Monkey Ball

About

Monkey Ball is a quirky platformer from 2001 that tasks you with rolling a monkey inside a ball through wacky obstacle courses. Played on Sega’s NAOMI arcade hardware, the game uses a banana-shaped controller to tilt the ball, navigating AiAi and friends across precarious paths filled with spikes, traps, and moving platforms. Each level requires balancing speed and precision to reach the goal while collecting bananas. The game mixes simple controls with tight physics, making it easy to pick up but tough to master. The story involves monkeys escaping a banana-hoarding gorilla, though the real draw is the charm of its offbeat design. The cabinet’s signature banana controller became a novelty in arcades, and the game’s cult following persists among retro fans. While never ported widely, its blend of physical controls and challenging levels left a niche mark. Players who stick with it often highlight the satisfaction of mastering its physics and the whimsical aesthetic.

Storyline

This game has a story that is only told in the Japanese version. Here is an excerpt, translated from Japanese: AiAi, MeeMee, and Baby are a good family and live peacefully in Jungle Island. One day, out of the distant islands, GonGon, leader of the Gorillas, brought in a raid to the island. They intend to hog all the bananas for themselves! AiAi escaped from the spot, and got tired and fell asleep. In his dreams, AiAi was told in his dreams there is a paradise called "Banana Island" in the sky from the "Grand Monkey". But in order to go there, you have to go through a couple of traps and gimmicks. But the Grand Monkey taught AiAi a magical spell: "Ei Ei Poo!" That protects him from any danger. AiAi wakes up quickly, and as he says "Ei Ei Poo!", A big ball flies out of the sky He gets insides of it and flies high above the sky. Now, survive several traps and tricks, and aim for it! Banana Island! When the player completes the Master Stages (in which the setting is above Banana Island), if they play as AiAi, MeeMee, or Baby, they will be able to go to Banana Island and enjoy all the bananas it has to offer. However, if you play as GonGon, he will be locked out of the place in which the bananas are kept while the other monkeys enjoy the bananas inside.