*********************************************************************** Super Monkey Ball FAQ - by Jason Wishnov *********************************************************************** Table of Contents I. Introduction II. How You Can Help III. The usage and users of my FAQ IV. Tutori...errr...Beginner. V. Extra Beginner VI. A Little Harder : Advanced VII. Extra Advanced VIII. Time To Get Serious - Expert IX. Extra Expert X. Master Mode XI. Insane Strategies XII. High Scores and Hall of Fame XIII. Special Thanks *********************************************************************** I. Introduction Welcome. No ordinary person can get through Super Monkey Ball and end with the same amount of sanity he or she started with. And, since GameFAQs has contributed so much to me, and I've never given anything in return, I decided to make my first FAQ, one of my new favorite party game, Super Monkey Ball. Enjoy! *********************************************************************** II. How You Can Help Any suggestions for my FAQ? Found a warp I haven't, or found a new shortcut? Unlocked Extra Master? (Yeah, right.) Send it! My E-mail is SoulstreakX@aol.com. Also, if you need any added help, or want me to clarify something, go ahead and E-mail me anyway. *********************************************************************** III. The usage and users of my FAQ. Wanna use my FAQ? No problem. Simply E-mail me asking permission, including a link to thr site you're going to post it on. Just be sure to credit me, and I'm sure they'll be no problem. Current users of my FAQ include GameFAQs, at http://www.gameFAQs.com, NCubextreme, at http://www.steviemarsh.co.uk/nce/, and NeoSeeker, at http://www.neoseeker.com. *********************************************************************** IV. Tutori...errr...Beginner. What? This is Super Monkey Ball? Grrr, this is too easy. Well, I'm gonna help out anyways. This is for beginners who want to get some tips and master the control scheme of Super Monkey Ball. (Right. There is no control scheme.) Here we go! Note : In this FAQ, I use the words floor, stage, and level interchangably. Don't be confused! They're all the same thing. Floor 1 Okay. You cannot possibly die in this level. Just go straight and break the ribbon. If you want to, experiment how fast the monkey can get in a limited space, or whatever. Next. Floor 2 ** Warp! ** Second floor. This stage has two diverging paths, and you CAN fall off, so don't go too quickly. Break the ribbon and proceed. OR... Warp! These usually involve doing something a little more difficult, but they can boost you ahead in the game AND give you a massive point bonus to boot. To get this warp, turn around right after the start. You'll see a little ramp. Go up with with just enough speed to get the top, roll off, and control your bounce. (i.e. Don't spasm.) Roll the few yards and warp to floor 5! Floor 3 Follow the slalom either way. See how the monkey ball reacted on slanted surfaces? Get used to it. Just break the ribbon and proceed. Floor 4 Whoa! Moving platformness! Notice how the monkey ball reacts when it's on a moving platform, you do NOT stay still. There's centrifugal force working on you as well. In any case, just take your time and go across the platform, or it's possible to just blow across the thing without stopping at all. Your pick. Floor 5 ** Bonus! ** You can't die in this stage. The goal here is to collect all the bananas in 60 seconds or less. Start with the outer square of bananas, then the inner square, then grab any you may have missed, the central banana, then the final banana over in the far corner. Note : Bonus levels are the transition between backgrounds. Floor 6 This is the first stage with slanted platforms. Note that is the platform is shallow enough, you CAN stop your forward progress by jamming back on the control stick. You can either follow the course, or be a rebel. It is possible to roll off the right side of the starting platform, then roll off THAT platform, and you'll be at the last one. Try it. It's not that hard. = D Floor 7 This stage is pretty easy, but don't get carried away. You've got plenty of time. It's easiest to line yourself up with the ramps (at a ninety degree angle) before going up them, so you won't curve left or right. Break the ribbon and move on the floor 8. Floor 8 Weird. Wait til one of the small platform reaches you, then roll onto it. Do NOT think you can stay on it just by leaving the controller alone, you need to constantly balance. When all the squares converge again, you can either go directly for the opposite square for thr goal (hard) or you can go halfway, wait, then go the rest of the way. Your choice. Floor 9 Guide your little monkey across the walkway, then line yourself up with the red arrow. Start rolling down the ramp, and as you do you, tilt the level forward EVER so slightly. You should bounce neatly onto the other platform. When you get on it, you might need to hold forward a little to prevent your monkey from falling off due to the bounce against the wall. Break the ribbon. Floor 10 ** Final Floor! ** Ooohhh, thin walkways! They're not as hard as they look. To get across the first one, all you need to do is hold forward from the start. Also, from start, you can move slightly left, then hold right to jump to the next platform, but it's pretty tough. Then double back around, line yourself up, then roll down the next walkway. Avoid the little hill thingy, and then line yourself up with the steps. Treat these the same as you would any normal, flat walkway. After this, pick one of the two shorter walkways and journey across them, then line yourself up with the uphill walkway. These are slightly harder, but still no big deal, as long as you're lined up. Now for the hard(er) part. Talk your time and GENTLY, without freaking out, guide your monkey across the curved walkway. There's not much I can tell you, except to practice if you're having trouble. (When I say practice, I mean go to the practice mode, not go through the entire beginner mode just to play floor 10.) Congratulations! You've beaten beginner! Or have you...? *********************************************************************** V. Extra Beginner Yes, the dreaded extra stages. These can be obtained by going through Beginner or Advanced without dying, or going through Expert without using a continue. While this isn't too tough on beginner, I'll have a little strategy for doing it on Advanced and Expert. To help unlock Master Mode (see section X), you need to beat these three stages without dying. Floor EX1 This stage consists of fast-moving platforms that extend an accordion-like structure behind. You can either take this stage slowly, moving from one to other when you think it's safe, or do it the mindlessly reckless way, like me. When the first platform reaches the middle, start rolling at top speed toward the other side, but with a little slant toward whichever way the other platforms are. This may seem very difficult, but after a little practice, it's almost a surefire-way to beat the floor. Good luck! Floor EX2 Yeah, but this stage looked easy at first. Well, the goal rotates, threatening you to time it right or beat flung off of the platform. You can really get the goal at any time, if you time it right, but the easiest way to do it is to wait 'til about 22.5 seconds are left on the clock, when the goal really slows down. If you miss this chance, it slows down again in about another 11 seconds. Floor EX3 ** Final Floor!