SUPER MONKEY BALL: Banana Bunch Bundle

Welcome to the SUPER MONKEY BALL: Banana Bunch Bundle Collection! This package throws together a wild mix of simian shenanigans from across the franchise's portable history. You're getting three distinct flavors of monkey rolling madness, each with its own vibe, its own control quirks and its own set of highs and lows. So, strap in or should we say roll in? for a look at what this eclectic bunch offers.

SUPER MONKEY BALL: Banana Bunch Bundle

SUPER MONKEY BALL JR. is the Game Boy Advance trying to do the impossible, and honestly, it kinda nails it. This version takes the crazy concept of rolling monkeys in balls and squeezes it onto a tiny cartridge, keeping the full 3D stages from the GameCube games. That alone is pretty rad.

The main game is exactly what you'd expect: tilt the stages to guide your monkey to the goal. It's simple but the levels get really tough, with narrow paths, moving platforms and tricky jumps that will send you falling off the edge over and over. The challenge is there, which is awesome. Graphically, it's a lil miracle with polygonal stages on the GBA that actually look and run decently. The music is catchy, and the monkey sounds are as silly as ever. Also, you'll still fight the camera sometimes, but it's part of the charm.

SUPER MONKEY BALL: Touch & Roll

SUPER MONKEY BALL: Touch & Roll is basically trying to do its own thing with the classic formula. The idea sounds awesome on paper: you use the stylus on the touch screen to tilt the stage and roll your monkey, in reality tho that control scheme is kinda awkward. It lacks the precision you really need, especially on the trickier levels, so most people just end up using the D-pad instead.

The main adventure mode has a bunch of levels, but a lot of them are just recycled from older games. It's still fun in short bursts and the challenge ramps up but doesn't feels as satisfying as it should. The game looks pretty decent for the DS: bright, colorful, and it runs smoothly. The music and monkey sounds can get seriously annoying after a while tho. It's that overly cheerful stuff that might make you reach for the volume slider.

Where this version actually gets interesting is with its minigames. There are six of 'em, and they're a real mixed bag. Stuff like Monkey Bowling and Monkey Golf are actually really fun, making great use of the touch screen for intuitive swings and rolls. Then you have Monkey Hockey, which is creative since you can draw your own paddle, but the others are just forgettable. The cool part is that most of these minigames support download play, so you can mess around with friends without everyone needing a copy.

SUPER MONKEY BALL 3D

SUPER MONKEY BALL 3D is a weird one to talk about, it's basically the same formula but squeezed. Honestly, the main Monkey Ball mode is where you'll spend any real time. It controls pretty nicely with the C-pad or the gyroscope, but here's the big issue: it's so fucking easy. They put guardrails everywhere, so you barely ever fall off. There are a bunch of levels but you can blast through the whole story mode like in an hour.

The other two modes feel like rushed afterthoughts. Monkey Race is a basic kart racer. It looks bland, the handling is off and it just makes you wish you were playing MARIO KART 7 instead. Then there's Monkey Fight, which tries to copy Super Smash Bros. but ends up a clunky button mashy mess. It's not fun at all and you'll probably try it once and never touch it again. It's a bummer because older SUPER MONKEY BALL games had a whole bunch of fun party games, and here we only get two, both of them pretty weak.

The music is also forgettable and while the main game looks colorful and sharp, the side modes look dated. There's some replay value if you're obsessed with getting high scores or all the bananas but for most people it'll be over super quick. It's not a terrible game tho, the core rolling is still charming and works well but it's a stripped down version of what came before.