The original Super Monkey Ball for the iPhone was a less than stellar port with none of the original charm of the franchise, with bad controls, and 2D graphics it seemed like it should have been made for the Super Nintendo instead of the iPhone. But now Sega has released a sequel in an attempt to redeem themselves for their horrible sin. With improved graphics and gameplay, as well as additional minigames, the latest iPhone entry is a huge step in the right direction.
The Super Monkey Ball series has always been great if only in premise alone. You control an ape (or maybe the plane that the monkey moves across) in a giant hamster ball, rolling across a dangerously open plane in the middle of a neon abyss with the intent of reaching a goal and then flying up into the air in euphoric bliss. By tilting the map, you navigate your monkey through each level, and it shouldn’t be surprising that this concept would be perfect for the iPhone’s title controls. Which is why it was so surprising that the first iPhone release was…well…crap. Pure and simple. The controls were clunky and never really did what you wanted them to do. It was usually luck that would get you through each level. Super Monkey Ball 2′s greatest improvement over the first is the tweaking of these controls. With much more responsive movements, the once impossible levels are feasible, though in true Monkey Ball tradition success may be determined by the occasionally lucky run.
Super Monkey Ball 2′s controls can be frustrating, but if they weren’t there would be zero challenge, and in a game that is essentially physics based puzzles trial and error is always your best friend. Some levels seem almost impossible after your second, third, fourth, and seventh failure, but that’s what makes the final victory so wonderful. It keeps you yelling at the screen, screaming “No, no, no!” as you tip over the edge of the platform into the endless void below, but anyone that loves a good fight will get right back up and keep rolling.
The game is beautiful, loaded with the bright colors and adorable characters one would expect in the series, and stacking it up against the previous game reminds you of just how fantastic this sequel looks. The monkey you control moves much more fluidly and is rendered in 3D unlike it’s predecessor. And the backgrounds and platforms are a mix of bright colors that held create a positive and energetic mood. This is doubly so when paired with the happy-go-lucky music that you’ll hear pumping through your headphones as you play.
Like any title controlled game, Super Monkey Ball 2 was not created with the public transit in mind. The wiggling, squirming, and elbow jabbing you’ll do while trying to keep your monkey balanced will leave everyone on your flight much more tired and irritated than they normally would be. But if you don’t mind looking like a fool, I suppose that won’t bother you much. Usually you’ll have to be satisfied playing it at home, and there’s absolutely no way to play it lying down with the control’s layout. If you don’t mind sitting up, and don’t mind reserving what really couldn’t be a portable game on a portable system for more private moments, than you’ll be just fine.
With multiplayer and minigames like Monkey Bowling (and two other games that are “coming soon”) it comes off as a very earnest attempt to make a quality game with a lot of replay value. It feels like a game that could have been made for a forty dollar price on the DS, with equally strong content and graphics. Ten dollars can come off a bit pricey on the iPhone market, and maybe it is by comparison with some other great titles on the platform, but it’s still a great deal and by far the cheapest, quality deal you’ll find for any Super Monkey Ball game. For anyone that loves the series this is a must own, and for anyone casually thinking about picking it up, or just like fun games then this a strong recommendation.
