FAQ/Walkthrough - Guide for Super Monkey Ball

----------------------------------------
SUPER MONKEY BALL

FAQ/Walkthrough by Tom Church
Last Modified: Tuesday, December 11, 4:57 PM
Version: 1.01
E-mail: [email protected]
----------------------------------------

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Version History
3. Tips & Tricks
4. Modes/Menus
5. Walkthrough/Main Mode
 5.1 Beginner Mode
 5.2 Advanced Mode+
 5.3 Expert Mode+
 5.4 MASTER MODE+
6. Multiplayer
 6.1 Party Games
  6.1.1 Monkey Race*
  6.1.2 Monkey Fight*
  6.1.3 Monkey Target
 6.2 Mini Games
  6.2.1 Monkey Billiards*
  6.2.2 Monkey Bowling*
  6.2.3 Monkey Golf*
7. Secrets+
8. FAQs+
9. Disclaimer+
10. Closing+

NOTE: 
Any modes with a + are incomplete. 
Any modes with a * are forthcoming.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
1. Introduction 
----------------------------------------------------------------- 

Welcome. This is my first FAQ, so bear with me. If at any time, you feel that 
my FAQ sucks and should be taken off the site, you should email me with hate 
mail, flames, criticisms, and porn. Wait, scratch the hate mail and flames... 
^_^ Seriously, any opinions on the FAQ are welcome, so please feel free to 
email me at [email protected].

Why did I write this FAQ? It's a very good question. The short 
answer: it needed one. The only other FAQ up is from the Japanese
version, and it hasn't been updated in over two months. I love this
game, and so I thought I would do a FAQ for it. As you can see, I did...and 
I hope you enjoy it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
2. Version History 
----------------------------------------------------------------- 
1.01 - Tuesday, December 11, 4:57 PM
I know, I'm a slacker, but I haven't had access to my beautiful little 
Monkey Ball for a while...and that devilish SSBM is trying to steal my free 
time. I will get around to updating this soon, I swear. As of now, all I've done is 
added CheatCodes.com to the permission list...

1.0 – Thursday, November 29, 10:40 PM
Expert Mode walkthrough is totally complete. As of now, the only stages left 
are the Expert extras, and Master Mode. Nothing else is up, but now that the 
walkthrough is finished, this is good enough for version 1.0...

0.55 – Tuesday, November 27, 2:54 PM
Nothing too big, just a couple assorted things that couldn’t wait until the 
next update... ^_^

0.5 - Saturday, November 24, 5:45 AM
Mostly submissions, added more sites allowed to host my FAQ, added Snap's 
play points formula...oh, and added MASTER MODE!! We love you, SnapDragon... 
Whoops, and I moved the secrets section above the play points formula now 
that it's so big...

0.4 - Wednesday, November 21 11:04 PM
Advanced Mode Walkthrough completed, Expert Mode done up to EX 8, added FAQs 
section, updated with info on AD 11 from SnapDragon and ArchO, added speed 
vs. bananas and warp scoring info to T&T.

0.1 - Tuesday, November 20 6:34 AM
Everything! Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 all started...

Future Updates: Multiplayer started a long, long time from now. Expert 
Extras and Master stages when I get really good at this game. A better 
disclaimer when pigs fly. Any info or contributions I get.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
3. Tips & Tricks
----------------------------------------------------------------- 

This is mostly just for miscellaneous things that don't really seem to fit 
anywhere else....


=============================================
Can I play the Extra stages in Practice Mode?
=============================================

I’ve been seeing too many questions about this, so I’ve finally added it. 
Yes, you can play Extra stages in Practice Mode. When you are selecting from 
Beginner, Advanced, or Expert, just go to the right past Expert. You can 
access BX, AX, EX, and Master (if you’ve got it) This is a great tool for 
FAQ writers, because it means that I don’t have to go and beat them all every 
time I need to look something up...
 
=============================
Which Monkey should you use??
=============================

It's really up to you - just find which one works best for you. One caveat, 
though - once you pick a monkey, I would stay with them, at least for 
single-player. If you switch, some of your strategies may not work, and you 
will have to develop new ones. I have decided to change monkeys, and so far 
I am doing a lot better. I have decided to use Baby, and so far I’ve been 
doing a lot better. He has less inertia, so he’s easier to stop, and he’s 
also much easier to navigate on small platforms, due to his diminutive stature. 
I had been using Gongon, but I’ve been having much more success with Expert 
Mode now, and it was much easier for me to get the AX stages again as well. 
Go Baby! YAY! >_>   <_<    *runs*

==================================
What is better? Speed, or bananas?
==================================

In my opinion, getting bananas is much less important, unless it won't affect 
your time. Before very long, you should have Infinite Continues, so that lives 
will matter even less. Besides, much of your struggle will be to beat the 
modes without losing a life, so how many you have won't matter. Contributing 
to this also is the fact that you can easily have an extra life by Floor 10 
on AD or EX. Even though when you think about it, points don't really matter 
either, I would much rather finish with a higher score than with one extra 
life. I say speed is more important, but do what you want. It's your monkey... 
^_^


One caveat to the above – if you’re going for either the Expert Extra stages, 
or Master Mode (brave soul) bananas DO help you. Since you get one entire 
continue, lives will help you out a lot. This is really the only time when 
you need to worry about them, though...

========================
How do warps benefit me?
========================

Well, apart from allowing you to skip levels, which in some cases may be very 
aggravating, they give a HUGE boost to your score. Scores for warps are 
figured out like this:

(BONUS + Score) * TimeBonus * WarpBonus = FinalScore

TimeBonus is either 1x or 2x. It will be 2x if you complete the level in under 
half the allotted time. (This is the same as other levels.)

WarpBonus is equal to the number of levels skipped. For example, when going 
from Floor 18 to Floor 25, the WarpBonus is 7x.

BONUS is a constant bonus that is added to your score before any multipliers. 
This is the only data I have for them:

BE 2  - 10000
AD 6  - 10000
AD 11 - ???? (I believe it is 10000)
AD 18 - 20000 (red) 10000 (green)
AD 25 - 10000
EX 2  - 20000
EX 3  - 10000

So if you were to get into the RED warp on AD 18 at 0:48:45:

Score = (20000 + 4845) * 2 * 7 = 24845 * 14 = 347830

As you can see, by combining the 350 grand you just earned with the 6 levels 
you skipped, using the warps is the key to doing well in Super Monkey Ball, 
at least in single player. In multiplayer, your best bet is the ability to 
unplug other people's controllers... ^_^

-----------------------------------------------------------------
4. Modes/Menus
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Because I want this FAQ to be as complete as it possibly can, and to avoid 
doing my homework, I have typed up all of the menus of Super Monkey Ball. 
I suppose it could be helpful if you can't find an option...

Game Start
  -> Main Game
      -> Normal Mode
         Practice Mode
         Competition Mode
  -> Party Games
     -> Monkey Race
         -> One Course Race
            Grand Prix
            Time Attack
     -> Monkey Fight
        Monkey Target
  -> Mini Games
     -> Monkey Billiards
         -> VS Mode
            Tournament Mode
     -> Monkey Bowling
         -> Standard Mode
            Challenge Mode
     -> Monkey Golf
         -> Stroke Play
            Match Play
Options
  -> Replay
  -> Play Points
  -> Ranking
      -> Main Game
         Party Games
         Mini Games
  -> Sound
  -> Split Screen
  -> Controllers
      -> Control Stick Adjustment
         Rumble Feature
  ->Game Data
      -> Load
         Save
         Autosave    ON/OFF
         Original Settings

-----------------------------------------------------------------
5. Walkthrough/Main Mode
----------------------------------------------------------------- 

This is IMHO the meat and potatoes of the game, but that may just be because 
I only have two controllers. Nevertheless, this is a great mode, and one that 
I expect I will be spending a LOT of time with.

*******************************
5.1 Beginner Mode
******************************* 

Beginner Mode is easy. That's why it's for beginners. ^_^ The first few times 
through this mode, don't feel bad if you have trouble - it's natural. This 
mode is mostly designed to teach you the basics of the game, and to get you 
used to the controls. I would recommend playing through this until you get 
to the Extra stages before going on to Advanced - you can do it earlier, but 
it will just be easier in the long run if you work on your skills first.

For all of these stages, you will have choices. You can take risks, but get 
through the level faster, or you can take it slow but safe. It's really up 
to you. For each stage, I will list the "correct" way to beat it, which is 
usually the long way, and then any shortcuts you can take. For any shortcuts, 
I would recommend trying them out in Practice Mode before you try it in the 
game, because it will save you a lot of aggravation.

