First Encounter

There's nothing more fun than monkeys in a ball. That's what my grandpa used to tell me, anyway. For years, I thought he was a little touched in the head, but it turns out he was just a decade or two ahead of his time, for the quirky minds at SEGA® have put him in the right with Super Monkey Ball™ Deluxe.

The game concept couldn't be simpler if it tried, and it's an idea so wacky that you'll be tempted to simply raise an eyebrow and not give it a second thought. I urge you to resist that natural inclination and instead turn an open mind to Super Monkey Ball Deluxe and all the quirky fun it offers. First, though, an explanation is in order to clarify the point and purpose of these monkeys in balls.

The bulk of the game, and by that I mean the aptly titled Main Game, offers up one-button control, and perhaps not even that. The only thing you need to manipulate on the button-happy Xbox® controller is the left thumbstick. That's right, no buttons of any kind. But make no mistake, if you think simple equals easy, you're in for quite a surprise.

The purpose of the Main Game is to roll your monkey through the level, picking up as many bananas as you possibly can and reaching the goal line before you fall off the board or run out of time. However, instead of using the left thumbstick to roll our monkey friends around, you actually use it to manipulate the board itself. Press to the right and the board tilts to the right, press down and the board tilts up, and so on and so forth. This is an important distinction, as altering the area of the board you're on not only rolls you around, but also changes your relationship to areas of the level that your piece of the board isn't directly connected to.

The challenge is in the level design, and it's here that the designers really shine. The early boards start off easy enough, with maybe just a hole or two to navigate around. But within just a few short levels, you are dealing with whole areas that rhythmically disconnect into dozens of pieces, or whole rotating sections of a level that you can only reach through impeccable timing.

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe puts forth a bright and cheerful presentation, but as you delve deeper and deeper into the levels, you play and live in a constant state of tension, holding your breath with each tilt of the board and roll of the ball. Super Monkey Ball Deluxe delivers absolute old-school difficulty not seen this side of Ninja Gaiden®. It's not meant to be beaten, it's meant to be mastered.

Playing through the Main Game will also earn you Play Points. The more points you earn, the more mini-games you can unlock. These include Super Monkey Ball Deluxe versions of pool and bowling, which are both hilarious and ingeniously designed. The mini-games aren't just fluff, either; you can spend hours and hours playing them.

You are also likely to spend significant time with the multiplayer offerings. First, you can play through the Main Game split-screen with buddies, which is great. You can also participate in Party Games, including Monkey Racing, Monkey Fighting, and Monkey Target (you roll down launches and fly toward targets for points).

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is a subtly addictive game. Despite its seeming simplicity, it offers a series of varied experiences as you explore the main campaign mode along with party games and mini-games. Whether you're alone or with friends and family, this little gem can entertain.

By Alex McLain