** Cool effects! This stage looks hard, but it's really not. Roll onto the platform (It says AV, as in Amusement Vision, the company who developed this game) and move straight between the a and the v. The camera action gets a little wild, but don't worry about it. When you get through there, make a u-turn to the right, and continue toward the goal. *********************************************************************** VI. A Little Harder : Advanced Ready for some challenge? You've come to the right place. These stages can get hard, preshadowing some of the levels to come in Expert. These levels (and my FAQ) assume you have mastery of basic skills (how the ball reacts on curves, slanted surfaces, how it bounces, how to balance on thin walkways, etc.) so if had some trouble on beginner, I suggest going back and practicing. Floor 1 Nothing too much, just introduces you to the concept of bumps. These can get you into the air, if you hit them at high enough speeds. Now roll into the goal. That's it. Floor 2 This level is the first one where you can attempt some extra challenges to get some bananas. I do not think bananas are especially important, unless you're going for a high score, so I will not include strategies on getting them. The fact that you can get a 1-up for 100 bananas is almost trivial, since you end up getting infinite continues anyways. Now for the level. Start off by going straight over the bumps. Weave between the little...whatever they are...and traverse the bumpers. Now, you can either roll fast, directly at the goal (thereby jumping over the little hole) or slowly roll around it. Whatever. Floor 3 Whoa! Two moving platformness! Pick a side, any side, and roll onto the first platform. When they line up, roll onto the second. When you're lined up, roll onto the final platform and then into the goal. Simple. Floor 4 Same thing as Beginner Floor 4, but it's skinnier and has no edge. Same strategy applies, and it is also possible to roll across it at top speed, though this is much harder than last time. Floor 5 ** Bonus! ** Exact same bonus as Beginner Floor 5, except you now have thirty seconds to do it. Same strategy applies, just do it faster. Floor 6 ** Warp! ** To do this stage the normal way, you have to wait til the platform is near flat, and race across it into the goal before it becomes too steep. I suggest waiting 'til it's slightly downhill and on it's way up before going. OR... See the little stone ramp thingy behind you? Yeah, just like Beginner Floor 2. Roll up with only enough speed to not fall backwards, roll off, control your bounce, and roll into the warp goal. This takes you to floor 10. Floor 7 This is pretty easy, a wide walkway with sides that slant upwards. Just take your time and you should have no problem. There is a slight shortcut by rolling right as soon as you begin, but why take extra risks? Floor 8 A slanting downward level with walls in the way. The main issue in this level is time, so make sure you complete it within thirty seconds. If you feel the need, hold back on the control stick to slow your progress, but try to make up for it by going a little faster the rest of the way. Floor 9 Reminescent of Beginner Floor 8, but with a hole in the middle, forcing you to take the long way. Do NOT attempt to get from the first square to the last in one try. Other than that, same strategy applies. Floor 10 ** Bonus! ** Hey, check out this level. Nice effects. This level can be painfully frustrating, as the ripples constantly push you out of the way. Just try and get all the bananas in a circle the first time, and go back later to collect the ones you missed. Remember, if you travel in a straight line from the center out, the ripples will not affect you. Floor 11 ** Warp! ** Guitar! Pick a string, any string, but remember, they have different widths. If you don't care about bananas, like me, just go for the left-most string, the one with width 1.0. Remember, ten seconds in, little thingies go up to prevent you from getting on a string, so you must choose before then. OR... This warp is damn near impossible. You need to traverse a long wire with thickness 0.1, that's ZERO POINT ONE, to get to the warp. From what I understand, it only warps you to floor 14, so you shouldn't even bother. If you wanna try it, go ahead... Floor 12 A bowl shaped level. You need to roll into it, then gather speed rolling around the outside edge, and run into the goal. Practice makes perfect, so if you're having trouble, you know where to go. Floor 13 Little elevator thingies! When the red side bars get next to the metal platform, it will pop up. Roll onto the first one, and pop. Then the second, and pop. Here, you can either IMMEDIATELY roll fo the ramp and roll off with enough momentum to get acorss the gap, or use the last pop thingy to get across. If you stop, and THEN try to use the ramp, chances are you won't make it. All and all, pretty simple. Floor 14 A relaxing level, since it's difficult to fall off. Believe it or not, your tilting the level controls the little stop thingies. Just experiment moving the level until an opening appears. Floor 15 I hate this level. HATE it. It consists of six or so walkways, which are increasingly more curved downward. Start off by rolling immediately to your right, to bypass two of the walkways. Try and steady yourself, and roll acrossd the next. On the last two walkways, it gets really steep, so try not to get below the halfway point of the intersection. If you do, it is very difficult to get back up. On the last walkway, slowly move around the goalpost, then in it. You MUST practice this level, especially if you want to unlock the extra stages. Good luck! Floor 16 A series of treadmills. You can pretend they're not even there, since they don't affect your monkey too much. Slow and steady does it. Floor 17 This level is similar to Beginner Floor 10, but everything is skinnier. Same strategy applies, but you may need to practice this one for awhile. Floor 18 ** Warp! ** ** Second Warp! ** What? Three goals on the same level? Interestingly enough, this level is shaped like a treble clef. To get the normal goal, simply chase it at top speed and run into the ribbbon. OR... To get the warp to floor 20, simply skip the blue goal and chase after the green. This is a little tougher, so move as fast as possible. OR... This is the toughest goal to get. You cannot simply chase it and expect to catch it; it's impossible. Instead, right at the start, you need to roll off the right edge, and and land on the platform below. Now, all you need to do it wait for the red goal to get there. You need to line yourself up, and guess what? The ribbon will run into YOU! Oh, the irony! This is a warp to level 25, meaning not only will you bypass some difficult stages, you will get an ARSE-load of points doing it. Enjoy! Floor 19 The first part of this level is the same as Beginner Floor 9, so use the strategy there. Then, navigate a moving platform to get to the final section. This is the same as the first part, but there are bumpers in the center, meaning you have to go down at an angle. With a little practice, this should cause no problems. Floor 20 ** Bonus! ** Bananas with bumpers. Move in diagonal lines to collect all the bananas in thirty seconds. Not