1 - Just roll straight forwards. If you die on this level, return the game 
to the store, then hit yourself in the head with a hammer... ^_^

2* - You can either just roll around the hole into the goal, or you can go 
for the warp. To do that, do you see that little ramp behind you?? You want 
to get enough speed that you barely make it over that ramp. You will drop 
down and hopefully land on a little stage where you can roll to the Warp Goal. 
This one will warp you to Floor 5....

3 - You can either go around the front or the back, it doesn't really matter. 
Just loop around and go through the goal.

4 - You can either try to make it across in one try, or you can stop in the 
middle and wait. If you do it in one, you'll save time, but you have more 
of a chance of dying.

5 - A bonus stage. The time doesn't matter, so take your time. I like to get 
all of the outside bananas first, then the inside ring, then I go for the 
middle one and the one on the platform last, but it doesn't really matter 
on this difficulty. You'll be seeing this stage on AD and EX, though, and 
you'll have a lot less time...

6 - You can either go down every ledge, or take the shortcut. If you're going 
the long way, make sure to check your speed, so you don't fly off the 
platforms. 
Otherwise, turn to the right from the beginning and jump down to the first 
platform. Stop your bounce, then jump down to the last one. Then just rocket 
down the last ledge to the goal.

7 - There's just one shortcut here, and I forgot to include it. RedPh reminded 
me that if you move to the left, and then quickly to the right, you can jump 
to the next platform. From there, just make your way around the platforms.

8 - This one is fun, and you have two major options. You can try to get all 
of the bananas, and sacrifice some time, or you can just go straight for the 
goal. Since this is Beginner, I usually just go for it, but it's really up 
to you.

9 - On this one, just roll around to the top of the ramp. Now, when you're 
coming down this ramp, you need to be careful. If you're going too slow, you 
won't make it to the platform, and if you're going too fast, you'll bounce 
off the wall and fall out. I can't give specific instructions, since they 
depend on the character, but run it in Practice a couple times to get it down.

10 - Ooh, a worthy final stage - well, for Beginner, at least... ^_^ From 
the beginning, just go straight across the ledge, then turn around and come 
back on the next one. On the stairs, just keep your speed checked - they'll 
act like a ramp in that regard. The just pick one of the two ledges, and head 
up the ramp. Now, on the curvy part, you're really going to have to use that 
analog control. It's better to keep a constant speed than to be jerky, because 
jerky movements on a small ledge = fall out. There's only one shortcut for 
this, but on the second platform, at the end of the first ledge, you can jump 
off, onto the third platform (at the bottom of the stairs) saving a lot of 
time. 
It's not too dangerous, especially if you've practiced it in Practice 
Mode....

EX 1 - I usually take this whole stage in one run, because it is easier for 
me if I can keep up my speed, but it may be easier for you to take it in two 
or even three trips. It's really up to you, just when you do go, take a 
"straight" diagonal path along - you shouldn't really be moving horizontally 
at all. Just move along each platform, then roll right into the goal.

EX 2 - This one is more of a gimmick stage, and it really doesn't take any 
skill to beat. Just wait until you can get in, and pop through the gate.

EX 3 - On this one, the biggest problem may be seeing where the stage is! 
Once you get onto the circular platform, head pretty much straight, right 
between the letters. Once you're all the way through, stop, turn around, and 
come back right through the goal. Congratulations! You completed 
Beginner.....now on to Advanced...

NOTE: Any number with an * denotes a stage with a Warp of some kind.

NOTE: To open up the Extra stages, beat the entire mode without losing a single 
life. You may die and use continues on any of the extra stages, but you have 
to get there without dying once. This applies to all three of the modes.

*******************************
5.2 Advanced Mode
******************************* 

Advanced Mode is, well....advanced. It's more difficult than Beginner by far, 
but none of the levels will jump out of your Gamecube and scream at you, "You 
will never beat me!" until you start to cry. (Just wait until Expert...) 
Anyway, so far Advanced is my favorite level. It's difficult enough that it 
actually requires skill, at least in the later levels, but not so hard that 
I am completely exasperated. Some levels are pretty easy, some are 
excruciatingly hard, but it all evens out into a remarkably fun experience. 
(Now try beating it with one life... ^_^)

1 - Just go straight ahead. It's theoretically possible to die, but I really 
hope you're not that bad...

2 - This one is actually kind of interesting. Hard to die, really, as long 
as you just go through normally. Head straight forwards, snag the hand of 
bananas in the air, then slow so you don't bounce back too much. Weave in 
and out of the path, avoid the bumpers, and hop right over the gap into the 
goal. 

Interestingly, though, my best time was achieved nothing like this. I was 
messing around in Practice, and I found that I had somehow made it into the 
goal at 0:53:47! I had headed forwards, then angled to the right off the second 
jump, hit the edge of the long platform on the right, bounced back onto the 
level over the "maze", over the bumpers, and through the goal in 6 seconds. 
I haven't been able to duplicate it, though....

3 - This one is pretty simple. I head forwards around to the right and get 
onto the first platform. When they pass, I try to get onto it going parallel 
to the original direction, and I can usually keep this direction going right 
back onto the fixed platform, which saves time. If you want to be risky, you 
can get onto the second platform at an angle, then go straight and hit the 
fixed platform on the left of the hole. Then just swing around and hit the 
goal.

4 - It is possible to take this track in one go, but it is much safer to do 
it in two. To do this, just start out slow, snagging the bananas along the 
way, and stop near the end of the spinning ledge. Wait until it spins back, 
then roll to the goal. To do it in one try, you will need to start of fast, 
pop up a little onto the spinner as soon as possible, and you will have to 
jump a little at the end. Not too too hard if you keep your speed up...

5 - Bonus Stage, same as BE 5, except that now the time limit is 30 seconds 
instead of 60. Still, just take the outer circle, then the inner one, and 
you should be able to make it in time.

6* - To do this normally, I would say to wait until the platform is coming 
down, but is almost horizontal. Roll up the slope as close as you can get, 
then as the slope drops you can make it in. For the warp, just turn around 
and jump down off the ramp onto the platform below. Control your bounce and 
roll to the warp. Pretty much identical to BE 2.... Warps you to Floor 10.

NOTE: None of these levels are necessary, since you can skip all of them with 
the AD 6 warp, and get more points that way too. However...

7 - On this track, you can obviously take the long way, following the track 
all the way around. With WALLS on these wide tracks, there is almost no way 
that you could fall off, so the only thing that you are sacrificing is time. 
On this track, there are two main shortcuts. The first, and IMHO the harder 
of them, is to just go almost straight from the beginning. (You will actually 
be going a little to the right of straight at first and then turning back 
left.) You should drop down to the end of the first, tiny loop, going 
"backwards" the other way from how you would normally. Then, just keep going 
straight and you should land on the end of the next loop. Then just go to 
the end normally. This can save you about 10 seconds by cutting off the first 
and second loops.  
 
The other shortcut is to drop to the right immediately, and turn around as 
you do so, so you are facing the other way on the next track down. You will 
have skipped the first loop. Then, follow the second loop around until almost 
the end of it, then jump to the right. Immediately turn around, and you will 
have skipped the third loop. Since the third loop is longer than the second, 
this one can theoretically save you more time, but I find that the time it 
takes me to turn around makes them both about equal. I usually do about a 
second or less better with this method. It all comes down to which is easier 
for you... 

8 - This level is very easy. If you keep your speed down, you shouldn't have 
any trouble with it, and even if you speed up it is still pretty easy. 
(Apologies to anyone who has trouble with it... ^_^) Just weave in and out 
of the obstacles.

9 - This is just a twisted version of BE 8. The only difference is that there 
is a hole in the middle, which means that you can't roll across in one turn 
anymore. Just roll halfway, wait, get a banana bunch if you want, then go 
the rest of the way the next time. Pretty simple.

From rawisjericho24 - 

"You can make it across in one try, you just have to do it pretty fast, and 
don't wait until the floor is all the way back together. You will probably 
have to roll over a small gap to end up on the far corner of the center section, 
but it doesn't cause any problems."

10 - Another Bonus Stage. Does it seem to you like these stages are really 
just graphical showcases?? Anyway, my strategy is to take the outer circle 
first. Sometimes, I will hit a grove and be able to get every single banana 
in the circle in one go-round; other times I will get less than half. The 
key seems to be if I can time the waves right. If I can serve to the left 
every time a wave hits, I can avoid "surfing" the waves and keep going around 
the circle. If I mess it up, the wave sends me out to the outside and I lose 
a lot of time and miss the bananas. Anyway, after I get the outside circle, 
I go for the inside one. Even if I've missed a lot of them, my main objective 
here is to get the 1-Up. After that, I just go around randomly picking up 
any that I've missed.

