Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is getting Hello Kitty as a playable DLC character

Kawaii icon Hello Kitty, or Kitty White as she's known formally (the more you know), is being added to Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania as a playable DLC character.

Right at Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania's launch, you'll be able to download and play as Hello Kitty for an additional $4.99 USD. The trailer up top shows Kitty White rolling around a bunch of classic Super Monkey Ball maps collecting apples and making a face that really reflects her precarious situation pretty well.

If you've been following Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, you'll know Hello Kitty joins a number of other characters that are either unlockable or available for purchase as DLC. The thing is, all of the other characters make a lot of sense. Fellow Sega icons Sonic the Hedgehog and Beat from Jet Set Radio are sensible, legally uncomplicated additions to the game. Even Kazuma Kiryu from Yakuza series will be there, which also makes sense because the same studio, Ryu Ga Gotoku, is handling Super Monkey Ball and Yakuza. Hello Kitty, on the other hand, is comparatively out of the blue (though there was that Hello Kitty special edition Sega Dreamcast, so this wasn't entirely unprecedented). Wonder who we'll get next.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania launches on October 5 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The game includes 300 remastered stages from the first three Super Monkey Ball games and support for local and online co-op, all in commemoration of the series' 20th birthday. 

For what to play with friends right now, check out our guide to the best co-op games available now.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.