hard. Just don't hit any bumpers. Floor 21 Hey! Cool background! Love those water effects. This level sports moving bumpers on thin walkways, so this is pretty tough. Start by following a bumper to the left, and when you get to the middle, FOLLOW IT IMMEDIATELY. Don't wait, or it will be very difficult to avoid the bumper behind you. Go across the middle, turn left, and continue on to the goal. Floor 22 Real easy. This is like those little plastic things in the Chinese restaurants where you put the penny in and it goes around and around until it...anyways. Just roll on the outside rim and you should have no problem. Floor 23 Big level. To easily get past the first part, just hold up from the start. You'll just jump the gap while simultaneously moving slightly right. Now, cautiously roll down the miniramp, move across the walkway, and up the other little miniramp. Now it's just a nice, relaxing roll in the park (I crack myself up) to the goal. Floor 24 Straight, and tilting. If you roll across this level at top speed, you should have no problem. You can go slowly, but that's no fun. Floor 25 ** Warp! ** This level is pretty tough...but before attempting this strategy, you might want to look down at the warp strategy. Anyways, move past the bumpers and hill thingies until you reach the pistons. Remember, you can control these. After the get past these, move right on the extended platform, get a rolling start, and move up the hills. Then, on the last hill, get a little (A LITTLE) speed, jump the gap, and roll into the goal. OR... This warp can be reached in one of two ways. First, on the final platform with the goal on it, there is another walkway off to the right. While this leads to goal, it is very difficult. You will be extremely pressed for time, there are tight z-turns, and thin walkways. Instead, the easiest way to complete this level is to reach the goal right fom the start. When the level begins, roll slightly to the left or right to get around the bumpers, then hit the hole at full speed. With a little practice, you'll fly over the gate and right into the warp goal to floor 28. Floor 26 A lot of people hate this level, but it's really not too hard. Start by rolling across the walkway, get a rolling start, and roll onto the spiral. At this point, you will be going at full speed the rest of the level. Do not slow down at all, even when you think the spiral is over. Continue around the spiral, getting skinnier and tighter the whole way, until you reach a flat platform at the end. Or is it flat? No. It's tilted. Severely. If you continue straight at full speed, though, you should have enough momentum to go straight into the goal. Practice. Practice. Practice. Or, thanks to another tip by Jon Jimenez, you can start rolling across the walkway, and after about three seconds, roll off to the left. With any luck, you will land on the end of the spiral, and go right into the goal. Man, Jon is good. Floor 27 This level must be done at top speed, but the trick is going top speed while being able to get on one of the two final ramps. Just keep practicing until you get on one of those ramps AND have enough speed to jump the final gap. Floor 28 Easy! Just move slowly between the spike strips. Time it correctly, don't freak out, and you'll be fine. Just remember that you do NOT control these spikes, as you did with stuff in previous levels. Floor 29 I don't like this level. Start off by going left to the corner square, and balance yourself until it's straight enough to move again. Then, dash for the final square and the goal. It's not too hard...I just don't like it. (subliminal message) PRACTICE! (end subliminal message) Floor 30 ** Final Floor! ** This floor is downright frustrating if you don't know how to do it. Moving from platform to platform is a painful and handache-inducing process. The trick (see Special Thanks to see who the contributor was) is incredibly useful on this AND ANOTHER stage, and almost always works once you have it down. When the stage begins, turn about 15 degrees or so to the right. After two to three seconds, you'll see, magically, the first FIVE rings line up, like one of those celestail alignments I keep hearing about in science. Though there is one gap right before the goal, if you're going fast enough, you can jump it. May the force be with you! *********************************************************************** VII. Extra Advanced Now it gets difficult. You may have had a feeling of accomplishment after beating the final floor in Advanced mode. But can you beat all thirty levels without dying ONCE? Luckily, there are warps that help you move a little faster through these levels. Don't get discouraged if you get to the final floors and die, 'cuz it's gonna happen. Perseverance is the key word, and you're gonna need it if you want to access the extra advanced floors. First, go through levels 1 through 5 normally. The warp on level 6 is a little tough, and since levels 6-9 aren't exactly taxing on the skills, you might want to skip this warp. The level 11 warp is dang near impossible, so don't even try it. Go through 12-17 normally, then get the second warp on floor 18, bypassing to 25. On 25, get the warp to 28. Then go through the final three floors normally. You must beat these levels without dying if you want to unlock Master Mode. Good luck! Floor EX1 EXACT same level as Beginner Floor EX1, and I mean EXACT. I think the platforms don't even move faster. Same strategy applies. Floor EX2 Same level as Beginner Floor EX2, but the goal rotates faster. You need to wait until 22.5 seconds again, and race into the goal. Practice. Floor EX3 I do not like this level. You need to RACE around a whole bunch of squares. Time is the major factor in this level, so navigate those turns as quickly as possible. The biggest secret to success in this level is jumping the first square. From the start, race forward at top speed. You'll jump the little gap, and pull back the control stick a little to stay on. Then race. And practice. Floor EX4 EXACT same level as Beginner Floor EX4. Nothing has changed. Same strategy applies. Floor EX5 ** Final Floor! ** This is level is insane. INSANE. Not only is the first part the same as Advanced Floor 30, but then add in eight extra rings, all of which move very fast, and a ring revolving the third-dimension blocking you from the goal. This one's nuts, folks. First, to get past the first part, use the strategy outlined in Advanced Floor 30. Luckily, if you do this, you should land on an area that just happens to be full of ring segments. Immediately roll outward, and onto the wide walkway connecting two rings. (You'll know it when you see it.) Wait on this platform until you reach the pivot point of the revolving ring. (One of the two points where the ring seems to revolve around an axis.) From here, wait til the ring is slightly downward and moving up, roll on, and roll to the final ring as fast as possible. From here, it's just a thin walkway to the goal. If you complete this level, pat yourself on the back, because it is TOUGH. Thank goodness for practice mode, eh? *********************************************************************** VIII. Time To Get Serious - Expert The dreaded Expert mode. These levels are very difficult, and some of them will cost you many, MANY lives. It is highly recommended that you have infinite continues before attempting