Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll

The Super Monkey Ball series has an unusual problem. The franchise peaked when the very first game was released. And despite a fantastic concept the developers are left grasping at straws in order to reinvent the franchise. For this very reason time has come to roll monkey balls with our feet.

Luckily it works adequately. The balance board is precise enough to control a game that requires exact precision. Unfortunately that isn't enough. It also requires a lot of skill and training from the player. It's not as easily accessible. You are left with frustrating, but entertaining acts of balance. When the more demanding levels pop up I step off the board and sit down in my couch with the Wiimote in hand. Even if it is fun to balance my way towards to the goal, I won't cripple my progress when a much easier method of control is available.

As I sit comfortably in my couch rolling balls with the Wiimote a few thoughts enter my mind. "This is rather nice", "Some waffles would have been nice", and a third one that echoes disappointingly "Is this all there is to it?". Almost a decade after the first game, and not much has happened. If anything I feel as though the series has taken a step back.

If you aren't familiar with Super Monkey Ball, I'll give you a quick run through of the basics. Your objective is to get a ball from start to finish within the time limit. There really isn't any logical explanation as to why a monkey is trapped within the ball. Apart from the fact that monkeys are great and should be in every game ever made.

In order to get the ball from start to finish you tilt the level in order to make it roll. If the ball falls off the level or you run out of time you're screwed. Bananas are spread all over the place. Collect them in order to gain extra lives. That's it.

For a while things were looking dark. In a desperate attempt to reinvent the series Super Monkey Ball was infected with boss fights and story. Thankfully this has been corrected in Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll, but perhaps Sega didn't turn back the clock enough.

Somewhere along the road the simple yet masterful level design has been lost. In Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll you sometimes don't know in which direction you are supposed to head. And that's a big problem in a game with camera issues. The pace is higher than in previous games, and most often when I lose I do so because the time runs out. It's more pedal to the metal than precision, and I would have preferred it the other way around.

It comes with the territory that it is hard to evolve something as simple as the Super Monkey Ball concept. I don't want to give the monkeys weapons and move them into space, or have them kill hookers in a sandbox town. But if you can't find an interesting way of developing the concept, perhaps its time to move on. Or just release a few new levels to download for those who have grown tired of the original levels.

But everyone haven't been rolling monkey balls for a decade, and at its core Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll is a good game. The challenge is there as always, while the early levels are easy and inviting. And I'm enjoying myself as I roll around.

In addition to a satisfyingly large selection of levels, there are also plenty of mini games for up to four players included. To play through all of them takes a lot of time. It's a bit like panning for gold. There are nuggets of gold in there, but most of it is gravel and sand.

Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll has lots of content, both for the lonesome player and for gaming nights with your friends. It's positive to see the series attempting to return to its roots, even if I question whether it is a necessary game in the series. If you are looking for a challenging game with lots to do, then Step & Roll is a good choice. But if you've been rolling monkey balls since the Gamecube days there really isn't much new to be had.