Super Monkey Ball 3D Review

After releasing versions of Super Monkey Ball on the Wii and on the DS, Sega this time takes on the Nintendo 3DS and provides us with some additional gameplay modes. Fans of the series will recognize familiar faces and classic Super Monkey Ball mechanics. But even if you haven’t played any game of the series, you’ll definitely enjoy the complete Super Monkey Ball 3D experience.

The game’s Classic mode is essentially what Super Monkey Ball games are all about. You’ll control your character, whether it is the series mascot AiAi or one of his buddies, and roll him through different worlds dodging bumpers and other obstacles. You’ll get scored on how quickly you reach the goal and on how many bananas you managed to pick up along the way. Your monkey is in a ball, so you’ll actually be moving the stage to make him roll and avoiding its edges.

You can use the 3DS’s Circle Pad to control your monkey, or you can select to use its motion controls. The Circle Pad is responsive, and this is crucial whenever your monkey is inches from the edge of a stage and needs to go in reverse. It’s also very sensitive to the slightest touch, so it really gives you solid controls.

If you decide to play the game with motion controls, you’ll need to calibrate your system each time you start a level. It asks you to place the device on a flat surface, but you’ll then need to pick it up to play it. This disorients the device, and since the action is going on the top screen, it’s a bit bizarre moving it in the direction you want the monkey to roll. That’s not to say it’s not a fun way to play, but if you want to beat your time record, you might want to stick with the Circle Pad.

This classic mode is the heart of the series and with 80 levels of monkey rolling action, you’ll enjoy every minute of it. You’ll enjoy crisp, colorful graphics and listen to familiar tunes that range from childish to catchy. Unfortunately, the stages are not as difficult as you’d expect and you will be done with them rather quickly. Some of the later levels, though, are rather tricky and getting high scores in them takes some skill.

When you’re done rolling your monkey, you can also try out the game’s Monkey Race mode with gives you a basic cart experience. Your racer can pick up items to use against others and use spin dash techniques on corners. It’s very Mario Kart, but the lack of tracks and somewhat cheap AI makes playing it a bit frustrating. It’s all right, but it shouldn’t be the main focus of the game.

That said, the game’s Monkey Fight mode may seem like a rip-off of Super Smash Bros. and even the Japan-only Jump Super Stars, but it is surprisingly fun and addicting. The main goal is to get the most bananas before the time reaches zero all while punching and attacking your foes to make them lose theirs. Playing it with friends on local multiplayer is even more entertaining, especially since you only need one game card to play.

Now, it wouldn’t be a 3DS title without 3D effects, right? Super Monkey Ball 3D’s effects really shine in Classic and Race modes since you will see lots of depth as you roll or race your way down hills and up inclines. The main stage in Classic mode pops out at you, and in Race mode, you will notice how the foreground buildings jump out at you like in pop-up book. Sadly, you can’t play Classic mode with both motion controls and 3D effects on or you will get blurry results. Either play it in 3D with steady hands or tilt your device with them off.

I enjoyed playing through the game but only wish there were more levels to play through. The game also has great local multiplayer features, and while you can’t play Classic mode with friends, you can still enjoy the other two modes with ease. Too bad it doesn’t have Wi-Fi modes. Despite its shortcomings, Super Monkey Ball 3D does a pretty good job of giving us a glimpse of the potential future games will have utilizing the 3DS’s technology. Plus, who doesn’t love a good action puzzler?