these levels, and even then, you might turn off your GameCube in frustration. But my job is to help you, and that I'll do. May God have mercy on your soul. Floor 1 Just a variation on the previous Floor 1's, just roll straight, jump the two gaps, right into the goal. Floor 2 ** Warp! ** Just an easy walkway to the left to the normal goal. Balance carefully. OR... The right path, which is at first extremely skinny, then extremely skinny AND uphill. It's all about lining up, here. Get to the corner, and look DIRECTLY at the goal. If all goes well, you'll go right up the walkway, in to the goal, and right to level 5. Floor 3 ** Warp! ** This level sports a revolving second half. Since the level's revolution slows as the normal goal is on top, it shouldn't be too hard to get in. OR... This warp is pointless. Not only is it extremely difficult, but it warps you to floor 5, which you can reach from Floor 2. If you want to try it for the challenge, go for it, it's tough. Otherwise, just skip it. Floor 4 Pretty tough. First, just roll your way to the bumps. Charge at full speed up and over them, then slow down, and get across the moving platforms. Then, navigate the next moving platform. Then, charge at full speed over two bumps. Then, turn, and charge once again at full speed toward the ramp. After the ramp, slow down. Carefully roll through the bumpers, and start on the narrow walkway. Ignore the annoying lens flare. When you see the walkway will start to go downhill, line up carefully, and roll full speed into the goal. This level is very difficult, so I suggest using the warp on floor 2. Floor 5 ** Bonus! ** EXACT same thing as Advanced Floor 5. Same strategy applies. Floor 6 Ouch. This stage features the moving platforms that move apart, but this time, the platforms THEMSELVES will split. Wait for the tiny platform to reach your corner, then get on it. Balance yourself 'til all the platforms are together, then try and move to one of the platforms that is NEXT to the final corner platform. One you're on this, move the the corner of that platform that is closest to the goal. When it split, the little platform will take you the edge of the walkway that leads to the goal? Confusing? You'll see. = D Floor 7 This level is hated by all. First, roll across the walkway. Here, you need to move to the left, line up, and charge at full speed up the v. When you start rolling down, hold back on the control stick to prevent yourself from flying off. This seems to be the most difficult part for those new to Expert, so go to practice mode and just do this one part over and over again. Now, go down the stepped walkway. At this point, you can do one of two things. You can either charge across the holes like a madman (lining up to the left or right of the center) and hope you stay on, or you can go very slowly across the corners of the squares to the other side. Either way, you'll have to face a narrow, long, and curved walkway to the goal. Manage your time; if you have a lot to spare, go slowly and carefully; if you don't, then go faster. Whew! Floor 8 The game does not give you enough time to go through this stage the normal way. Instead, you need to immediately turn right and fall to the platfrom below. Control your bounce, get a little running start, and roll off the next platform. From here, just roll down the final steep walkway into the goal. Floor 9 Yuck. Nothing much I can tell you here, just pick one of the outer strings and balance all the way to the end. I always pick 0.4 or 0.5. Floor 10 ** Bonus! ** Exact same as Advanced Floor 10. Same strategy applies. Floor 11 A variation of Advanced Floor 8, this floor is steeper, faster, and has bumpers. You might need to slow down at the fifth barrier, since the margin for error is very small. Good luck! Floor 12 Rotating gears. Nothing fancy here, just balance and have patience with the slow-moving gears. Floor 13 Similar to Advanced Floor 23. Use the same tip for the beginning, just hold straight. This time, you will need to move a little bit right during the final jump. Move across the walkway, and here's a tough part...you need to charge down the walkway at ALMOST full speed, and control the bounce when you reach the next walkway. From here, go to the final walkway, and move across the corner of the squares to the goal. (From here on in, I shall refer to that technique as "cornering") Floor 14 This level sucks. Move straight past the first three bumpers, then move in a circle with the rotating bumpers to advance. Time your roll so you can get past the two horizontally-moving bumpers. Then, on the walkway, you need to maneuver on the absolute outside edge of the walkway to avoid hitting the bumpers. After those three, it's jump a thin (albeit incredibly thin) walkway to the finish. Floor 15 All this level is is timing. Time it right and the goal is yours. Floor 16 This level is ALL slanted. Roll to the end of the flat walkway, and roll onto the main level. Holding back on the control stick the whole way, roll down and right, cornering the two squares. Still holding back, try and roll your monkey into the goal without breaking your control stick in the process. You can fly off and try and bounce your way into the goal, but it's hard... Floor 17 Yuck. It's nice to admire the immense scale of this level, but doing it is an absolute pain. After a pair of bumpers pass, roll onto the treadmill and move up one or two strips. Continue doing this until you reach the final strip. This one is a little tougher for two reasons; one, there is no barrier on the forward side of it, and two, there is a slight bump you need to get over on the side. But, persevere, and I'm sure you'll make it. Floor 18 This one's a little hard for me to describe, so I'm just gonna draw you a picture of the path you should take. Full speed all the way, you go : ******************* START *** *** *** FINISH ******************* Experiment a little, and you'll get it. Floor 19 A series of downward and upward walkways. The downward part is easy, just don't go too fast. The upward part is a little tougher. Make sure you have enough momentum to get up the ramp, and your monkey might get a little air sick. Floor 20 ** Bonus! ** Exact same as Advance Floor 20. Same strategy applies. Floor 21 Hey! New background! Check out those oases. Anyways, this level, IMO, is the hardest in the game so far. It looks impossible. What you need to do is IMMEDIATELY, from the start, charge forward and slightly left. You obviously have to stay on the walkway, but be on the left side so the block won't knock you off. After the right block hits, move slightly to the right, staying on the walkway, so the left block won't hit you. If you've been going full speed, then you should make it to the goal without having to shift for a third time. This level is very difficult and you WILL need to practice it. Floor 22 Floor 21's throne as being the hardest level has been usurped by Floor 22. This level is in the famous shape of the Sega logo. The hardest part of this level is getting from the ramp onto the first S- strip. (i.e. the one closest to the ramp) The best way to do this is take it at a severe angle, and try and slow yourself down before reaching the edge. Just experiment for awhile and you'll get on. Now, follow the S. At the last part, get the biggest rolling start possible and charge foward, all the way to the right part of the