Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll will be released on February 9, 2010 exclusively for Wii and is the latest game in the long-running platform puzzle series in which players roll a monkey in a ball through maze-like environments in a quest to collect bananas and reach the goal.
As you’d expect from the title, this newest game mixes up the tilting formula by replacing the standard joystick controls with that of the Wii Balance Board.
You will still be tilting the environment to roll your monkey (no that’s not a dirty joke), but this time the Wii Balance Board, which shipped with Wii Fit, will be the games main means of control (though it also uses the Wii Remote & Nunchuck).
This should be pretty interesting, as having to use your feet and body weight to guide the ball can only make things even more insane than they already are. And insane is the middle name of the Monkey Ball series.
In addition to the “all-star” returning line-up of AiAi, MeeMee, GonGon and Baby, an all-new monkey joins that cast named Jam.
“The Wii Balance Board opens new and creative ways for this long running and beloved SEGA franchise to be played,” said Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. “Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll takes the franchise to a whole new level of interactivity and fun that is great entertainment for family and friends.”
“Gamers will physically feel what it would be like to roll around in a Monkey Ball and have tons of fun doing it. Known for its challenging levels and most recently its innovative ways to control AiAi and his friends (Wii versions); gamers are immersed into the Monkey Ball world like never thought possible before. This newest installment of the popular series will offer new single-player puzzle levels and multiple new Party Games giving players more variety of gameplay than ever. Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll’s myriad of game modes is sure to inspire friendly living room competition between family and friends.”
Sounds good to me. They also worked out a few of the complaints players had with the former game and took out the ability to jump. But overall this is an interesting twist and hopefully it’ll revive people’s faith in the series.
Here is a trailer showing off the new mini-games in Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll.