

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.

<i>Peggle</i> 2007 puzzle video game

Peggle is a casual puzzle video game developed by PopCap Games. Initially released for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X systems in 2007, it has since had versions released for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, the Nintendo DS, Windows Mobile, iOS, Zeebo, and Android; the game has also been ported as a Java application, and an extended minigame incorporated into the massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft. A sequel was released in September 2008, titled Peggle Nights. PopCap, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts, announced Peggle 2 at E3 2013.

<i>Sega Superstars Tennis</i> 2008 sports video game

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.

<i>Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll</i> 2010 video game

Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll is a platform video game developed and published by Sega for the Wii. It was released in February 2010 worldwide.

<i>Super Monkey Ball 3D</i> 2011 video game

Super Monkey Ball 3D is a platform party game, part of the Super Monkey Ball game series. It was developed and published by Sega for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console. Players can either use the Circle Pad or the internal gyroscope of the Nintendo 3DS to navigate AiAi and the others so they can collect as many bananas as possible within the time limit as in previous games in the series.

<i>Peggle 2</i> 2013 video game

Peggle 2 is a casual puzzle video game developed by PopCap Games and published by Electronic Arts. It is the official sequel to Peggle (2007), although a previous follow-up to the PC game was released in 2008. In production since 2012, Peggle 2 was announced during the E3 2013 press conference and also as a timed exclusive for the Xbox One. Although the gameplay mechanics remain mostly the same, Peggle 2 features a different set of masters, with Bjorn Unicorn and Jimmy Lightning (DLC) the only returning members among a set of five other new ones. There are also new gameplay options, in-game features, and more. An Xbox 360 version of the game was released on May 7, 2014, as well as a PlayStation 4 version on October 14, 2014. Critically, Peggle 2 was praised for its new masters and the implementation of them; its vibrant visuals; soundtrack; and the addition of trial levels and challenges. However, it was also criticized for not having enough facets that made it truly different from its predecessors.

<i>Disneys Aladdin</i> (SNES video game) 1993 SNES video game

Disney's Aladdin is a 1993 platform game developed and published by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, based on the 1992 animated Disney film of the same name. Disney's Aladdin is a 2D side-scrolling video game in which the player controls Aladdin and his monkey Abu. It was designed by Shinji Mikami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio</span> Japanese video game developer

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is a video game developer housed within the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its Sega CS Research and Development No. 1 division. It is known for developing the games in the Like a Dragon series, which the studio is named after, since Yakuza 5.

<i>Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania</i> 2021 video game

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Review: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz". Hardcore Gamer. October 25, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Walton, Mark (November 2, 2012). "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz". www.pocketgamer.com. 21 September 2012.
  4. 1 2 McWhertor, Michael (June 15, 2012). "'Super Monkey Ball' comes to PS Vita in October, stripped of its adult content". Polygon.
  5. ↑ "Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz releasing on Vita in October". May 22, 2012.
  6. 1 2 Dutton, Fred (May 22, 2012). "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz release date announced". Eurogamer .
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Review: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz". Destructoid.
  8. 1 2 3 Square, Push (October 24, 2012). "Review: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz (PlayStation Vita)". Push Square.
  9. 1 2 3 "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz (PlayStation Vita)". PCMAG.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Sega Developer's Overview".
  11. ↑ "Super Monkey Ball Vita reveal vid". Eurogamer .
  12. 1 2 3 "The Vita's Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splits Is Still in its Experimental Stage". Kotaku. 12 October 2011.
  13. ↑ "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz trailer for Vita". Eurogamer .
  14. ↑ "Super Monkey Ball Meets Gravure Idol In Made For Adults Level". www.siliconera.com. 2012. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  15. 1 2 Robinson, Martin (October 23, 2012). "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz review". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  16. ↑ Phillips, Tom (April 19, 2012). "Super Monkey Ball Vita includes limited edition". Eurogamer .
  17. ↑ "Games". PlayStation™Store.
  18. ↑ "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz for PlayStation Vita Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  19. ↑ Carter, Chris (19 November 2012). "Review: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz". Destructoid . Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  20. ↑ Robinson, Martin (23 October 2012). "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz review". Eurogamer . Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  21. ↑ Walton, Mark (2 November 2012). "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz Review". GameSpot . Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  22. ↑ Hannley, Steve (25 October 2012). "Review: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  23. ↑ Rose, Mike (21 September 2012). "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz Review". Pocket Gamer . Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  24. ↑ Giddens, Greg (24 October 2012). "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz Review (PS Vita)". Push Square . Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  25. ↑ "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz for PlayStation Vita Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  26. 1 2 "TGS: Super Monkey Ball on the Vita - IGN". 17 September 2011 – via www.ign.com.
  27. ↑ Kamen, Matt (November 11, 2012). "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz – review". The Guardian. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz Preview". GameRevolution. 13 June 2012.
  29. ↑ Phillips, Tom (October 29, 2012). "UK chart: Medal of Honor: Warfighter boots FIFA 13 from top spot". Eurogamer .
  30. ↑ "Media Create Sales: 06/11/12 – 06/17/12". Gematsu. June 20, 2012.
  31. ↑ "NPD June - Lego Batman 2 tops, hardware plummets". July 13, 2012.
  32. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (May 19, 2014). "Super Monkey Ball Bounce re-envsions Peggle this summer". Eurogamer .
  33. ↑ "Super Monkey Ball Bounce Review | 148Apps". www.148apps.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.