E3 06: Super Monkey Ball Adventure hands-on

Did anyone ever actually sit back during a game of Super Monkey Ball and wonder what those entombed monkeys did in their spare time? Didn't think so. Looks like we're gonna find out anyway, as Adventure breaks them free from their floating puzzle trays and sets them loose in a full 3D quest to save monkey kind. Right.

Main monkey AiAi is still trapped inside the same globular prison as always, but instead of directing him to a well-defined goal, you'll lead him through vast, open-ended worlds like Kongri-La and a tropical island. They're each divided into smaller missions that need completing, just like any other platformer you may have played before. The gimmick for Adventure is the very ball that's encasing our monkey friends.

By performing chants that are learned throughout the game, you can change the features of the monkey ball. Chants may sprout a boxing glove around the ball, make it hover for a short period or even cause it to grow suction cups, giving you ultimate access to the entire world. As you learn new chants, you can revisit previous worlds and uncover secret areas that were once impossible to reach.

What kinds of missions are we talking about here? For the most part, you're helping out fellow monkeys that inhabit each world, performing random tasks or fighting off a group of monsters that are trying to suck the fun out of monkey world. But it's not all platforming - those sweat-wrenching, floating puzzles from the old games still pop up in each realm.

Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.