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Category: Arcade action
Seller: The Code Monkeys
Requirements: iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch
File Size: 8.0MB
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Price: $0.99
Age Rating: 4+

Here’s a game where you throw bananas at monkeys. The monkeys are on pedestals high above the jungle floor, or a body of water, or lava. I guess it’s not terribly important. What’s important is that there are monkeys throwing bananas at each other.

Is that enough to make a game entertaining? I suppose that depends upon how you feel about dodgeball. That’s pretty much what Manic Monkey Mayhem is, after all, although you’re on platforms like Discs of Tron. And you’re a monkey. Throwing bananas. But I think I’ve covered that.

The action is quite simple to grasp, but it takes the ability to multitask to really get good. You throw your bananas by swiping forward. You select your monkey target by swiping left and right. You dodge enemy bananas by tilting the phone.

The game becomes more complicated when you factor in distance. You can’t just swipe up and expect to hit the targeted monkey; you have to gauge his distance and swipe when the strength meter is at the right spot. It’s fairly forgiving, so you should quickly be able to learn when to make your attack. But looking at the gauge means you’re not looking at your opponents and any projectiles coming your way.

This is all fairly easy to do when you’ve just got one thing going on. Combine them, and it’s…well, manic. Some would even say it’s mayhem. And of course, things get harder. Power-ups appear in boxes you can smash open, but whether they help or just confuse the issue will depend upon how good you are at controlling the game.

But that won’t factor into my review. I never felt comfortable with the control scheme, but that’s not the scheme’s fault. For the most part, everything works as it should. The side swipes for aiming sometimes wouldn’t register, but throwing/catching wasn’t a problem, and the accelerometer was quite responsive (just make sure you calibrate before each game).

What will factor into the review is that there really just isn’t a whole lot to do here. There are multiple game modes to play, but they’re just variations on the theme (team battles, pass the bomb, etc.). The levels change up a bit as you progress, but not in a way that’ll keep you hooked.

The graphics are jagged, but colorful and attractive. The music is appropriate. The game is stable. Manic Monkey Mayhem is certainly worth 99 cents. But it’s not a game that’ll keep you up past your bedtime. Rather, it’s fun in short bursts. Play a couple rounds while waiting for something else to happen, then pick it up again later.

Of course, that’s the way it is with most iPhone games. Manic Monkey Mayhem is also available on WiiWare, and I’d like to try it out there at some point so I can see if the better Wii controls enhance the feel of the game. Until then, the iPhone version will have to suffice for my monkey banana slinging action.

Until I find an adult dodgeball league, anyway.