G. Now, roll around the G, and charge forward again onto the A. Go ALL the way around the A, and do the very short jump to the inside part of the A. From here, it's a straight walk into the goal. This stage is HARD, mad hard, and it IS possible. Practice. Oh, another Jon strategy, though this has about a one in thirty chance of working, is to plunge off of the ramp and full speed, and insanely bounce your way into the goal. We've both done it, and it's really hard. If you're feeling frustrated, give it a go. Floor 23 This level consists of shifting platforms, kinda like a snake. Slowly work your way across them. Even if you're going at a constant speed, you WILL need to change directions a few times. Not too tough. Floor 24 A single walkway to the end. Hurry up on the downhill part, because you're going to be hard-pressed for time. Just stay on and you'll make it to the goal. ANOTHER Jon tip! This one's really good. On the fourth or fifth section of the downhill part, you can roll off to the right and land on the beginning of the uphill part. This REALLY helps with the time issue, and allows you to take those annoy turns slowly. Use it! Floor 25 REALLY easy. You can almost complete this level just by holding up the whole time. (But you can't.) The trick is holding up until you're inn the air, in which you let go of up, then resume holding up as you hit the ground. If you get caught in one of the u's, it's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get out. But it shouldn't happen. Floor 26 This stage is all about controlling your bounces. Just roll from one platform to the next, and try and keep your bounces under control. Break the ribbon. Oh, and Jon just figured out a really good way to do this level...roll onto the second platform (directly ahead of your starting position) and turn around. Move to the left-most column of squares, and fall STRAIGHT down the gap, and don't touch ANYTHING. You should fall right on the platform with the goal, and since you fall straight down, the bounce won't take you anywhere. When you settle down, easily roll into the goal. Floor 27 THIS stage is all about cornering. You can pick one of two ways to go, I found the left side to be a little easier. Just zig-zag your way across the path until the make it to the end. Floor 28 Remember Advanced Floor 26? Well, this is the same thing, except way harder. Faster, skinnier, and a final platform that'll make you wanna rip your head off. Use the same strategy as before, just get better at it. Practice. Jon's tip given previously still works, though it's a lot harder this time, since there's no back wall to prevent you from flying off. Floor 29 Similar to Advance Floor 16, but these treadmills shift apart and seem to move faster. Keep your bearing and switch treadmills as fast as possible, and you'll make it. Floor 30 ** Bonus! ** Finally! A new bonus! This one is pretty easy, just go up and down the rows collecting bananas. Don't go too fast, or you're liable to go flying off the edge. Floor 31 Ah, my favorite background. Take a minute to admire the graphics and the sweet, SWEET music. = D Anyways, this one is pretty easy, you can roll immediately to one of the adjacent squares, then on that square, get a good rolling start and jump the gap to the final square. Easy, right? Floor 32 Nothing but a walkway level. It gets skinnier and skinnier, until it finally reaches the width of about 0.2 or 0.3. It's pretty fun, though. Floor 33 Remember Advanced Floor 22? Same thing, but with annoying pegs. Find a path through the pegs to the other side. Remember, if you hit a peg, you can still build momentum and save yourself by going in the opposite direction. You only have thirty seconds, though, so be warned. Floor 34 This stage is pretty easy, just roll across the three moving pipes. While the bananas are tempting, they make things a lot more difficult. Just stick with the goal. Floor 35 A rotating curved square thingy. Just take it REALLY slowly (seeing as how the thing rotates REALLY slowly) and you'll be fine. You can charge across and make it, but why bother? Floor 36 A pain. A more difficult version of Advance Floor 21, these bumpers move much faster, and there are shiny things to distract you. You'll have to take these turns much faster than you'd like to, but practice them. Over. And over. Floor 37 Remember the old game, Perfection? Where you have to put the pieces into the board before it popped up? Well, this level is just like that. You can take it slowly, waiting for it to pop up and jumped one or two barriers at a time, or, you can hold up, directly from start (moving slightly left for some reason unknown to me) and hit off one of the barriers, flying directly into or near the goal. It's kinda hard, but pays off once you get it. Floor 38 Real easy. Just cross platforms when the touch, and carefully roll into the goal on the last one. Floor 39 Moving quarterpipes dot this level. Hold up and you can reach the second platform in one shot, wait a bit, then transfer to the third, then wait, then transfer to the fourth. Once you're on the fourth, it's a short roll to the goal. Floor 40 ** Bonus! ** This bonus really sucks. I have yet to get twenty bananas on it. You roll as fast as you can, trying to catch them before they fry away. Boo. Floor 41 Just like Advance Floor 12, but with a wet floor (does not affect you in any way), bad rock music, and a big hole in the center. Launch off to the right and move counterclockwise around the circle, making sure to get enough height to reach the goal. You may get a second chance, but it's not likely. Floor 42 ** Warp! ** ** Second Warp! ** You've been hurting for some warps, and now you've got two! This level is all cornering. To get the normal blue goal, turn left and corner the squares until you get there. OR... To reach the green goal, you need to turn right instead of left, and follow a slightly longer path. This warps you to Floor 44. OR... To reach the red goal, you'll need to go either left or right, skip the goals on either side, and continue around to the back. This isn't too much harder if you're good at cornering, and there are bananas there too. However, this warps you to Floor 45, and IMO, Floor 44 is really, really easy. Decide if you want to risk it. I also severely recommend taking either warp, because Floor 43 sucks. Floor 43 I hate this level...you have to roll to the first rotating thingy, and get on either platform. Note that one of them matches up with the initial platform and doesn't with the middle platform, while the other DOESN'T match up with the initial platform and DOES with the middle. You'll see what I mean. I suggest taking the one that lines up with the initial. Anyways, roll off to the middle platform, and roll onto the next. These platforms do not go in a full circle, so you need to drop to the other one, when the one you're on is on top. This floor is VERY hard and requires much work, so I again suggest that you take a warp from Floor 42. Floor 44 This level is easy. You need to take it pretty fast, but if you're careful, there should be no reason why you'd fall off. Floor 45 This level is all about timing, but if you know the trick, it's not hard at all. The first part is easy, just go on when you think it's safe. When you get off, try and stay as far back as you can from the next set. When you feel the time is right (start a little after they