If the past few weeks ofSuper Monkey Ball: Banana Maniaannouncements have proven anything, it’s that any character can be put into a monkey ball. With no end in sight, the latest character coming toBanana Maniais Hello Kitty, proving that theSuper Monkey Ballcast is growing larger and larger.
At E3 2021 a few months ago, Sega announcedSuper Monkey Ball: Banana Maniain celebration of the series' 20th anniversary. This game is a remastered compilation including three of the franchise’s earliest games:Super Monkey Ball,Super Monkey Ball 2, andSuper Monkey Ball Deluxe. To many fans' surprise, the features did not stop there, as a plethora of guest characters are coming to the game. Just last week it was revealed at Gamescom 2021 thatMorgana fromPersona 5was headed toBanana Mania.
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Earlier today, Sega released a new trailer forSuper Monkey Ball: Banana Maniarevealing that the iconic Hello Kitty is “joining the gang.” Besides the originalSuper Monkey Ballcast, Hello Kitty is joining the likes of Sonic and Tails fromSonic the HedgehogandBeat fromJet Set RadioinBanana Mania, who are available as unlockable characters from the game’s start. Unlike them, though, Hello Kitty is not a part of the base game, but is a DLC character like Morgana, being available for purchase on October 5 for $4.99.
The quick 30-second trailer provides a clear glimpse at what players can expect from rolling around as Hello Kitty. Dressed in her simple blue overalls, yellow long-sleeve shirt, and red bow, the developers gave Hello Kitty a classic look that fits right in alongside the rest of the cast. Like theclassic renditions of Sonic and Tails inBanana Mania, Hello Kitty emotes while she rolls, scrunching her eyes once things get too fast, and dancing after crossing through the goal post. It is a character likely many did not expect to see in the game, but still a welcome one at that.
With Hello Kitty’s introduction into the game, following the litany of other guest character announcements, Sega is in a pretty interesting position withSuper Monkey Ball. While the games themselves are somewhat niche, the inclusion of characters outside of the series is naturally going to attract people to try the game. Sega is operating within the wheelhouse of its own properties right now—Sonic the Hedgehog,Yakuza,Persona—but imagine if the company starts crossing over with other companies' series and including outside characters. Before long,Banana Maniamay just become theSmash Ultimateof ball rolling games.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Manialaunches for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 5.
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