11* - Just pick a path and get across. The smaller ones are closer, so they 
may save you a little time, (and net you some bananas) but you had better 
be pretty confident in your balance. If you want to play it safe, just take 
the path on the left. Go all the way to the right end of the platform at the 
end, go up the ramp, and into the goal. Pretty simple, really...

I received two great emails today about how to achieve the warp goal on this 
level. Rather than mangle their contributions, I'll let their letters speak 
for themselves...

"To start with, I'd recommend picking the Baby monkey, because he tends to 
be best on the small platforms such as this one. Also, unless you're on 
Practice Mode, it's a good idea to open up Infinite Continues, as you'll 
probably be spending a good while trying to figure everything. 
Once you're in level 11, go directly to your right from your starting 
position. 
Go all the way to the end, then count the squares from the end of the wall. 
Align the center of your ball in the left part of the third square, and 
straighten yourself up as well as you can. After you're lined up, simply push 
the stick forward and don't move it at all. If you aligned correctly (and 
have a bit of luck), you should be able to ride straight across the platform. 
The warp gate takes you to level 14. 
I hope this helps you in being able to reach this warp. It requires a good 
eye, steady hand, and lots and lots of luck, so be sure to give this method 
a good effort before you give up on it should you have trouble."  -  William 
Blatt (aka ArchO)

"I've gotten the warp in A11 a number of times, but it is really really 
difficult, and not worth the trouble unless you're going for a high score. 
It only goes to A14, and A12 and A13 are easy anyway. Take note of where the 
path is in relation to the checkerboard floor so you can get lined up on it 
even before you pick up the banana bunches. Then get onto it quickly. The 
most important thing after that is to keep rolling forwards (but slowly) and 
making VERY minor adjustments if you detect a slight drift. If you're lucky, 
you'll find that you're not drifting at all; in this case, instantly move 
the stick to straight up and burn rubber right to the warp. If you can't 
eliminate your drift, then you'll probably fall off before you reach the warp.  
 
Another helpful tip is to take a look at the line of the track in the distance. 
If you're lined up properly, it should head straight up into the center of 
the Time counter. (If you're lined up perfectly, the line will point near 
the left edge of the M in TIME)." - SnapDragon  

I've tried it, and although I haven't gotten it yet, I can tell you that these 
strategies will work....

I've just received two more emails, one from kcin and one from Chad Kulesa, 
both with similar strategies. I don't really have space to quote them all, 
but thanks to everyone who sent in their strategies....

12 - Pretty simple. I usually do it in two rounds, you can do it in one as 
well. Just jump into the bowl and roll around until you make it through the 
goal. For me, the best strategy is to jump in, roll under the goal the first 
time around, then roll around right at the level of the bananas. Right before 
you get to the goal, you may want to angle yourself up the bowl wall a little, 
but it's not essential.

From rawisjericho24 - 

"If you roll forward a tiny bit and then angle yourself off the left corner 
of the platform, (with practice of course, you can angle yourself to land 
directly in the goal with 28.06 remaining on the clock each and every time."

This can help you garner a few more points from this level, but it's not very 
difficult in the first place. 

13 - This level aggravates me, but usually that is just because I screw up 
a relatively easy level. Just roll forward until you are fully on the shooter 
thingy - you don't want to be flung backwards. Just jump up the first two 
- it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. For the last one, I find it 
easier NOT to use the shooter. I just wait at the back of the platform until 
the red things have just gotten to the shooter, then I roll forwards. I go 
over the shooter right after it comes down, and I make it to the goal just 
fine. If you want to get a boost, you can, but I have found that I hit the 
top of the goal too often.

14 - I doubt that you'll have trouble with this one...you have a full minute, 
so you should be fine. One very important thing that I have been informed 
of, and I'm mad that I didn't notice myself - the punchers tilt with the stage. 
When you tilt to the left, so do the punchers. You can obviously use this 
to your advantage when going through the stage. (I got this info from 
SnapDragon and also from Schmeerskahooven) When getting through this level, 
you can try to go straight through the middle, or skirt the edges - it's all 
the same in the end.

15 - This level is evil. It's not all that hard, it's just very unforgiving. 
If you fall too low down the slope, you won't be able to get back up. Anyway... 
From the beginning, head straight, jump down to the next platform and stop. 
The first few shouldn't be too hard, but you will need to slow yourself down 
as soon as you crest the "hill" on the last two. For all of them, you want 
to take it in a curve. If you try to move over, then up, it will be a lot 
harder. Just curve quickly around, and then press up quickly to ascend the 
slope. Especially on the last one, you do not want to take the turn too 
loosely, 
because you will lack the momentum to get back up, and you will crash and 
burn and die... ^_^ 

I have been reminded that if you need to get up a slope on this level, but 
lack the momentum to make it straight up, you can still save yourself. If 
you wiggle back and forth in a "sidewinder" motion, you can slowly make your 
way up the hill. I've forgotten who tipped me off to this, though, so if it 
was you, please email me so I can give you credit.

16 - This level is pretty easy, and after the insanity that is floor 15, it 
will feel like a walk in the park. Just weave in and out...you shouldn't even 
have to worry about keeping your speed down.

17 - I don't really like this stage, but it's not as hard as it looks at first. 
For most people, just as on EX 7, the problem will be making it to the goal 
in time. There is one huge shortcut that can save you enough time to make 
this level much easier, and one easy one at the beginning. As soon as you 
start, move to the left, then move quickly to the right. You can jump the 
gap and make it to the third platform. (I was reminded of this shortcut by 
Alex (munchia)...thanks.) If you don't want to do this, you will need to go 
straight from the beginning. Curve back around and take the next ledge, then 
power up the inclined ramp. Now just roll across one path or the other, it 
doesn't matter. This is where you will need to make a choice. If you want 
to play it safe, and have lots of time, roll down the stairs. Then just roll 
around the curvy part, making sure that you keep a steady speed. If you are 
out of time, enjoy taking risks, or just want some more points, you want to 
take the shortcut. From the platform before the twin ledges, you need to make 
sure that you have some speed when crossing them. If you don't stop, but 
instead just keep going, you will land on the platform that the goal is on, 
and you can roll right in. The only caution that I would have is to make sure 
that you don't hit the goal, because you will fall out if you do.

18* - On this level, there are 3 gates, and each takes you to a different 
level. The closest one, the blue one, will take you to floor 19, and gives 
you no bonus. The green one, if you can catch it, will take you to floor 20. 
If you're going for either of these, just floor it and try to catch them. 
One strategy that has worked sometimes for me is to swing wide, and then cut 
the corner in a straight line. Gives you better acceleration, so you can catch 
the gates faster. There really is no reason to ever get either of these gates, 
though, because this level contains both the easiest and the best warp in 
Advanced Mode. At the beginning, just jump off to the right, control your 
bounce, and wait for the first gate. When you get it, it will warp you to 
Level 25 and give you upwards of 350000 points. If you want to get more points, 
you can try to chase it down earlier, but this is more trouble than it's worth, 
in my opinion.

NOTE: You really shouldn't ever be doing these stages, since you can skip 
all of them with the AD 18 warp, and get more points that way too. Unless 
you're just doing them for fun, you don't need these...

19 - This is a lot like BE 9, and although it's a little harder, it's still 
not a big deal. The first ramp can be taken pretty slow, although you still 
need to avoid going either too slow or too fast. From here, wait until the 
moving platform comes back over, then get on it. Roll off and along the path 
until you come to the top of the next ramp. Since there are bumpers at the 
top and bottom of this one, you can't take it straight. Just take a straight 
path, but move your starting position a little to the left. Control yourself 
once you get to the bottom, then roll through the goal.

As with most levels, there is also a shortcut here. If you go backwards and 
to the right from the beginning, you can fall down onto the second ramp. Try 
to land on the ramp, hit the jump again, and get into the goal. You can beat 
this level in under 4 seconds. I personally don't really use this shortcut, 
but that's because I never do this level. If it helps you, use it; if it's 
just too risky, take the normal way.

20 - Another bonus stage, but this one is filled with those bumpers. If you 
want, you can just let yourself be bounced around by them, but I can almost 
guarantee that you won't get all the bananas. The secret to this level is 
to take it diagonally. If you look at it from an angle, you can see that there 
are clear paths through the bumpers. Start at one end, and cut through the 
corner of the square, then turn around and take the next path over. If you 
do this, it is much easier to get a Perfect on this stage...

21 - From the beginning, move forwards a little. Wait for the next bumper 
to pass, then quickly move in behind it. Move at a constant speed on the first 
leg, and you should be fine. Be careful at the intersection; the path in the 
middle is the hardest part of this stage, because there are twice as many 
bumpers. Let the bumper coming towards you go by, then immediately get onto 
the middle section. It will turn to the left, so continue following it. At 
the other end, just get out of the line and go for the goal.

