GENRE
	Puzzle
	DEVELOPER
	Amusement Vision
	PUBLISHER
	Sega
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
	BUY NOW AT

Before I begin, an apology is in order.

I’m aware that, over the years, your kind has had it rough. In any given moment of rage, you’ve been punted, thrown around like an unopened coconut, tossed into oncoming traffic, and in some rare cases, dissembled and fed to canaries. But I’ve never treated you this way-- we form a symbiotic relationship, you and I. You give me hours upon hours of gaming entertainment, and I treat you as a deity; a god. As a gaming controller, I give you only respect, and would never dream of harming your smooth, plastic shell.

Until now. Damn Sega, and their monkeys... simply monkeys, rolling around, gleefully, inside a little, transparent ball. That’s all they do-- there’s no sword fighting, undercover espionage, or turn-based battles. Just rolling. And more rolling. Off cliffs. Why must that happen, so near the goal? I’m sorry, my beloved, purple controller, for spiking you into the hardwood floor. It was bound to happen. Someone had to pay.

Oh sure, it looks innocent enough-- to the untrained eye, Super Monkey Ball is merely a quirky, brightly-colored, family-friendly launch title for the Nintendo Gamecube. On the back of the box, it claims to be a "party" game-- but honestly, the only parties I’ve ever seen that are this stress-inducing are political.

Not that I’m complaining. If Sega set out to construct a unique, general audience, old-school styled experience with lovably frustrating gameplay, then they’ve succeeded on all fronts. And for this, I am happy. Really, really happy.

visuals

There’s four of them, a simian lineup of ludicrous proportions, standing on the character select screen with their heads bowed low, looking decisively ape-ish. But when highlighted, they animate to life-- one of them, dubbed Gongon, puffs up and proudly beats his chest, as if to say, "Yeah, King Kong was a pansy. Bring the pain."

True, the models are rather simple; Monkey Ball doesn’t make any advances in the field of character design. But simple monkeys are not necessarily ugly monkeys-- all four of them are very crisp, clean, and colorful, with cutesy animations and facial expressions. Your girlfriend, and the more secure males among us, will say tilt their heads sideways and say, "Awww."

The monkeys are enclosed within the clear confines of a plastic ball-- don’t worry, they don’t seem to mind all that much. While it would be pretty hard to mess up the design of a simple ball, one can rest easy in knowing that Sega didn’t accidentally make it shaped like a baked potato, or something equally disturbing. Whilst the ball rolls, the little monkey feet pitter and patter back and forth, faster and faster, desperately trying to keep balance, until they inevitably lose control and begin spinning chaotically, helpless to resist, as the ball hurdles onward, usually towards their doom. Sparks fly everywhere. Words cannot express the perverse amusement gained from witnessing such event.

Many of the levels, especially the more difficult ones, are breathtaking-- not for their graphical prowess (as with the character models, the actual graphics are very simple), but for their creative structure. I’ll delve into this more when discussing gameplay, but I guarantee a few gasps and dumbfounded guffaws will be heard upon viewing the later levels.

The background scenery, however, is actually very pretty. There’s admittedly only a few environments, but the ones here are more than adequate. Be it a pink sky with stony pillars, or a nighttime environment centered around buildings resembling a 50’s diner, one is often tempted to gaze lifelessly into the great beyond. Try to avoid this, though, as sightseeing is definitely not a good idea when your monkey is teetering on the brink of certain demise.

audio

The audio is, quite possibly, the least important aspect of a game like Super Monkey Ball. And Sega’s priorities are obvious. There’s a soundtrack here, but it’s nothing special. Each environment has a fitting, peppy tune to accompany the monkey’s plight -- but it serves no more than being standard fare. The final environment, however, contains a high-energy, rock n’ roll styled sound that really sets a nice tone for the last few levels.

