Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
If you thought that the story mode stages seemed on the easy side for a Super Monkey Ball game, that’s because that’s only the front half. We’ll begin our coverage of Adventure Mode’s back half, the EX stages, beginning with Banana Farm EX. While not quite as grueling as Astrum, it is still a great deal tougher than the regular Banana Farm EX stages, more in line with the classic Super Monkey Ball games. And for the record, all ten worlds will have an EX variant, ending with Astrum EX.
The time of day shifts in all EX stages to reflect what they look like in their conclusion cutscenes. For instance, for Banana Farm EX, as the cutscene where they get the OOPart and we got our first glipse of Easel was set in the sunset, so is Banana Farm EX. Naturally, it still has the festive atmosphere, with streamers and pennants around.
Here is an unexpected character: Dr. Bad-Boon, the antagonist of Super Monkey Ball 2. He’s been redesigned like AiAi and the others, like with a red eyepiece over his right eye, but still recognizably Bad-Boon. He has nothing to do with the story whatsoever and is just here as a bonus for playing at least one online match (and I was surprised there are still people playing online). I will not cover the online modes though, as I plan to cover Rhythm Heaven Groove. Dr. Bad-Boon’s stats are similar to Doctor’s, with a less controlled spin (boost power) in exchange for greater weight (meaning he doesn’t get knocked around so easily).
00:00 - 1 EX-01 Small Island
00:26 - 1 EX-02 Slope Control
01:06 - 1 EX-03 Holes
01:37 - 1 EX-04 Traffic Jam
02:10 - 1 EX-05 Boomerangs
02:58 - 1 EX-06 Mountain Range
03:33 - 1 EX-07 Spinning Discs
04:12 - 1 EX-08 Spiky Road
05:06 - 1 EX-09 Cracked Floor
06:21 - 1 EX-10 One Lap
I made the mistake of attempting to get in the goal of 1 EX-04, Traffic Jam, from the front, when I should’ve gone in through the side. But you can see Dr. Bad-Boon’s weight coming in handy here, as he does not get launched off so easily from the boost pads.
1 EX-06, Mountain Range, is the next in the series of “undulating hills and valleys,” and this one is characterized by being exceptionally steep, with holes placed throughout. It does have a lot of relatively flat space between the peaks though.
I made it through in one try the first time I did 1 EX-09, Cracked Floor. I guess I aimed the jump over the gap wrong.
To get the Golden Banana in 1 EX-10, One Lap, you need to complete two laps.
If you thought that the story mode stages seemed on the easy side for a Super Monkey Ball game, that’s because that’s only the front half. We’ll begin our coverage of Adventure Mode’s back half, the EX stages, beginning with Banana Farm EX. While not quite as grueling as Astrum, it is still a great deal tougher than the regular Banana Farm EX stages, more in line with the classic Super Monkey Ball games. And for the record, all ten worlds will have an EX variant, ending with Astrum EX.
The time of day shifts in all EX stages to reflect what they look like in their conclusion cutscenes. For instance, for Banana Farm EX, as the cutscene where they get the OOPart and we got our first glipse of Easel was set in the sunset, so is Banana Farm EX. Naturally, it still has the festive atmosphere, with streamers and pennants around.
Here is an unexpected character: Dr. Bad-Boon, the antagonist of Super Monkey Ball 2. He’s been redesigned like AiAi and the others, like with a red eyepiece over his right eye, but still recognizably Bad-Boon. He has nothing to do with the story whatsoever and is just here as a bonus for playing at least one online match (and I was surprised there are still people playing online). I will not cover the online modes though, as I plan to cover Rhythm Heaven Groove. Dr. Bad-Boon’s stats are similar to Doctor’s, with a less controlled spin (boost power) in exchange for greater weight (meaning he doesn’t get knocked around so easily).
00:00 - 1 EX-01 Small Island
00:26 - 1 EX-02 Slope Control
01:06 - 1 EX-03 Holes
01:37 - 1 EX-04 Traffic Jam
02:10 - 1 EX-05 Boomerangs
02:58 - 1 EX-06 Mountain Range
03:33 - 1 EX-07 Spinning Discs
04:12 - 1 EX-08 Spiky Road
05:06 - 1 EX-09 Cracked Floor
06:21 - 1 EX-10 One Lap
I made the mistake of attempting to get in the goal of 1 EX-04, Traffic Jam, from the front, when I should’ve gone in through the side. But you can see Dr. Bad-Boon’s weight coming in handy here, as he does not get launched off so easily from the boost pads.
1 EX-06, Mountain Range, is the next in the series of “undulating hills and valleys,” and this one is characterized by being exceptionally steep, with holes placed throughout. It does have a lot of relatively flat space between the peaks though.
I made it through in one try the first time I did 1 EX-09, Cracked Floor. I guess I aimed the jump over the gap wrong.
To get the Golden Banana in 1 EX-10, One Lap, you need to complete two laps.