22 - There's no way to jump the barrier, so you're going to have to go around. 
Just roll around the outside, then straighten up and roll right next to the 
goal. 

23 - There aren't really any shortcuts here, but the level is pretty the 
farthest right of the rows of gaps. You should just bounce right over them 
all. Continue this until the level opens up on your right, then turn right. 
Be careful coming down this small ramp; if you have too much speed, you'll 
fall into the holes. Go straight on the path, then take a right at the top. 
Take whichever of the paths you prefer, although the closer one may save you 
half a second. Take a right, and take a right at the end. Then just roll into 
the goal.

24 - This one looks hard, but it's really not. Just floor it from the 
beginning, 
and correct for the tilt a little in the middle. It should tilt back to normal 
before it becomes a problem, and you can roll right into the goal.

25* - At the beginning, just make your way through all of the bumpers and 
holes. There really is no "right" way to get through here, although an 
interesting strategy that seems to save a little time is to hug the left wall, 
control your rebound, then head to the right. You can use this on the first 
and third sections of the bumpers and holes. Anyway, after you get through 
these and make it up the ramp, you need to make it through the "punchers". 
This isn't really very hard; the only real danger is when they retract for 
a moment, then shoot out again. As long as you can avoid these, you should 
be fine. 

To get the warp on this level, just go straight, avoiding the bumpers, and 
try to hit the hole that is straight in front of you. You should pop up into 
the air, and bounce straight over the railing into the warp. This one will 
warp you to floor 28.

It is also possible to get the warp without using this trick, but it is so 
difficult that it is not at all worth it. You have to get all the way through 
the level to the goal, then control yourself so that you do not go into the 
goal. (This is hard enough by itself.) Then, turn to the left, come back, 
and roll forwards again. From here, there are many different ledges of 
different widths, just like AD 11. At the far end is a wide one, 1.0, but 
it you go all the way out there you may not have time to get to the goal. 
When you get to the goal, there are conical spikes waiting, and they can easily 
send you off of the stage here. All in all, it is much easier to just beat 
26 and 27 than to try for this warp the long way.

NOTE: None of these levels are necessary, since you can skip all of them with 
the AD 25 warp, and get more points that way too. However...

26 - On this level, you can just go all the way around the outside.  If you're 
going to, just go to the end of the first platform, get a little bit of a 
start, and drop onto the spiral. Keep your speed up and stay in the middle 
and you should be fine.

However, if you want to take a shortcut, just drop off of the first platform 
right down to the goal. In my experience, what works best is to wait until 
almost exactly on the third beep, and drop off of the platform at a gentle 
angle. You should bounce a little and roll right into the goal with almost 
no control needed.

27 - This one is really very easy. Just run into one of the walls at the 
beginning, then hold forwards. This will get you onto the second ledge at 
the right angle. When you get to the end, just curve a little back towards 
the center and you should make it into the goal just fine.

28 - Just make sure you keep your speed down. Just move at a constant speed, 
so that you are always in the middle of the empty space. Once you get out, 
just tilt it forwards and get in that goal.

29 - On this level, you can try to make it across in one turn, or you can 
try it in two. If you're taking it in two, I would say to just get onto the 
second platform on your right. It will tilt backwards, and you will be in 
danger of falling into the gap between this and the first platform, but just 
fight against it and you should be fine. By the time the slope pulls you back, 
the gap will be too small to fall into. Then just roll all the way into the 
goal. The last platform will be tilting up, so just fall right off it into 
the goal.

If you want to try to make it across in one turn, you have to hurry from the 
beginning. You want to get across all the platforms as fast as you can until 
you get to the last one. Here, fight the slope until it gets back to 
horizontal, 
then rush into the goal. Either way, it's pretty easy.

30 - This level looks almost impossible, but it's really not that hard. It's 
not exactly a piece of cake, but anyone who tried this for hours (like me) 
will be kicking themselves when they finally figure it out. Or read it in 
the next paragraph. ^_^

When I first saw this stage, I tried to take it one platform at a time, and 
while it may be possible to beat it this way, it is VERY hard. I wouldn't 
recommend it for anyone except masochists... However, there is a much easier 
way. Just go straight from the beginning. Line up the first two platforms, 
and keep heading straight. You'll bounce over the next gap, and if you just 
steer around the bumper, you can easily get right into the goal. This will 
get you in about 3 seconds.

If you're going for the Extra Stages, though, or if you just like playing 
it safe, try this strategy I received from rawisjericho24:

Roll onto the first platforms, and get onto the platform with the bumper. 
The bumper should be on your left.  Stop there, and then instead of taking 
the first platform that comes past, take the next one, and you will roll across 
3 more platforms directly into the goal. This will get you into the goal in 
about 6 seconds, and it is much safer, since you don't have to worry about 
the vagaries of your bounces. Thanks for your strategy, rawisjericho...

EX 1 – This level is exactly identical to BX 1, with one small difference: 
you have 30 seconds instead of 60. Since you can easily make it across in 
this time, it really shouldn’t make any difference.

I usually take this whole stage in one run, because it is easier for 
me if I can keep up my speed, but it may be easier for you to take it in two 
or even three trips. It's really up to you, just when you do go, take a 
"straight" diagonal path along - you shouldn't really be moving horizontally 
at all. Just move along each platform, then roll right into the goal.

EX 2 – This level is much like BX 2, but the goal spins faster. It wil 
eventually slow down a little, and you can chance it, but I never bother with 
that. Just stay where you are until 0:23:50, then floor it forwards. You 
should get right into the goal.

EX 3 – On this level, your main enemy is time. It’s not exactly very hard 
to complete, it’s just that you only have 60 seconds to do it in. To get through 
in the allotted time, there are two main shortcuts you should use. First, 
from the beginning, floor it. As soon as you hit the next platform over the 
gap, turn right. This is actually easier than it looks, and you will almost 
always be on the next platform out, heading right. At the end, you will need 
to turn right for a little bit. Then turn around and floor it. If you have 
enough speed, you can jump the gap, and you will be on the other side. Now 
just follow the path all the way around. If you take these two shortcuts, 
you should have plenty of time, so you won’t really need to hurry too much. 
Just be cautious and make your way to the goal.

EX 4 – This is the AV level, the same as BX 3. Same strategy, for the most 
part....

On this one, the biggest problem may be seeing where the stage is! 
Once you get onto the circular platform, head pretty much straight, right 
between the letters. Once you're all the way through, stop, turn around, and 
come back right through the goal. 

EX 5 – I love this level. It’s such a great way to end Advanced Mode...it 
is cool...I want to have its baby.... Ehrm...well, anyway, this level can 
be really fun, or it scan be really frustrating. If you don’t know how to 
do it, this level can seem impossible. But that’s why I’m here... ^_^

Anyway, from the beginning, you want to take it much the same as you did AD 
30, although you may need to go a little slower to avoid falling off. You 
should end up at a place where three or four platforms come together. Get 
to the outside one and head right. You should pass some going the other way, 
so get on them and follow them until you get to a radial platform. By this 
I mean one of the platforms that points out, not around. You’ll know it when 
you see it. From this one, you can get onto the second platform from the 
outside. 

Here, there are two strategies. My favorite, because it gives me a sense of 
danger, is to go right in front of the goal. Now just wait until the vertically 
rotating platform is almost up. Roll forward, get hit by it, and hopefully 
land right in front of the goal. Your other option is to roll around the 
outside until you get to the halfway point, where the vertical platform 
rotates around. Get on the side where it is coming upwards, and just roll 
across very quickly whn it is almost horizontal. Now just roll around to 
whichever goal you prefer.

Also, I will eventually update with a guide on how to complete Advanced Mode 
without losing a life. Until then, here's a quick sketch:

1-6 -> 10-18 -> 25 -> 28-30

-> means WARP TO

You can beat Advanced Mode in only 19 levels... ^_^
 
*******************************
5.3 Expert Mode
******************************* 

When was the last time you cried about a video game? Expert Mode is the spawn 
of the devil. I seriously doubt that anyone could beat this without Infinite 
Continues, (See Section 7 - Secrets) and I would go so far as to say that 
no one will beat this on one life. Ever. This mode is like Advanced Mode, 
redone by superhuman masochists who enjoy torturing themselves. Over and over. 
Make sure you have some extra money lying around, because you'll be needing 
a lot of new controllers....

NOTE: I have now completed Expert, I just haven’t finished writing up all 
of the walkthroughs for all 43 that I have left. Give me time, and they will 
be complete....

1 - Pretty simple, just hold forwards. Hop the gaps and you're in.