The monkeys emit noises one would expect from video-game monkeys: namely various shrieks, growls, ooh-oohs and ahh-ahhs. Some of the mumbles and victorious cheers sound similar to actual human English, especially from the infant monkey, who seems dangerously close to breaking the evolutionary barrier of speech, at times. Either way, the sound effects are adequate-- when the monkeys are happy, they make happy noises, and you’ll be happy too. It’s cute.

gameplay

Here it is. Take your monkey from Point A to Point B, without falling. No experience points must be gained, no items must be found, and no enemies stand in your way. No, those things are far too simple.

Technically, you don’t even control the monkey. It’s the tilt of the level at your command. And you must maneuver the level, any which way you can, to roll the monkey-ball along the path, to its destination. All with the control stick, and the control stick alone.

Stop-- don’t let the thought cross your mind, because you’re wrong. True, the play mechanics are simple. But this game is not, by any stretch of the imagination, easy. After completing the first round of beginner levels, Super Monkey Ball morphs into one of the most hair-pulling, sweat-inducing, blood-pumping experiences ever created.

The mad-scientists at Sega devised a seemingly unlimited amount of ways to make you fall-- some of them are combined with one another, and many of them are undeniably clever. The path to the goal is littered with everything from small bumps, ramps, pinball-styled stoppers, unfortunately placed pitfalls, moving platforms and winding roads that get smaller, and smaller, until the route is nearly impassable. If there’s an enemy here, it’s gravity. Many, many lives will be lost until you finally get it right.

Some of these levels are works of art. Those of us who enjoy a good challenge will become downright giddy upon viewing what is expected to be done. Every once in a while, usually in the Expert bracket, you’ll come upon a level that looks to be impossible-- that’s because it is, almost. Sheer luck is a requirement at times.

The act of navigating levels is a mix between puzzle solving and sleight-of-hand skill. Sometimes, you merely need to figure out what needs to be done, and after that, it can be done every time, without fail. But on some instances, only a steady hand, Zen-like concentration, and Jedi reflexes will do. It’s at those times when you may be considering homicide as an acceptable human behavior.

multiplayer

While it takes a certain twisted individual to truly love the meaty one-player experience, Super Monkey Ball offers a little something for everyone in the multiplayer department. A bountiful supply of party and mini-games delivers an ideal activity during large, diverse gatherings.

Monkey Race boasts six courses; up to four players speed, uncontrollably at times, around zany, colorful tracks. If you feel displeased with the individual in front of you, a bevy of projectile weaponry will remedy the situation. Likewise, be wary of the other racers-- being temporarily transformed into a Super Monkey Cube will undoubtedly hamper your intended speed. Both Monkey Race and Monkey Fight (think of Mario Party's "Bumper Balls" with boxing gloves) are fun for a little while, but unless you consistently rotate new human players into the mix, things get repetitive quickly.

The remaining four games are very well done, and can be enjoyed even when alone. Monkey Target sees players launching the much-abused animals into the stratosphere and trying to land on platform targets in an ocean. It’s leisurely paced, but the tried-and-tested goal of getting more points keeps even the most impatient among us fairly interested. Monkey Golf, Monkey Billiards, and Monkey Bowling are exactly how they’re described in the title-- the ball for each game contains a monkey, of course. Either way, the sheer selection of quality multiplayer zaniness provides an above-average, party-styled experience that should keep the masses coming back for more.

overall

I understand that Super Monkey Ball probably isn’t for everybody. It lacks any sort of storyline or quest, is extremely frustrating, and is overloaded with the cute and cuddly syndrome. To some, these are major turnoffs. It’s a pretty bizarre little game. However, combining the clever single-player experience with the wealth of multiplayer options, I believe most everyone could at least find something fun to do here. And then there are some, such as myself, who fell head over heels for this creative, twisted game-- it’s easily my favorite GameCube launch title.

Give Super Monkey Ball a chance. And don’t let my earlier ramblings frighten you-- yes, it’s a frustrating game, to be sure. But it’s the warm, fuzzy kind of frustrating. The kind where after you obliterate your controller into smithereens and finish plucking small plastic shards out of your torso, you smile, and realize, as a gamer, you crave these sorts of challenges.

But don’t crave them too much. Controllers aren’t cheap, you know.

8.5/10