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I’m going to be honest. The qualities I like in a videogame are lately showing up
less and less often. I like games that are colorful, have a good level of difficulty,
and frankly are a little bit quirky. And all of these characteristics are present in bunches
in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz for the Playstation Vita. Everything you could want
in a game about rolling monkeys through floating mazes is here.
Like all previous Super Monkey Ball games, Banana Splitz is a fairly basic concept. You
start at the beginning of a maze and have to navigate your way to the goal at the end.
Some of the mazes are more puzzly, as in a big open area that you are free to move around.
While others are all about speed with your monkey racing down the track. Along the way
you need to collect bananas and watch out for the ledges. And don’t forget, you are
being timed. So you need to be quick, accurate, and careful. Much like the gentle monkeys
you play as. There are numerous levels with each presenting a new challenge that becomes
more and more difficult as you unlock more.
You can move your monkey in two different ways. Either with the left analog stick, or
if you want even more of a challenge you can use the Vita’s gyroscope and tilt the system
itself. It works but will take some getting use to.
But you are not just restricted to rolling down tracks. There is a party mode where you
play different mini-games, trying to get the high score and rub it in your friends face.
These are quite fun, with some seeing your monkey turn his ball into a glider and another
where you play some hybrid form of Bingo. And there is even a multiplayer mode that
will keep you definitely entertained.
Needless to say, there is more than enough to keep any fan of monkeys or balls happy
for a long time.
And everything is presented with such style. There is no brown realistic depiction of the
gritty world. No way. Everything is super bright and super happy. Everything is just
so vibrant and comes right off the screen.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz takes the bright happy series to the Playstation Vita
with some great results. The gyroscope controls and the extra multiplayer and party games
will have this become your go to monkey ball experience.