2* - You can either take the left path, and go to Floor 3, or you can try 
for the warp, and get an extra 120000 and a 6x multiplier. If you are going 
for the normal one, just head to the fork in the road, and take the left, 
wider path. Roll to the end and you're done. If you're going for the warp, 
you will need to get some pretty good acceleration up the slope. If you don't, 
you'll slide back down and die. Pick up all those nice bananas and get yourself 
through that goal.

3* - On this level, it's possible to get the warp, but it is really pointless. 
All it does is skips you to Stage 5, and you can warp there from the previous 
level. If you really want to, though, you will want to wait maybe a half or 
a third of a second at some point, just a short hesitation that gives the 
rotating platform time to get aligned. You want to head to the right from 
the beginning, and then hesitate and head straight for the goal. You should 
bounce right over the corner of the hole straight into the goal. 

If you're doing it the normal way, you want to just wait until the blue one 
comes up again. The rotation is going to stop and go the other way, so you 
should have plenty of time to get into the goal.

4 - This one's pretty hard, but still doable. From the beginning, just weave 
around the path. Go up over the hump, and wait for the moving platform to 
come back to you. (If you did the first part fast enough, it might still be 
there from the previous time.) Go from the moving platforms onto the fixed 
one at the end, then wait and get on the next moving one. (It's moving in 
a vertical circle.) From there, make sure you have enough speed to jump the 
gap, then brake after it. Turn to the right and get enough speed to snag the 
banana bunch when you go off the jump, then immediately brake so that you 
don't hit the bumpers. Slowly make your way through them and onto the thin 
path. After you make it past the curved part, you will see a straightaway. 
YOU MUST FLOOR IT. If you don't, you won't have enough speed to make it up 
the other side, and you'll feel pretty stupid... As long as you have enough 
speed, you can just roll right up and into the goal.

5 - Gonna just copy what I said from AD 5, since they're exactly the same 
stage...

It's another Bonus Stage, same as BE 5, except that now the time limit is 
30 seconds instead of 60. Still, just take the outer circle, then the inner 
one, and you should be able to make it in time.

6 - It has been annoying me to hear people saying that they can't beat this 
stage, because IMHO it's really not that hard. I can beat it every time now...

First of all, you need relatively good balance. You don't have to be perfect, 
but you need to know when not to hold the stick down all the way. OK, since 
the direction you go really doesn't matter, pick whichever way you want to 
go. My description will assume you go to the right, but it shouldn't be that 
hard to reverse it.

For these descriptions, the platforms go like this:

NW  N  NE    Each one         TL  T  TR
             is made
W       E    up of            L       R
             Platformettes:
SW  S  SE                     BL  B  BR

OK, start out by going to the right. Stop right before the end of the platform. 
Now, wait until the moving platforms have fully expanded. The top right 
platformette of the SE platform and the bottom right one from the E platform 
should come together right next to you, so get onto the BR - E platform. Stay 
on it until the E platform comes back together, then quickly roll to the top 
left platformette. When all of the platforms come together in the middle, 
you want to roll very quickly from TL - E all the way to BR - NW. Now, as 
NW moves to the outside, move to BL, L, TL, T, or TR. Then just get onto the 
outside platform and into the goal.

This may sound confusing, and it is, but once you know what you're doing, 
it is really quite simple. And once you get it down, you shouldn't have too 
much trouble reproducing it...

7 - Go straight from the beginning. As you near the end of the first ledge, 
ease up on the control stick to slow down. As soon as you actually reach the 
platform, move to the left side and stop. (Find out in Practice how to 
recognize where to stop. Count blocks, if you have to.) Then turn around and 
head right up the bar. As soon as you crest it, let go, and possibly hold 
back on the stick a little. Once you've stopped, head down the stairs. Not 
too hard. At the bottom, you have to cross this lattice of blocks. To pick 
up just the right amount of speed, you have to start from a stand-still 
position at just the right distance from the blocks. Then, just run straight 
for them, aimed at one row in from either the left or the right, and bounce 
across. Once you make it across, you'll need to slow yourself down so you 
don't fall off.  From here, it's just a windy track, but remember to watch 
the time. You may be forced to take this section faster than you would like 
if you want to make it in time. (Strategy for block lattice contributed by 
chmcalbro)

There is another strategy for the block lattice, which may work better for 
some people. If you’ve been having trouble taking it at a run, try going across 
it diagonally. As you come down the stairs, slow down a bit, but instead of 
going to the right, take a left and go across the blocks. At the end, stop 
completely, turn, then go forwards. Turn to the right and get to the end of 
the platform. Now just get into the middle and continue for the rest of the 
level.

8 – This level’s really very easy, it’s just that sometimes you can run out 
of time. From the beginning, fall off to your right, and pull back a bit once 
you land. From here, I usually just take all of the normal platforms, and 
I almost always make it to the goal in time. If you want to be riskier, however, 
you can try jumping off again. This time, though, you’ll need more speed just 
to make it to the platform, so it will be much harder to control your bounce 
once you land. 

9 – Ooh, look, the guitar stage – only with the wide path, with no warp gate, 
and CURVED!! Despite your first reaction, this level really isn’t as hard 
as it looks. Just take your time, and you should be fine. My favorite strategy 
is to go around the outside, minutely changing between straight forwards and 
forwards-left as needed. Keeps me at a pretty good speed, and I don’t really 
have very many problems falling off. Since there’s no warp gate here, the 
only real reward for taking the smaller ledges is the bananas – although if 
you’re going for Master Mode and you know you can take them, those bananas 
may help you on a later level.

10 – The same Bonus Level as AD 10. Is Sega running out of stage ideas? Not 
a chance. Just wait until you see the rest of Expert Mode...

Anyway, my strategy is to take the outer circle 
first. Sometimes, I will hit a grove and be able to get every single banana 
in the circle in one go-round; other times I will get less than half. The 
key seems to be if I can time the waves right. If I can serve to the left 
every time a wave hits, I can avoid "surfing" the waves and keep going around 
the circle. If I mess it up, the wave sends me out to the outside and I lose 
a lot of time and miss the bananas. Anyway, after I get the outside circle, 
I go for the inside one. Even if I've missed a lot of them, my main objective 
here is to get the 1-Up. After that, I just go around randomly picking up 
any that I've missed.

11 – Ooh, this level is pretty fun. As for speed – well, you can speed it 
up or pull back and slow down, but I find that I do the best if I don’t mess 
around with it at all. I just steer left and right and that speed seems to 
be fine.

It goes like this, looking down from the top:

X  X

XX  

X  X

   X

XX X  <-- Point A

X XX

XXX 

 XXX

X XX  <-- Point B

XXX

 XXX

|--|
GOAL

The first ones are relatively easy, up until “Point A”. Just practice this 
one until you can make it through easily. It’s more of the same, for the most 
part, until you get to Point B. Here, you’re just coming back from the edge, 
and you have to squeeze through a small gap. The one other warning that I 
would have for you is at the end, make sure you can make it into the goal 
after the last row of bumpers. Many a time I’ve made it past the **** bumpers, 
only to miss the goal and die.

12 – This is the “gears” level...not too hard, and there’s really no strategy. 
The one hint that I would have is to move around the gears in the same direction 
that they’re turning – but you could have figured that out yourself. At the 
end, don’t try to rush across the <--> and into the goal; you should have 
plenty of time, so just wait until you come around right in front of it.

13 – Either I seem to get lucky a lot, or this level is just easier than I 
think it is. Anyway, there are really a lot of ways to take the beginning 
part of this level. The only goal you need to complete is to get across without 
falling in the holes, so do whatever works best for you. Here’s my strategy, 
though...

Hug the right side of the first platform, then swerve to the left before the 
end. On this next platform, stop, come back around to the line one row in 
from the right, and floor it to the next platform along the “bridge”. (Where 
the gap is smaller.) I go around, getting the banana bunch, then come back 
through the middle row – I can get enough speed to clear the gap, and I am 
in a good enough position to just swerve onto the middle ledge. Once you’re 
across here, and have turned to the right, floor it. When you get to the end 
and hit this gap, you need to turn to the right, hard, so that you don’t fall 
off the edge. Just roll to the end of this platform, and then across the split 
one. Then into the goal you go....

14 – I really don’t like this level, even though I’ve gotten pretty good at 
it. To ameliorate my displeasure at having to write a walkthrough for it, 
I’m going to indulge my penchant for bad ASCII art to “help” you with it. 
Don’t say I didn’t warn you...

