Sega announces ‘Super Monkey Ball’ 1 & 2 remake

Sega gave fans of the “Monkey Ball” series a very early Christmas gift as they announced a remake of the first two games with additional content during the Nintendo Direct conference at E3.

The developers gave it a huge makeover by using the most recent “Super Monkey Ball” art style while keeping the classic gameplay that fans love.

The “Monkey Ball” games are a collection of platform party games which lets the player control the speed and turning of a monkey trapped inside a sphere by tilting the environment.

The goal is to reach the finish line of each level before the timer runs out, and without falling off the stage. Players can also earn bonus points and extra lives by collecting the numerous bananas scattered around the floor.

The first ever “Monkey Ball” game was released as an arcade cabinet with a distinct banana-shaped analog stick for its controls in 2001 and was ported to the Nintendo GameCube the same year. Its positive reception on the console led to multiple sequels and other ports to different platforms including mobile.

As the classic controls were used in the past, most recent ports of the games used the advancement of technology to its advantage by using the accelerometers for controls in its Wii and Apple ports.

The popularity of the game also led to appearances in other Sega games including Sonic Riders, Sega Superstars Tennis, and the Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing series.

The remake was leaked ahead of the Nintendo Direct conference but it did not stop the hype train of fans during the announcement.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania will tilt, roll, and bop its way to the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on October 5 this year.

(Images via Nintendo)