go vertical), jam forward and IMMEDIATELY lean to the left or right. Hold up-left or up-right, and you should make it to the goal with no problem. Floor 46 ** Warp! ** This floor is a series of ever-steepening rings. Start by going right, and move in a swirvy line to the normal goal on the left marble corner before the final ring. OR... This goal, which warps you to floor 48, in on the final platform after the final ring. This ring is VERY steep and is hard to get up out of, but it's worth a shot, because Floor 47 is annoying. Floor 47 This level makes NO sense to me. If you hold up from start, you'll almost always get up the first two steps, but the third seems to depend on pure luck. Sometimes you'll make it over, sometimes you won't. If you don't, try moving back to the green edge of that step, and move diagonally up across the step as fast as you can, trying to get up. If anyone knows what's going on with this level, or a surefire way to do it, E-mail me. Floor 48 A nerve-wracking level, especially if you're going after the Extra Expert floors. You have the navigate a bunch of curved semicircles. Move with moderate speed, and get a feel for where the ball is going to move on those slanted parts. This level needs practice. Floor 49 A beautifully relaxing level, if you know how to do it. You COULD chase the thing and go flying off bumpers every which way, or the easy way; at the start, turn slightly right, wait three seconds, and go straight ahead into the goal. You'll see the opening if you look. Floor 50 ** Final Floor! ** Appropriate cube shape, but I expected something a little harder...when the green platform connects to the starting one, move forward, then right, then forward, then right, then forward into the goal. Move with a fairly fast and consistent speed, and with a little practice, you should have no problem. *********************************************************************** IX. Extra Expert For awhile, I thought the only way to unlock this mode was to beat all fifty expert stages without dying. However, thanks to SnapDragon, I have learned that you only need to beat those fifty stages without using a continue. This should change the whole way you play, since bananas DO matter, for getting 1-ups. Use the warp on stage 2, and one of the warps on stage 42. Go for the green if you're not close to getting a 1-up, good at floor 44, and suck at floor 42, or go for the red if you're close to a 1-up, suck at floor 44, and are good at floor 42. If you have some of these criteria, and not all, use your best judgment. (Do you feel lucky?) Use the warp on floor 46 if you feel like it, but it's tough, and 47 isn't THAT weird. You'd think there'd be more warps on Expert... Floor 1 This stage has worn out its welcome...same as Beginner Floor EX1 and Advanced Floor EX1. Same strategy applies. Floor 2 A series of squares, which alternatingly drop. Since you don't have enough time to make it square by square, you will need to corner a few of the squares. You also MUST do this near the end, when there are gaps in the squares. Be sure to hurry when you corner, and take it slowly otherwise. Floor 3 Well, at least you should be good at this level now...same as Beginner Floor EX2 and Advanced Floor EX2. Same strategy applies. Floor 4 Pretty easy. Roll straight off onto one of the platforms (should have a banana on it). Now, this may be the only stage that this is useful in, but press the A button to zoom out on the map. This should give you a clear idea where the goal is, since the camera angles are strange on this floor. Roll off onto the goal platform and break the ribbon. Floor 5 Really, REALLY annoying until I figured out the trick. Instead of trying to catch the ribbon while simultaneously falling to your death, simply follow the walkway around, reach the end, turn around, and charge forward directly into a ribbon. Floor 6 Heheh. Corkscrew! The trick to this level, is going at the fastest speed you can, while rotating your control stick IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ARROWS. The arrows on the inside are for your benefit, and if you follow them, you should easily have enough velocity to get over the last hump and out of the pipe. From there, just control your bounce and go into the goal. The holes in the pipe are not really a danger, they're just there to kill you if you get stuck, so DON'T GET STUCK IN THE PIPE. Maybe they're also there to give a plausible reason as to why there's light in there. = D Floor 7 This level is very annoying. I think the best way to do it is to get to one of the end platforms as fast as possible, because it is very difficult to balance and control your camera angles if you try and stay stationary. Also, the steeper the angles you need to turn are, the harder they are to make. Wait for the platform to extend and move on to the next floor. Floor 8 (yawn) We've all done this before. Same thing as Beginner Floor EX3 and Advanced Floor EX4, same strategy applies. Floor 9 The most difficult floor in Extra Expert. There isn't much in terms of strategy I can give you, expect to practice and try and get a feel for how fast you should go. Try and control your speed on the last half of the platforms, and especially on the final one. Leaning back by some degree is almost always necessary. Good luck... Floor 10 ** Final Floor! ** Easy. Really easy. Just follow the hammer around the platform until he hits the center six times, then roll into the goal. The supposed danger is that on the seventh time, the hammer knocks away the entire floor, but the game gives you plenty of time for an easy roll-in. Extra Expert isn't as hard as it was made out to be, and I'm looking forward to Master Mode. *********************************************************************** X. Master Mode Master Mode. This elusive, incredibly difficult mode can be unlocked by beating Expert and Extra Expert on one continue. It in currently unknown whether beating Extra Beginner and Extra Advanced without dying affects this. Master Mode CANNOT be accessed directly from the difficulty select screen, meaning every time you want to play it, you have to go through Expert and Extra Expert again. To prevent insanity, BEAT ALL THE MASTER FLOORS ON THE FIRST RUN THROUGH. Getting frustrated and turning it off will NOT help you. I persoanlly had to leave the game on for twenty-seven hours (sleep, school, computer club and basketball practice)to get through it. You can practice these stages by going one slot right of Extra Expert. One final note is that on the high score list, if you reach a Master stage, it'll flash and be all pretty. Good luck! Floor 1 Welcome to the first of the Master stages. While this may seem difficult, it pales in comparison to the later ones... = D This stage must be done as quickly as possible. I believe you can make it to the goal in time by moving two platforms at a time without fail, but that's REALLY hard...what I do is wait til the first platform makes one back- and forth, then charge forward at FULL speed. You should bounce fairly high into the air on about the seven or eighth platform. At this point, hold back on the control stick, and you should safely land. At this point, move two platform at a time, but if you think you won't make it, don't hesitate to only go one. I find that the best strategy for crossing the platforms is when the platform is moving backwards, stay