You can just hold forwards to avoid the first three bumpers – you really don’t 
need to worry about them at all. As for the next two – well, you’ll need to 
almost follow them around. To explain, how about some bad ASCII art? ^_^

|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| X = bumpers
| X      |
|        | O = you, the monkey
|        |
|_O___X _| | _ ¯ = edges of the platform

|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
|     X  |
|        |
|        |
|_X___O _|

|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
| X   O  |
|        |
|        |
|_____X _|

And off you go. It’s a lot simpler in practice, of course... For the next 
one, they move back and forth, so you’ll need a slightly different strategy.

|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
| <----> |
|        |
| <----> |
|________|

|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
|     X  |
|        |
|        |
|__X__O _|

|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
|   X    |
|       O|
|        |
|___X____|

|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
| X   O  |
|        |
|        |
|_____X _|

The next two just move up and down, so you shouldn’t even notice them. It’s 
the last three that are tricky. With these, really all you can do is hug the 
edge as close as you can and hope for the best. You have to pass the bumpers 
on the side, without falling off – not an easy task. Once you get past them, 
though, you can just go straight across that tiny ledge into the goal.

15 – For this one, you know how the monkey will bounce twice? Well, as soon 
as he lands on his second bounce, floor it. You should make it in with no 
fuss at all...

16 – I really don’t like this stage at all. For me, it’s still entirely based 
on luck, which defeats the purpose of SMB. Anyway, as I’m sure you have already 
figured out, you can’t just roll to the goal – you are going to have to bounce 
in. For me, what works the most (although certainly not all the time) is to 
wait until you stop bouncing, then head up and left at a slope of about -2, 
for you math majors. That would mean that you go up two units for every one 
you go over. Anyway, you should hit the middle platform, and then just hold 
down and left, (This seems to work for me. If not, try something else.) and 
hopefully you should bounce into the goal. If you hit the golden ball, try 
holding down more in the air.

17 – I love the design of this stage, and the whole idea, although I don’t 
love the level as much as I would expect. Ah well...

OK, you’re going to need to swerve out to the sides (while avoiding the bumpers) 
and then swing back in, making your way up the train. To start out, I would 
recommend taking two sections. Just move to the right from the beginning, 
then as soon as the bumpers pass you, swing out and back in. Cross across 
the center, and repeat. Just keep doing this until you get to the front. A 
word of warning, though – there is a bit of a ledge on the very front platform, 
so you’ll need to get way out to the sides, then move in quickly. It’s not 
as hard as it sounds, though.

18 – This level is VERY easy if you know what you are doing. From the beginning, 
go on, and almost try to fall of the right side. You want to be, after only 
a few seconds, pushing as hard as you can to the right. This is the only thing 
that will keep you from falling off. Once the stage goes back towards 
horizontal, ease up, but transfer to the other side. Start leaning to the 
left soon after it passes horizontal, and slowly increase the pressure. All 
the while you should be moving forwards, so by now you should be almost in 
the goal. You shouldn’t need to be on for any longer than that...

19 – Ah yes, the “pie crust” level, as I like to call it. Anyway, there are 
really only two major things that you will need to remember on this stage. 
First, when coming down the little hills, remember to stop on the flat parts. 
Similarly, when you’re going up, you’ll need to get up some speed, but 
remember to slow down. Just make your way over to the goal...nothing really 
too complicated here.

Oh, and you can try holding forwards from the beginning – if you can pull 
it off, it can get you half, most, or all of the ways across the stage, but 
it’s too risky for my liking. I can take the easy way, thank you very much...

20 – Another repeat Bonus Stage. Don’t worry, though, because you won’t be 
seeing any more repeats...

If you want, you can just let yourself be bounced around by them, but I can 
almost guarantee that you won't get all the bananas. The secret to this level 
is to take it diagonally. If you look at it from an angle, you can see that 
there are clear paths through the bumpers. Start at one end, and cut through 
the corner of the square, then turn around and take the next path over. If 
you do this, it is much easier to get a Perfect on this stage...

21 – Ah, the infamous EX 21. Personally, I didn’t find this stage very hard, 
and I actually kinda liked it, but I can see where some people might have 
had trouble. Anyway, once you get the hang of this stage, it will become almost 
automatic, and you won’t really have to worry about it at all.

As soon as you start, you’re going to want to head forwards. Since the right 
bumper is coming towards you, you want to tap it to the left just a little 
bit once you get on. As soon as the bumper hits and starts moving away, tap 
a little to the right. You want to be moving mainly forwards, but you need 
to be on the right side by the time the next bumper comes in. If you’re moving 
fast enough, you should be done by now, but you may need to avoid one more 
collision if you were going slowly. Either way, just get into that goal 
quickly, and be happy that you have finished this devilish level.

22 – Whoa, if I didn’t know better, I’d think there was some kind of subliminal 
advertising on this level! ^_^ Anyway, there are so many different strategies 
for this level, and I really can’t figure out which ones work better. So far, 
it seems that people get the best results with the strategies that they have 
come up with themselves – I know that doesn’t really help you, but I’m sorry. 
Still, I’d love it if everyone could send in their strategies for this level. 
I don’t want to put mine up yet, simply because I don’t think that it’s the 
best way, but I’d like to see what other strategies people have. Rest assured 
that as soon as I get another strategy to put up here, mine will be alongside 
it. (Although I don’t know why you’d really want my strategy... ^_^)

Oh, and one thing – if you’re having trouble with bouncing in random 
directions, try hitting the gaps as close to straight on as possible. The 
straighter you hit them, the less chance you’ll bounce off somewhere. Trust 
me, it helps...

23 – This is a pretty fun level. You will follow a curvy path, just like the 
one the blocks are showing you, but it actually won’t be as curvy. As you 
move forwards, just focus on rolling onto the next platform, and you should 
be fine. You will still be winding back and forth, though, although the only 
time when this might present any trouble at all is at the very end, and it’s 
still easy then.

24 – When I first saw this level, my first thought was “I guess they just 
let those level designers do whatever the heck they wanted...” This level 
looks very....messed up, although it is really pretty straightforward...

Your biggest problem, by far – time. You can take this easily by going slow, 
but you’ll never make it in time if you play that way. No, you’ll need to 
gain a lot of time at the beginning, and maintain a pretty fast speed 
throughout. From the beginning, accelerate and go around the turns. You 
should be able to take them almost at speed until the fifth turn, when you 
will need to start slowing down. Pretty soon after this, you will start going 
uphill, and you will actually have to push forwards to go anywhere. As you 
go up, your path will start to look more and more triangular, and then the 
angels will keep increasing, until you are making 180s on the last turns. 
On the sharpish turns, try holding right and back, and you should slow enough 
to turn, while still maintaining a little speed. When you get to the top, 
speed up, but not enough that you miss the sideways goal.

25 – The key to this level is NOT to hold forwards for the whole level. If 
you do, you will get stuck on the sixth dip, and it will be almost impossible 
to get out. (Although it is possible, it is MUCH easier to just avoid getting 
stuck.) What you need to do is this: when on the ground, hold forwards, but 
when you are in the air, just let go. What will result is that you will make 
it over the top of each dip, then you will roll down the other side, picking 
up enough speed to make it over the next one. It should work perfectly, and 
there’s not really any huge amount of effort involved....


Halfway done! And if you’ve already used more than half of your lives, don’t 
despair – the general consensus is that it gets easier from here...


26 – I love this level. It’s not hard at all, but it is very cool. To finish 
it, pretty much all you have to do is follow the arrows. Just fall off the 
first platform, turn right, fall of the second, etc. On the fourth platform, 
there is a little bridge-like thing extending backwards, but the only thing 
on it is a banana. The same is true of the next platform. Now, once you fall 
off here, you won’t see any more platforms. So where’s the goal? On that bridge, 
right behind you. Roll backwards and in, and you’re done...

27 – On this level, Baby is a big help. (Although unless you’ve used him 
throughout, you don’t really have that option...) I almost always take the 
left side, because it’s a lot easier for me, although I can take the right 
side if I need to. Since you probably just want to get through without dying, 
though, just take the left side. There is only one small shortcut – heading 
for the first corner in the lattice, when you would normally turn, just floor 
it and you can easily pop onto the next platform. From there, just go to the 
end. It isn’t very hard, considering that you get a “landing pad” that doubles 
as a build-up-speed place.... ^_^

28 – You can either go all the way around, with a better chance of making 
it, or you can just jump into the goal. To do this, go forwards until 0:56:45, 
then ease yourself off the edge. Your angle should be gentle, but you should 
maintain speed. If you’re going around, there is one other shortcut. From 
the beginning, go forwards a bit, then turn around and go perpendicular to 
the platform, with a little bit of angle backwards... You should land on the 
spiral platform going the right way, and you can just go from here. Or, you 
could try going all the way around – it really doesn’t matter. Just remember 
that while you may have to watch how hard you push towards the outside/inside 
of a curve.

29 – Not too complicated in theory, although it is a bit harder in practice. 
Just wait until each of the platforms almost touch, then roll across the gap. 
Just get to the end. Oh, and when on one that goes the wrong direction, just 
turn around and watch the platform in front/behind you, since they always 
move at the same time.

