Before the surprise announcement ofSuper Monkey Ball Banana ManiaduringNintendo’s E3 2021 showcase, there hadn’t been very much for fans of theSuper Monkey Ballseries to sink their teeth into over the past several years. While the upcomingMonkey Balltitle is only an HD rerelease of the first threeMonkey Ballgames, it’s still proof that the series is alive and well in the mind of SEGA. What’s more, the colorful cast of guest characters that have been announced for the game since its reveal has fans hoping that the game will continue to receive support and new characters in a similar way toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
So far in the two months followingSuper Monkey Ball Banana Mania’s E3 announcement, SEGA has revealed five guest characters across four discrete franchises. With new reveals coming what feels like every few weeks, the game’s roster is beginning to resemble that ofSuper Smash Bros. and other major video game crossover titles. This is exciting for fans of the series as new characters are always welcome, but it’s hopefully, also drawing new fans to the title as they want to see their favorite characters roll around in little capsule balls.
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There Will Always Be More Characters to Add to Monkey Ball
Although crossovers aren’t entirely new to theSuper Monkey Ballseries, there haven’t been quite as many announced before launch as withBanana Mania. Similar to theSmash Bros. core roster originally consisting of only Nintendo IPs,Banana Maniais sticking with some of the biggest SEGA characters from today such as Kiryu from theYakuzaseries as well asolder popular characters like Beat fromJet Set Radio. IfMonkey Ballcreates the biggest SEGA crossover game by adding new characters every few months, then it could start branching out by including other non-SEGA IPs.
The possibilities for who could be included are seemingly limitless. Obviously, characters like Sonic and Tails were shoo-ins, butincludingPersona 5’s Morganaalongside someone as serious as Kiryu means thatMonkey Ballisn’t afraid to get a little weird with its picks. It could be interesting to see characters from other major publishers like Capcom or Komani be added. Imagine Leon Kennedy fromResident Evilrunning inside a ball right next to Alucard fromCastlevania. It would be wild, but it would also draw plenty of new fans to theMonkey Ballseries for its nature as a crossover alone.
The Joy of Monkey Ball Crossovers
At the end of the day, people enjoy seeing their favorite characters featured in crossover events because it causes new fans to become invested in both franchises. Plus, withsomething as fun asSuper Monkey Ball Banana Mania, it’s nice to see serious characters like Kiryu be involved with something a little bit more lighthearted. It’s a similar reason why games likeMario Kartare fun to think about in the fiction of theMarioworld: all the characters bury their differences for a good time driving around some go-carts.
Hopefully, more characters are announced to be coming toBanana Maniasoon to bring even more IPs, SEGA or otherwise, to the table for someMonkey Ballfun.Crossover games likeSuper Smash Bros.are fun when new characters are added, but because of the silly nature ofMonkey Ball, it’s bound to draw even more fans in to see which gaming icons are loosening their ties and getting fit for a capsule-like Monkey Ball.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Manialaunches for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 5th, 2021.
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