Super Monkey Ball Banana: Beginner’s Guide, Tips and Tricks To Get Started

by Anthony Manuel / Articles, Misc. Guides / 04 Dec 2021

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a colorful compilation that includes over 300 levels from the classic Super Monkey Ball games on Gamecube, as well as some original stages from Super Monkey Ball Deluxe. In each stage, you must navigate a cutesy primate contained inside a ball through treacherous obstacles and deadly pitfalls, all in an effort to reach the goal line at the end. Whether this is your first time with Super Monkey Ball or you’re already a ball-rolling natural, you’re bound to run into moments of difficulty. Simply put, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania has some of the most challenging levels ever designed, guaranteed to fill you with frustration.

To help you clear these annoying stages and become a better ball roller, we’ve whipped up a list of tips for Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania that should help you accomplish your goal. Including refined strategies and some cheap ways of quick completion, these Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania tips should help you reach the next stage in no time. With that said, these are our five advanced tips for Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania!

5 Pro Tips For Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania

When In Doubt, Rush Forward

While many of the stages in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania require pinpoint precision, patience, and a bit of luck, you might be surprised at just how easily some can be completed with the right strategy. If you ever get stuck on a particular level, try rushing forward from the very start at top speed. In many cases, blazing a trail straight ahead will get you closer to the goal than taking your time. Especially in early levels, all you need is the right amount of speed and the correct positioning to blast through the finish line in record time.

Eventually, this brute-force method of completion will stop working, but you’ll be surprised at how often it plays out in your favor. This is especially true in levels where you must dodge fast-moving obstacles or navigate across treacherous platforms, as the timing windows usually line up perfectly if you have enough speed. So, the next time you’re restarting a level after tons of failed attempts, try rolling as fast as you can straight ahead and see how it plays out.

Set Up Your Angles

While early levels in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania can often be completed with loose movement, later stages require very precise set-ups to achieve victory. This is especially true for stages with long and narrow bridges or maze-like levels with lots of pitfalls. When dealing with precarious situations like this, it’s important to remember the biggest misconception in Super Monkey Ball – you’re not controlling the ball; you’re tilting the stage. For example, when you press the control stick forward, your ball will roll downward at a straight angle. If you’re trying to cross a narrow bridge and your starting position is slightly off-center, you can expect to plummet off the side. With this in mind, always take a moment to ensure that your ball is centered when approaching a notably dangerous obstacle. In general, it’s always easier to control the ball when dealing with straight angles, as small adjustments can often result in overshooting your target or rolling into the abyss. Finding the right angle might be tedious at first, but it’s much easier to prepare correctly than to adjust on the fly.

Increase Your Camera Sensitivity

While it might not seem like a big deal at first, your camera sensitivity can be a major aspect of your success or failure. If you’re following our previous tip and try to set up straight and easy-to-track angles, adjusting your camera sensitivity may help in this regard. Since you’re tilting the stage rather than moving your monkey, you’ll often want to move the stage directly on its x-axis to avoid any miscalculations. On more difficult levels, you’ll constantly be fighting against the clock, and a slow camera can make things take even longer. We recommend raising your camera sensitivity to 4 and occasionally bumping it up to 5 when needed. Be careful, though, as a higher camera sensitivity means faster turning, so it’ll be easier to overshoot your turn and fall off the map. Take some time getting comfortable with fast camera movement, so when the time comes, you won’t be caught off guard. This is especially important for levels like “8 Bracelets” and “Chipped Pipes,” where you must maintain your momentum on ramps without overcompensating on turns.

Pay Attention to Banana Patterns

Beating the toughest levels in the game often comes down to figuring out the right path to take, making this next suggestion one of the most useful Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania tips we can offer. When you’re struggling to figure out the right angle or pathway through a level, pay attention to where the banana collectibles spawn. While it might not seem like it at first, the placement of bananas will often give you a good idea of where your monkey should be rolling to maintain speed and survive obstacles. For example, on the level “Warp,” you’ll notice lots of bananas on the inner ledge of each warped ramp, giving you a good idea of what side you should try to stay on. In the level “Double Spiral,” you’ll notice a big bunch of bananas located on the center of one of the spirals. If you manage to move fast enough to collect it, you’ll be decently set for the rest of the level with the proper speed and trajectory.

Make Good Use of Helper Function

When all else fails, don’t be ashamed to use the brand new “Helper Function,” one of the most useful mechanics in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania. In addition to granting you double the time to complete a stage, Helper Function also allows you to activate slow-motion at any time, making it far easier to adjust your roll and avoid pitfalls. Additionally, if you’ve collected enough banana coins, you can buy the jump ability in the point shop. When activated, this allows you to perform a small jump with the press of a button. Many of the tougher levels in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania are far easier when you have this boost, so don’t neglect it. While your score won’t be saved on the leaderboard while using the Helper Function, it’s a good way to complete those painfully difficult roadblock missions.

Anthony Manuel

I'm a jack of all trades when it comes to my passions. I love many things such as rollerblading, art, music, gaming, entrepreneurship, and my favorite is writing. Here on Magic Game World, I can combine my passions for both gaming and writing to deliver information through well-thought-out content.
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