Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll

Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll brings the series' concept to the Nintendo DS, and it's clear at first glance that this is a fundamentally reworked version, not just a shrunk-down port of the existing game to a smaller screen. The monkey in a ball again tries to fly through a maze full of holes, ramps and moving platforms and collect as many bananas as possible, but the way the player steers the course is different here than on any other platform in the series.

Instead of tilting an analog stick or moving the controller, the game is played exclusively with the stylus on the touch screen – the player literally "tilts" the playing field by dragging a finger across the bottom screen, while the top screen serves as an overview of the level. This control scheme demands entirely different motor skills than classic Monkey Ball games: smaller, gentler wrist movements instead of big gestures, and at the same time lower positioning precision on the small screen, which the developers had to compensate for with their own course design – wider paths, a slower pace in the early worlds, and a clearer layout of obstacles. Also added are minigames tailored to touch controls, such as drawing paths with a finger or gently balancing objects on a point. The dual-screen layout also lets the top screen show things that would otherwise take up space on the main play area elsewhere, like the level map or the number of remaining lives, so the game feels clearer than the console's size would suggest. The result is a version that plays noticeably differently from both the home and handheld entries controlled by tilting, and that's exactly what makes it a fully standalone experience within the series.

Why play it: Touch & Roll is a good choice for players who like the Monkey Ball concept but want to try a version built from the ground up for touch controls, and for DS owners looking for an easygoing, portable game for short play sessions.