

At first, I thought this seemed like a strange feature for a platformer game like this. One of the fun additions added to Banana Mania is the Photo Mode. As a consolation prize, there is an online ranking system, so you can still compete against other players for bragging rights, just not in a way that’s actually entertaining. This is fine if you have a few friends or family members who want to sit and roll monkeys around with you, but if you’re playing by yourself, it will regrettably remain that way. Like most party games, you get the most enjoyment out of these by playing with others, though rather disappointingly the game only offers local co-op and not online multiplayer. There is a selection of 12 fun minigames to break up the monotony of grinding through level after level, including a Mario Kart-style race, bowling, boating, and a retro arcade-style shooter, to name just a few. I was skipping so frequently that I was essentially no longer playing the game and I was rinsing through coins quicker than I was earning them on the main levels.įortunately, you can earn coins from playing party games too and this is the main reason I delved into these. Until that point, I had found the game was pleasantly challenging, rather than punishing, and while some players probably enjoy overcoming more difficult levels, it was at this point that the single-player story mode soured for me. Having said that, once I reached world seven, I found the difficulty spiked considerably, and all of a sudden I was getting a reprise of my earlier “Fall Out” beat on repeat. Other levels had multiple routes and goals, so you could choose easier ways to complete the level if you wanted to. For example, some levels have you hitting a button immediately that sends whichever obstacle you have to face into overdrive, such as making a rotating level spin even faster so you get flung off more easily, but more than once there was a hidden button that allowed you to slow the obstacle down again for easier completion.

It was clear from other stages that the game intends for you to experiment with different solutions.

In reality, you’re naturally becoming more adept as you play through, so while it’s true the worlds become more complex and more challenging, I found that the levels weren’t necessarily more difficult as you progressed further. At first I assumed that levels would scale in difficulty, and then each world would become more challenging. For the main story mode, levels are split into different themed worlds, each of which has ten levels to complete. The game offers over 300 levels in total, allowing you to switch it up with various modes - though most of these you have to unlock with points - so there is always an abundance of things to do. Another helpful tool is the Jump ability, but you’ll need to fork out 30,000 coins in the Point Shop to unlock it first.

You can also go into the menu and choose the “View Stage” option to find your bearings in a level if you’re not quite sure where the goal is that you’re aiming for.
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Naturally, you don’t unlock some of the extra modes for any levels you “cheat” through with these workarounds, but for the peace of mind of not throwing your controller at your TV screen out of frustration, it’s a godsend. If you continue to struggle, even with the Helper Function, you can pop into the menu and simply choose to mark the stage as complete for the price of 2,000 points - the currency you earn as you play. Firstly, if you’re finding a level too difficult you can enable the Helper Function, which doubles your time for that stage and gives you the ability to slow down time at the press of a button. The game is incredibly newcomer-friendly - which I understand wasn’t always the case - and ensures that even those who struggle with certain mechanics or particular levels can still progress. It’s just a classic platformer with the same upbeat music and all the arcade trimmings you’d expect from a retro title, but with the added benefit of a clean, up-to-date look. It’s not trying too hard to be something super modern or cutting edge. There’s something especially charming about its simple style and gameplay that took me right back to when I was a kid growing up in the ‘90s. Regardless of my clear inability to master the game, I still found it incredibly enjoyable. RELATED: Super Monkey Ball Announcer Who Leaked Banana Mania Isn't In The Game, Accuses Sega Of Discriminationĭespite my initial irritation, which admittedly was the result of my own failings, I kept playing.