as close to the front end as possible, and when it starts moving forward, turn around just long enough for the camera angle (annoying) to shift, then charge forward. You'll always bounce on the second platform, but you should have enough speed to make it. With a little practice, this level will become pretty easy. Floor 2 The easiest of all master floors. It consists on pretty multi- colored steps that move in and out like a cheap Japanese fan. Just go on the black-and-white platform, wait til the steps to unfold, move to the next black-and-white, and repeat until goal. This is the calm befoe the storm, folks. Floor 3 Part 1 Welcome to Master 3, EASILY the most difficult level in Super Monkey Ball, and possibly the most difficult video game challenge I have ever completed. To illustrate how truly insane this floor is, I decided to divide it up into three sections, because the level consists of three distinct and very difficult challenge. I believe each ONE of these could have made at least an Extra Expert floor, but the evil creators of this game decided to shove all three into one level. This level took me around 400 to 500 lives to beat. I hope I help you make it go faster. Anyways, the first part of Master Floor 3 is a large V, similar to the one in Expert Floor 7, except that it's narrow. VERY narrow. And long. And high. Immediately from start, move backward and left, and try and line yourself up with the V between the fourth and fifth squares from the end. Steady yourself, and charge full speed at the V. If you need to (you will need to), make VERY slight adjustments to your course to stay on. This V is about 0.2 or 0.3 units thick, so this isn't easy by any means. Coming down is a bit better, though, because gravity helps you keep a straight line. Hold back the hold way down, though, because the post at the end WILL knock you off if you have any speed at all. Now on to the second challenge. Floor 3 Part 2 This is the most difficult part of the floor. It makes you navigate fast moving squares, which you must CORNER. (i.e. going from one square's corner to another square's corner, like in Expert Floor 42)It's insane. Now personally, I went to the right, but the same strategy works with the left. Get on the first big square, and move immediately from that square to the small one directly adjacent, then IMMEDIATELY to the one right and behind it, the one that's two squares long. Wait there, shift the camera angle, and do this two more times to get to the final block that's two squares long. If you don't take these two at a time, not only will you have a time problem, but waiting on a single square is HARD. Now, on the final two square long platform, align yourself with the next two small platforms as quick as you can, and roll from the big platform across the first small platform to the next small platform. Now you must balance on this til the next cornering opportunity arrives. This will be a constant struggle to stay on, no matter what. As soon as it's possible, move from this square to the next. Balance. Then move to the next square. Then balance. Finally, move quickly to the next square and immediately to the final large square, similar to what you did for the first part of this challenge. Stay on the platform til it reaches the walkway, and shift on. Floor 3 Part 3 This consists of a tightening spiral down a beanstalk, like one of the ones in the background. This is by far the easiest challenge in the floor, but the problem is that you're going to get to it so sparcely that you won't be able to practice it much. Move onto it slowly, quickly gathering speed. You cannot sacrifice much speed and still stay on, so stay on the middle of the spiral as much as possible. If you're on the middle at the end of the spiral, you'll goal through the goal, and probably get down on one knee and thank God. If you break the ribbon on this level, I deem you a Monkey Master, and you deserve the highest video game praise anyone can give. = D It only gets easier from here. Floor 4 This floor is quite literally "rolling out the red carpet" for you. Pretty straightforward, just move down the carpet as fast as possible, and wait on the first platform. Wait 'til it unfurls again, and move to the second. Repeat twice more, and you've got the goal (which, FYI, is ON the end of the carpet.) Floor 5 This level is very, VERY hard. It's very difficult to stay on for more than ten seconds, and though it's possible to do it randomly, it's much easier to use a precise method. In the beginner, move slowly toward the left. As the square splits open again, run forward as fast as possible, veering toward the left as you go. With a little practice, all the square should bypass you. Now, on the left edge, move to two sqaures from the corner. If this is done correctly, none of the squares should hit you. Now turn right, and follow the strategy from the beginning again. If this is done, you should go right into the goal. (See Special Thanks) Floor 6 Perhaps mine and many other's favorite level in all of Super Monkey Ball. This level is a big Dodecahedron (see Phantom Tollbooth) with holes in it, and for some reason, with walls that are transparent from the outside and opaque from the inside. (Really. Look at the beginning of the level, and the walls are transparent.) Anyways, all you need to do it follow the red-shaded part of the floor, because that's the way the thing is going to rotate. Do this twelve times, and roll into the goal. Floor 7 This level is pretty tough. Move the far edge, and watch one of the four buttons that lie in the background. When one is pressed, move slowly onto the 45-degree angle floor, then once again onto the side (now the floor) of the thingy. Now, move to the left side, and wait for the button again. This part is harder, since it's a straight 90-degree rotation, but the floor gives you some room to stop yourself. If you can do this, move to the inside corner, and as soon as it starts to rotate, just move slightly left and you'll hit the barrier. Now wait for the level to straighten itself, and roll into the goal. Major practice is needed here. Floor 8 This level is pretty fun. Though it looks easier, I do not recommend taking one of the side paths, since you start with no guiding circles, and the pegs seem to always knock me off. Fall onto the platform, timing and manuevering though the circles for the first half of the level. When the circle go away, just sit from a safe point and look for an opening. When you see it, charge forward to the goal. Floor 9 Second-hardest level in master, IMO. It is a simple (yet not simple) walkway level that starts at about 1.0, and ends at the dreaded 0.1. If you're wondering how thin this is, try the right-most guitar string in Advanced Floor 11. FYI, this level contains the one and only banana in Master Mode. = D Try and move as fast as you can through the first part of this level, so you can move slowly through the second. Notice the walkways don't quite line up right? They do, but for the first time, you should notice a glass covering over the floor. This makes it more difficult to judge angles, so get used to it. Move incredibly slowly on the last part, and on the short 0.1, try and go a little bit of the way, then jam forward to get to the goal platform. Congrats if ya beat it. Floor 10 ** Final Floor! ** An appropriate final floor...in the shape of my favorite