Ever since its announcement during Nintendo's E3 2021 press conference, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania has been frequently announcing guest characters. In a bizarre but hilarious move, the game is adding three old SEGA consoles as playable DLC characters when it launches.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is no stranger to adding odd characters to its roster, however, including SEGA consoles feels like a new step into absurdity that fits the Monkey Ball tone quite well. The Game Gear, the Sega Saturn, and the Dreamcast will all be fit into the capsule balls that the franchise is known for as players try their best to maneuver them into the end goal.
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Although some DLC characters like Persona 5's Morgana and Monster Rancher's Suezo won't be available until after the game's launch, the SEGA Legends Pack will be available as paid DLC for the game immediately when it releases on October 5. The DLC will cost $4.99, but will be free to anyone who's already purchased the Digital Delux version of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania.
The SEGA Legend Pack isn't the only piece of DLC that comes with the Delux version of the game, as it also includes the Classic Character Pack that features the original looks for the main six Monkey Ball characters. So far, the guest characters for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania have been split into two categories: paid DLC and free content that comes with the game. The paid DLC characters include Morgana, Suezo, Hello Kitty, and the two additional character packs mentioned above. The free guest characters include Kiryu from the Yakuza series, Beat from Jet Set Radio, and Sonic and Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog.
It seems like there are even more guest characters on the horizon for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania and now that it's included SEGA consoles, the possibilities for what else could come to the game are endless. The game is starting to shape up to be a major crossover title that's not afraid to get a little goofy with its IPs in a similar way to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania was recently revealed to be dropping the limited lives system that the series has used throughout its history in favor of making a more approachable and friendly game. While some fans were disappointed by this news, the series seems to be heading in that direction with its many family-friendly crossover characters.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania releases October 5, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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Source: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio