Binning the lives system, you can now retry levels until you run out of steam. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has altered elements of the game helping to ease frustrations that plagued the original release. Besides, who plays Super Monkey Ball for the story? In addition to this is the challenge mode, which features courses from the original games, separated by difficulty. Whilst the presentation is childish, it takes nothing away from the game. Presented like an infant’s television show, the story mode has simple cutscenes to tell a story about Dr Bad-Boon. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania combines the first three games in the franchise, giving you over 300 levels to chew on. With time and collection-based objectives attached to each level, there is even more reason to revisit stages. Whilst the premise is simple and the game is accessible, levels steadily progress in difficulty adding new elements such as switches and an array of hazards that will challenge even the most adept player. Hurdling rivets and lips becomes a game of momentum and balancing on narrow beams is a butt-clenching feat. Rather than controlling the monkey, you move the world itself which can make seemingly simple courses extremely difficult. If you haven’t played a game in the series before, you are tasked with directing your encapsulated furry friend through mazes to reach the goal which lies at the end. Built from the ground up, will this celebration of the franchise make fans go ape? Due to a bunch of releases skidding on banana skins, Sega has peeled back the years and revisited the original games. Whilst the notion of stuffing small animals into containers and forcing them to maneuver through a precarious course is morally questionable, I fell in love with the goofy franchise. 20 years ago, AiAi and his crew of manic monkeys rolled onto the scene, capturing the hearts of gamers around the world.

All hands and hearts review