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Super Monkey Ball 3D Review for Nintendo 3DS

Super Monkey Ball 3D Review for Nintendo 3DS

Where Did My Game Go?

If there’s one thing to be said about the Monkey Ball series, it is that you know what to expect every time you pick up a new iteration. The gameplay is always the same, and even if there’s a singular new feature to check out (like using the touch screen in Touch & Roll, or using the Balance Board in Step and Roll), the core experience is almost always the same. Super Monkey Ball is a franchise that has evolved at a glacial pace, and if you don’t mind getting more of the same every time you play, then you’ll probably get some enjoyment out of the content offered in Super Monkey Ball 3D. However, if you expect more from your sequels, or enjoy games that have more content than you can conquer in an afternoon, then you will likely be disappointed.

Super Monkey Ball 3D Screenshot

There are three main modes in Super Monkey Ball 3D: the core “challenge” mode, a kart racing mode, and a fighting mode. The core mode is predictably the most entertaining; you roll one of four monkey ball avatars through a series of increasingly challenging maze-based levels. The mazes get pretty tough near the end, and the game has a nicely balanced difficulty curve that helps you feel like you are progressing evenly without stagnating or particularly frustrating new elements. The new levels are certainly the best part of Super Monkey Ball 3D, and if all you require is some fun new Monkey Ball levels, prepare to be impressed.

In addition to the new levels, there is also a new control method that uses the 3DS’ gyroscope. If there was a game that was made for tilt controls, it is Monkey Ball, but the decision to put this mode on the 3DS version of the game is curious, as moving around the system obscures the 3D visuals. If you have the 3D disabled, you won’t have much a problem with the motion controls. However, considering this is a 3DS launch title, most people will want to experience the 3D visuals first, and it is impossible to do that when you are using the motion controls.

Super Monkey Ball 3D Screenshot

However, the main mode is the only mode that uses the motion controls, as the other two modes are essentially big mini-games. The first of these is a basic kart racer that has you racing against the AI, using monkey-themed weapon items, and unlocking new cars and characters. This mode is a fun diversion, but is ultimately a little too derivative to be any fun for longer than twenty minutes. If you’ve played any iteration of Mario Kart, this mode will feel a little too familiar to be interesting for very long. And while the main mode is challenging enough, this mini-game mode is extremely easy, and the getting first place over and over gets old fast.

Super Monkey Ball 3D Screenshot

The same goes for the other mode, which is a brawl-type beat-em-up where your objective is to literally beat the bananas out of your opponents. There are several platforms you can jump on, and each monkey has its own super-power you can use after unlocking it with a special falling item, but at the end of the day, this mode is also a little too derivative to be any fun. It plays like a stripped-down, monkey-fied version of Super Smash Bros., just without all the awesome characters and deep battle system. Just collect bananas, spam the attack button, and win. There’s literally nothing to it.

The only redeeming factor here is the 3D visuals, which look great. You’ll spend most of your time in the game’s main Monkey Ball Challenge mode, and the 3D visuals in this mode give the game a sense of depth that really improves the gameplay. In addition to the depth provided by the 3D visuals, the game also puts several obstacles in the foreground, and though you’ll have to suffer through some “gimmick” shots early on (and in the game’s menu), the 3D really is implemented quite well, and seeing the different mazes in 3D helps bring Monkey Ball to life in a whole new way.

Super Monkey Ball 3D Screenshot

In addition to the single-player offerings, Super Monkey Ball 3DS has a slim multiplayer offering that allows you to use the 3DS’ download play feature to go head-to-head against nearby friends and play through the game’s two mini-game modes. This mode is yet another disappointment, as it doesn’t use StreetPass or the 3DS’ strong online component. Honestly, it feels like a holdover from the DS version of the game, and doesn’t really add anything to the new 3DS Monkey Ball experience.

Unfortunately, lack of new content really is the biggest problem I have with Super Monkey Ball 3D. Aside from the ten new challenge stages, there’s nothing else to really do with the game. And when you factor in that each stage takes ten minutes to beat (it is timed, after all), then you’ve got a game that is exhausted in two hours. Some kind of online mode, or more than two additional mini-game modes may have helped remedy this problem, but unfortunately Super Monkey Ball 3D does not have anything beyond the too-short core experience, and feels only half-finished as a result.

Super Monkey Ball 3D does get some credit for being a fun game, and for having some great 3D visuals. However, the game itself is so thin that it’s hard to image feeling good about spending $40 for this title. Once you blast through the challenge mode, there is really no reason to revisit the game’s two minigame modes, and this title will probably start gathering dust after the first time you put it down. It’s a real shame there is so little content, as Super Monkey Ball 3D works and plays well, but as it is the game feels like it was rushed to release, and is only worth a rental at best.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.8 Graphics
3D graphics look great and provide just enough depth without being too gimmicky. 3.3 Control
Slide pad controls work well, but motion controls don’t jive with the 3D visuals. 2.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Background music is inoffensive. 1.5 Play Value
You’ll finish the only interesting mode in less than two hours, and the mini-game modes don’t provide much replay value. Expect to play this for a weekend, and then forget about it completely. 2.4 Overall Rating – Poor
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Let yourself be completely immersed in the world of Super Monkey Ball like never before. Watch as your favorite monkeys truly come alive in front of your eyes. Three full game modes.
  • Three compelling gameplay choices in one. Enjoy classic Super Monkey Ball puzzles, frantic car battles in Monkey Race, and all-out manic brawls in Monkey Fight. Perfect control with the Nintendo 3DS.
  • Choose to use either the motion sensor or slide pad to navigate the puzzle mazes with complete precision. Balance speed and skill to collect as many bananas as possible within the time limit. Crazy multiplayer action.
  • Compete via wireless connection with up to four players in Monkey Race and Monkey Fight in the best 3D social experience you can have in the palm of your hand!

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