monkey, Aiai. The foot doesn't move at all, and the head moves wildly. Get onto his stomach (you can basically just hold up from start, except maybe with Gongon) and move slowly onto his head. The trick to getting the goal is to wait until the head is at one end or the other of it's movement, since it stops for a tiny bit. Get as close to the hair (yeah, where the goal is) as possible during the movement, and when it slows down, rocket forward into the goal. Takes some practice, but this is the final floor of the game...savor it. Floor Secret 1 Bet ya didn't know about this one, eh? Well, neither do I. It doesn't exist. (snicker) If you're reading this sentence without reading ahead of where you are in the game, I salute you. You've completed one of the most difficult challenges in recent video game history, and you deserve credit. Be sure to send in a photo so I can add ya to the Hall of Fame! As for Extra Master...if it exists, I severely doubt I'll ever unlock it. Ah well. It'll fun to hear about it, if someone really does unlock it. *********************************************************************** XI. Insane Strategies Yeah, these are just fun. Most should never seriously be tried, but most are very fun to try. The usefulness is rated from one to five stars, five being the most useful. Enjoy. Advanced Floor 26 *** Start rolling forward. After about three seconds, roll left, bounce once, and go straight into the goal. Advanced Floor 26 Alternate * Go to the very end of the straight walkway. On the space the level gives you to pick up speed for the spiral, go to very end, and launch yourself off as fast as possible. You can hit the edge of the bottom platform, and roll into the goal. Advanced Floor 29 ** Just roll through the level without stopping, plowing right into the goal. You can complete the level with, like, 27.5 seconds left. Expert Floor 8 * Roll forward and right, hitting off the second walkway, then going ALLLLLL the way down into the goal. Expert Floor 16 ** Roll slightly down the walkway then off, hitting the middle square in the first row. Bounce across the middle gap and slow yourself down, and go into the goal. Expert Floor 17 * Find a way to position your monkey ball RIGHT between an upcoming bumper and a wall, flying straight up into the air, and landing in the goal. I have only done this once. Expert Floor 19 ** Go straight and slightly right or left at reckless speed, and it's possible to bounce up and in. Expert Floor 22 * Full speed into the goal. You'll need to hit the inside edge of the second S strip. Expert Floor 27 * Near impossible, but if you line up slightly left or right of center on the easier path (the one without bananas) you can recklessly bounce your way across right into the shiny ribbon of goodness. Expert Floor 28 *** Though you can fall, hit the spiral and bounce in (Like Advanced Floor 26) again, it's MUCH more difficult. Instead, roll for about FOUR seconds, and fall off DIRECTLY into the goal, no bouncing. Pretty nuts, but not too hard once you get the hang of it. Expert Floor 35 ** Go straight and slightly left, right across the spinny thing. Once you get it down, not too tough. Expert Floor 37 *** This is listed in the normal FAQ, but just in case you didn't see it...holding straight up from start (you inexplicably go slightly left) you can pop up, bounce off the barrier (you'll know which one when you hit it) and go right into the goal. This tip gets a five star IF you're just trying to get to the corner before the end (see normal FAQ) but it's harder to get into the goal on the first try. Expert Floor 42 * Believe it or not, you can just insanely bounce your way into the blue OR green goal. Green is insanely tough, and was only done once by my friend Jon...we saved the replay. = D Expert Floor 50 * Not too useful, but looks incredibly cool. Instead of waiting for the green platform to come up, roll off just a tad early, using the platform's upward motion to knock you up into the air. If you timed it and aimed it correctly, you can fall right into the goal (which is now sideways). Extra Expert 4 ***** I JUST found this, like, two seconds ago. Move onto the first platform (with the banana) and roll off to the left. Bounce once, bounce twice, then shift right in the air onto the goal platform. VERY reliable. Master Floor 1 * If you time it JUST right, you can hold up ALL the way to the goal. See the normal FAQ on how to get on. Looks REALLY cool when you make it. Master Floor 2 ** When the first black-and-white platform is accessible, roll slightly right, off, and curve sharply left and back while in the air. You should land on the final back-and-white for an easy roll-in. Master Floor 2 Alternate **** Roll quickly down the to the third black-and-white (down two sets of colored steps). Go to the outside edge, get some speed, and launch yourself directly toward the middle of the level. You should bounce off the globe thing and right to the final platform. Very reliable. Master Floor 3 **** In this trick was on ANY other level, I'd give it a one star rating. However, this floor is the most difficult in the game, and this trick allows you to bypass parts 2 and 3. First, cross the V. (Sorry, you have to do it.) Move to the corner, and when the first platform is not lined up, launch yourself straight off at full speed. You need to hit the BACK inside of the spiral, ricocheting right off and into the goal. It's tough, but I can't really say it's any tougher than the rest of the level. Master Floor 5 * It's called luck. Blind luck. Run across the level like an idiot and go into the goal. Master Floor 8 *** This also depends on luck, but my brother does it all the time, and has about a 30% success rate. Just roll across the floor like a blithering moron. It works quite nicely sometimes. = D *********************************************************************** XII. High Scores and Hall of Fame Welcome. Here I will post my high scores, and those of you all. If you have a high score that beats mine or is just insanely high, send me a digital photo, and I'll post your score here. Here are my highs : Beginner Floor EX3 Score 0168540 Advanced Floor EX5 Score 0669320 Expert Floor Master 1 Score 0344217 And for the Hall of Fame. If you send me a photo of Master Floor 10, I'll will post your name here to be immortalized forever. It's quite an accomplishment to access those levels, and those of you who have deserve something for it. SnapDragon has more than likely gotten there, but until he shows me some photographic proof, I can't put him down. Hall of Famers : Me! *********************************************************************** XIII. Special Thanks A Special Thanks goes out to Jon Jimenez, who told me the ever-so-helpful tip for stages Advanced Floor 26, Advanced Floor 30, Advance Floor EX5, Expert Floor 24, and Expert Floor 26. He also developed most of the insane strategies. I would like to thank JOakley,who provided me with the straegy for Master Floor 5. Also, I would like to thank TChurch from GameFAQs, who told me where the warps on stages Advanced Floor 11 and Expert Floor 3 led to. Furthermore, I'd like to thank SnapDragon, for confirming the existence of the Master Mode, and confirming how to unlock Extra Expert and Master. Finally, I would like to thank Nintendo, Sega, and Amusement Vision for allowing me to play such an incredible game. Peace!