30 – Finally, a new Bonus Level! This one has all of the 50 bananas on top 
of tiny little pyramids, although it doesn’t provide any real barrier to your 
sweeping them up. Just run around to get them. Don’t get too much speed, or 
you could be in danger of flying out of the stage.

31 – This stage is really easy. Just back up to the back of the platform, 
then floor it directly at one of the next two. Then do the same to get to 
the goal.

32 – This is pretty much just a spiral, with one difference – the platform 
keeps getting narrower. You shouldn’t have any trouble with the first few 
parts, and you can almost take it at speed up until the last two or three. 
Here, just slow down and take it nice and carefully. The hardest part is the 
very last turn, and even this isn’t that difficult...

33 –This one, for me, is still mostly luck. You obviously want to avoid hitting 
the posts, but the way to do this is not exactly clear. What works the best 
for me is to turn right immediately, then go mostly straight, just following 
the curve of the bowl. It’s still hard, though, so if anyone has a better 
strategy, email me.

One other strategy that works some of the time is to go forwards, passing 
the first post on your right, then head almost straight for the bowl. You 
should snag the banana bunch on your way by. If you hold left here, while 
still going forwards, you should miss all of the posts, bounce off the wall 
thingy, and stop up on that top platform. I have been getting better results 
with this strategy, although it is by no means perfect.

34 – This one looks hard, but it’s really not. Just wait at the beginning 
until 0:28:45, then floor it towards the left side of the cylinders. (You 
should either pick up the first banana bunch, or just narrowly miss it.) You 
should make it onto the last platform easily, after picking up both of the 
other bananas. Then just turn to the left a bit and roll into the goal.

35 – This is a level of minute adjustments. There is one spot in the curve 
where it is flat at any given time, and you want to stay as close to that 
spot as you can. Since that spot will move forwards, just follow it until 
you get to the end.

36 – This is a lot like AD 21, but harder. You want to let the first bumper 
pass, then duck into line behind it. You want to station yourself about 
halfway between it and the one behind it. One way to do this is to make it 
so that the top of your ball is exactly on the round thing encircling the 
bumper. This only works with Baby, of course – you’ll need to find your own 
guidelines with other people. Anyway, when you get up here, you want to let 
the bumper that is coming at you go past, then get in behind it quickly. This 
can be tricky, but just practice it. From here, it’s easier, since you can 
just follow this one to the end. When you get to the last platform, just jump 
out of line and into the goal.

37 – This level is cool. You can either go around the whole thing, just jumping 
one barrier at a time, and you should be fine. It’s not very risky, and you 
shouldn’t realy run into any trouble at all. Or, you could try to make it 
across in one turn. What you will need to do is just hold forwards from the 
beginning. You will bounce, land, and then bounce into the air, again. As 
soon as you go into the air here, hold back. You should slow down enough to 
stay on. Now just let it pop you up to the goal.

38 – Very easy level, just go from one platform to the next when they come 
together, then wait and go to the next. I don’t think I have ever died on 
this level.

39 – This level looks almost impossible, but it’s really not. What you need 
to do is stay on each one near the bottom, and then as they move down, loop 
back to the same place, on the next curvy platform. It’s very hard to explain, 
but basically – you need to be close enough to the bottom that you can loop 
around in time, while far enough that you don’t fall off when it gets to its 
steepest. Once you get it, it will be easy, but it’s hard to understand from 
my description.

40 – Your last Bonus Stage in the game, and it’s almost impossible to get 
all of them. Just try to take out rows at a time, and you should be fine. 
You’re getting near the end, so you hopefully shouldn’t need too many more 
lives...

41 – I must say that I love this background. Very cool. Anyway, this level’s 
not that hard. (I’ve been saying that a lot, haven’t I?) Just jump in to the 
right, whip around, and tilt towards the rim to make sure you make it in. 
It gets even easier with practice...

42* - I don’t like this stage. I’m not very good at maneuvering platforms 
like this, so I fall of a lot. Anyway, you have three choices. The blue goal, 
on your left, is the easiest, and it will take you to 43. The green goal is 
also pretty easy to get to. Because I am a moron, I have forgotten where it 
takes you, so anyone who can tell me where it goes gets their name in big 
shiny letters right here. The red one is the hardest to get, but it warps 
you the farthest. EX 43 is pretty hard, though, at least for me, so I usually 
take one of the warps. You don’t have to, though – it’s up to you.

43 – This one is very cool in design, but frustrating in practice. Roll over 
and wait for the first platform. You want to stand back aways, wait until 
it is almost level, then roll forwards. As soon as you get on, brake hard 
and fast. Once you’re on, wait until you’re up high, then just drop onto the 
next platform. From here, get onto the next moving platform using the same 
strategy. From here, though, you will need to wait until you are almost right 
at the top, then roll forwards slightly. You should land on the other platform, 
which will then rise to allow you access to the goal.

44 – This stage looks pretty easy, and it’s even easier in reality. Just make 
sure that you stay on the green line, and you shouldn’t have any trouble. 
Just roll around and get to the goal.

45 – Many people have had trouble with this stage, but it’s made very simple 
with a trick discovered by Joakley. (My arch-nemesis and fellow SMB FAQ 
author.... ^_^) Getting across the first platforms shouldn’t be any trouble, 
but getting across the second ones can be hard. The secret that he discovered 
is to tilt diagonally, and go across like that. We don’t exactly know why 
but you can get across much faster using this, and you won’t really have to 
worry about speed at all. 

46 – There’s not really much I can say here other than just get around the 
circles, keep up a moderate speed, and make sure you don’t fall off at the 
end. Oh, and don’t go for the goal either – EX 47 is one of the easiest stages 
in the game, so you don’t need to take the risk.

47 – I had heard that a lot of people had had trouble with this stage, so 
I sat down with it in Practice and discovered the secret to getting up the 
ledges. What you need to do is to hit them at an angle, then immediately swerve 
to the other side. What works best for me is to move more towards the center, 
and just move forwards. Right before I hit the ledge, I will swerve to the 
left, and as soon as I hit, swerve to the right. Once I’m on, I’ll turn straight 
again until the next one. Using this strategy, I can beat this level every 
time, just about. It really helps...

48 – The key to this level, and the point that many people miss, is that when 
getting around the banks, you don’t want to use your speed. Just tilt against 
the slope, while keeping your speed down, and you should be fine. Get around 
all of the loops, while steadily moving forwards, and you can get ino the 
goal without any major problems.

49 – Turn to the right, and wait until around 0:28:50. Then floor it just 
to the left of where you think you should go, and you should slide right past 
the bumpers and into the goal. Of course, you can also try for the bananas, 
but I can’t help you there. Use the same strategy, but you’ll have to find 
your own benchmarks to move from.

50 – This is it....the last level...and it is cool. Not too hard, especially 
not compared to some, but still very cool. When you get across, you will 
actually be tracing out a diagonal path, while the cube spins around you. 
At the beginning, you can’t do anything, so wait for it to come back. As soon 
as the green platform comes up, get onto it, and wait as the cube closes over 
you. When the red platform becomes horizontal, roll onto it, and then onto 
the blue. All the while keeping your speed at a moderate level, roll onto 
the next green side, then the purple one, and then onto the one with the goal. 
If you don’t make it all the way there, you will be flung into it if you are 
close, but don’t depend on that. 

I haven’t gotten this to work, but it might be an interesting shortcut. If 
you fall off the very first platform before the green one is all the way up, 
you will be flung into the air. I have almost gotten to be flung through the 
goal, and I think it’s possible. There’s no real reason to try this, but it 
would be fun...

Congratulations! You have now completed the game! Well, except for the extra 
stages...and Master Mode... ^_^ Still, this is a big accomplishment, and you 
should be very proud. Go brag to your friends about how you are a bigger Monkey 
Baller than them. *cough*heehee*cough* At this point, you can either start 
practicing these stages to get the extras, or you can recognize your 
limitations. If you’re giving up on signle-player, go find three friends, 
and have yourself a Monkey Ball party. I know you can beat them...

Believe it or not, there are Expert Extra stages, and they were first unlocked 
by that Super Monkey Ball god...

SnapDragon!!

I still don't have any information on what the stages actually are, but I 
do know that there are 10 of them...

VERY IMPORTANT: To unlock the Extra Stages on Expert Mode, you DO NOT have 
to beat it without dying. You do, however, have to beat it without continuing. 
This makes it much easier, but it is still almost impossible...

EX 1 -

EX 2 -

EX 3 -

EX 4 -

EX 5 -

EX 6 -

EX 7 -

EX 8 -

EX 9 -

EX 10 -

*******************************
5.4 Master Mode
*******************************

Yes, there IS a Master Mode. 

