I grew up with Super Monkey Ball 2, and getting all the way through Expert and Master is a breeze to me. But I never played the first one until I emulated it on my Steam Deck.
It mopped the floor with me. To get to Master level, you first need to go through 50 Expert stages AND the 10 extra stages without losing your 3 lives. And only now have I made it to the end of the Master level.
Once you make it to the Master level though, you can die as much as you want since you can use a continue. That’s why my score is 0.
And the funniest part? This game is actually easier than the second one. It’s just that it’s more unforgiving. SMB2 allowed you to have up to 99 lives, but the first one kept you at 3.