And as you probably expected, it was unlocked by...

SnapDragon!!!!

The guy's a SMB god, I'm telling you! (There, I credited you... ^_^)

If you can beat all of Expert Mode and all of the Expert Extra stages without 
continuing, Sega has included a beautiful surprise for you...

Ten more levels, and to quote SnapDragon, "They are friggin' INSANE. They 
make the Expert levels look like Beginner levels. It's so rare that I see 
game developers put content in their games that only a few people will end 
up seeing... I'm so glad Sega actually did this! Sega rocks!" According to 
him, M3 is the hardest level in the game by far...

For anyone who can get there, enjoy, and for the rest of us...well, it gives 
us something more to look forward to... ^_^

M1 – 

M2 – 

M3 – 

M4 – 

M5 – 

M6 – 

M7 – 

M8 – 

M9 – 

M10 - 

-----------------------------------------------------------------
6. Multiplayer
----------------------------------------------------------------- 

*******************************
6.1 Party Games
******************************* 

=========================
6.1.1 Monkey Race
========================= 

I will have tracks, strategies, items, (and when to use them) and just general 
tips that no Monkey Racer should be without.

=========================
6.1.2 Monkey Fight
========================= 

Monkey Fight is complex in its simplicity, but there is still enough for me 
to cover. I’ll have strategies for the various stages and items, and tricks 
to use on your friends.

=========================
6.1.3 Monkey Target
========================= 

Since there is already a great Monkey Target FAQ up on GameFAQs, I'm not going 
to waste your time with a half-assed one. I would HIGHLY recommend that you 
check out PRevolution's Monkey Target FAQ, which can be found at:

db.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/super_monkey_ball_monkey_target.t
xt

Check it out...

*******************************
6.2 Mini Games
******************************* 

=========================
6.2.1 Monkey Billiards
========================= 

I don’t really know what I’m going to include in this section, but rest assured 
I’ll find something... ^_^

=========================
6.2.2 Monkey Bowling
========================= 

This will mostly be strategies for completing Championship Mode, since 
there’s not a lot of strategy involved in playing against your friends...

=========================
6.2.3 Monkey Golf
========================= 

This is going to be a big section, I bet, since I’ll have strategies for ever 
single hole...

-----------------------------------------------------------------
7. Secrets
----------------------------------------------------------------- 

As you play through the single-player game, you will accumulate Play Points. 
(See below if you want to know how they are calculated.)

For each 2500 Play Points you earn, you can unlock a Mini Game. (See Section 
6.2 - Mini Games) After you have unlocked all three of the Mini Games, you 
will start to earn more continues. After 9 Continues, the next will be 
Infinite Continues. Like this:

2500 -  Mini Game 1
5000 -  Mini Game 2
7500 -  Mini Game 3
10000 - 6 Continues
12500 - 7 Continues
15000 - 8 Continues
17500 - 9 Continues
20000 - Infinite Continues

Of course, these aren't really "secrets", since they all appear either in 
the manual or in the game itself, but hey, I've got a section to fill... 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SKIP THIS PART IF YOU DON'T CARE HOW THE POINTS ARE CALCULATED
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

NOTE: This section is now under construction, awaiting further research into 
the Play Point formulas....

After lengthy experimentation, I have figured out a formula for the base value 
of normal stages. Each floor beaten gives you a set number of points. For 
Beginner, the first stage is worth 21 Points, for Advanced, 22, and for Expert, 
23. Each stage after the first is worth one more point, i.e. BE 2 is worth 
22 points and EX 4 is worth 26. From this, we can derive a formula for the 
points earned on any given game. For this, we will take a base score of 20, 
and add to that the floor number and the difficulty bonus, which is 1 for 
Advanced and 2 for Expert. This means that for any given turn, the points 
earned on that one stage is equal to:

20 + Stage# + Diff. Bonus

From here, SnapDragon and I independently figured out parts of the complete 
formula. The Play Points you receive are composed of:

1) The base point value of each level, that you get when you beat it. For 
normal levels, this is as described above. (20 + N + B) However, there are 
exceptions! On Bonus Levels (BE 5, AD 10, etc. ) and Final Levels, (BE 10, 
AD 30, EX 50) the base value of the level is instead 10*N. So the base value 
for the Expert levels are, in order, 23, 24, 25, 26, 50, 28, 29, 30, 31, 100, 
33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 200, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 
300, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 400, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 
70, 71, 500. The base value of the Extra levels is weird. On Beginner, they 
are worth 40, 70, and 131 (oddly). We haven't checked what they are in Advanced 
and Expert. (Master Mode values can be found below.) 
 
2) The streak bonus. When you pass your second goal on one life, you get an 
extra 1 point for that level. When you pass your third goal on one life, you 
get another 1 point. After your fourth, you get 2 points extra. Same with 
your fifth. After your sixth you get 3 points extra; and so on. The streak 
bonus increases by 1 for every two levels you go without dying. 
 
Note that when you warp, you don't get points for the levels you skip. Also, 
failing a Bonus level doesn't count as dying (it still counts as passing a 
level). 
 
So, suppose you're playing Beginner. You go through levels 1, 2 (warp), 5, 
6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, dying only once, on level 9. Then you'll get 21 + 22+1 
+ 50+1 + 26+2 + 27+2 + 28+3 + 29 + 100+1 = 313 Play Points. 
 
Incidentally, this means that to get the absolute maximum number of Play 
Points, you must make it through all 50 Expert levels AND all 10 Extra levels 
without dying. Cough. Good luck. :)

(The above was written before SnapDragon unlocked Master Mode... ^_^)


Going to add this here, since it doesn't seem to fit anywhere else yet:

Master Mode Play Point Values:

M1 - 250
M2 - 260
M3 - 270
M4 - 280
M5 - 290
M6 - 300
M7 - 310
M8 - 320
M9 - 330
M10 - 700

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LONG AND BORING FORMULA SECTION ENDS HERE
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

-----------------------------------------------------------------
8. FAQs
----------------------------------------------------------------- 
This will just be a collection of questions I've head about the game.

1) Why won't my game save? I unlocked [something] but when I turned my game 
back on, it wasn't there! What's wrong?

A) You need to turn on auto-save. Go into Options -> Game Data and set Autosave 
to ON. Now your game should save automatically whenever anything is unlocked. 
You could also save the game manually, but I find that autosave is much, much 
easier.

2) Is there a Master Mode??

A) Yes. See Section 5.4 - Master Mode for more info on how Snap got it.

3) Does this game rock?

A) Yes. Yes it does. A lot. ^_^

4) Is there a way to watch my replays in slow motion??

A) Why yes, yes there is... Just hit X while watching a replay to stop it, 
then hold A to watch it in slow motion. (Contributed by KidBomb)

-----------------------------------------------------------------
9. Disclaimer
----------------------------------------------------------------- 

Please don't steal my FAQ. I worked pretty hard on it, and I'd prefer it if 
it wasn't plagiarized. Thanks. ^_^

The only places this FAQ is authorized to appear, as of now, are:

www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
www.a2zcheats.com
www.cheatcc.com
www.steviemarsh.co.uk

If you see it anywhere else, please contact me.

Oh, and this FAQ is copyright (c) 2001 Tom Church

-----------------------------------------------------------------
10. Closing
----------------------------------------------------------------- 

Thanks to:

Nintendo - If you haven't noticed, you're playing on their console...
Amusement Vision - Making this masterpiece, of course...
SEGA - Producing this game...
GameFAQs - Great site, and the message boards are great...
Jeff "CJayC" Veasey - Putting this FAQ up... 
PRevolution - For making an incredible Monkey Target FAQ...
SnapDragon (he gets his own section) - AD 11 warp strategies, play point 
formula, info on how the punchers tilt with the stage, unlocking the Expert 
Extra stages, (and info on them) and unlocking MASTER MODE!! (He also was 
kind enough to give me the play point values for all of the Master Mode 
stages... ^_^)
ArchO, kcin, and Chad Kulesa - For sending in their strategies on how to get 
the warp goal on AD 11.
rawisjericho24 - For his strategies on AD 30, AD 9, and AD 12.
chmcalbro - For his strategy for the block lattice on EX 7.
Schmeerskahooven - Info on punchers and strategy for AD 26.
RedPh - For his strategy for BE 7.
Alex (munchia) - For his strategy on AD 17.
KidBomb – For reminding me to add Slow Motion Replays to the FAQ.
Viewers Like You - Reading the FAQ, silly! Contributions accepted... 

Any contributions, opinions, flames, questions should be sent to me at:

[email protected]

I try to respond to most emails, but sometimes I just can't. I've been getting 
an average of 6 or 7 emails about the FAQ a day, and it's only been up for 
3 days...