Expert Mode Walkthrough Copyright 2004 by AJB SONIC (ajbsonic@aol.com) This FAQ can only be posted on GameFAQs. Feel free to print out copies for yourself and friends, but take no credit for it! You can email me praise, criticism, new strategies, etc. Email regarding this FAQ must have "Super Monkey Ball Expert Guide" as the subject. Just don't flame me too hard, this is my first FAQ. CONTENTS: I: Intro II: Crash Course III: Expert Walkthrough IV: Expert Extra Walkthrough V: Special Thanks =================================== I: Intro Super Monkey Ball (as well as its sequel), are probably the best games on GameCube. An addictive main mode, and ingenious party games. Very fun stuff, even better than Mario Party. Last time I checked on GameFAQs, there was no specific Expert Mode FAQ, so here we are now. I have also named the floors and given a difficulty rating from 1-10 (10 being the hardest). Floors with an asterisk have warp goal(s). =================================== II: Crash Course In Super Monkey Ball's main mode, you have to get the monkey in a plastic ball to the goal. The floors are full of bumpers and deformed platforms trying to hinder your progress. The floors are also full of bananas. 100 bananas will give you an extra life. You get 3 lives per continue, and it is recommended that you get infinite continues before you seriously decide to complete Expert. The bonus floors have you collecting all the bananas on the floor in the time limit. If you lose, you get a "Bonus Finish" and you go to the next floor without losing a life. This FAQ doesn't go out of its way to get bananas, it just gets you through the goal and if any bananas cross your way, so be it. Let's get to the walkthrough! =================================== III: Expert Walkthrough Floor 1: Holes Difficulty: 1 Just hold up. You'll jump the holes and get to the goal. Getting bananas will be a little trickier. *Floor 2: Red & Blue Difficulty Normal: 2 Warp: 5 Go to the fork and pick your path. The left is level and leads to the normal (blue) goal. The right goes up a steep narrow hill and leads to the warp goal (red) and bananas. *Warps to Floor 5. *Floor 3: Flip Difficulty Normal: 2 Warp: 9 The second half of this platform rotates. The normal goal on one side and the warp on the other. The catch is that the normal goal side slows down so you can enter, and the warp side doesn't. To get momentum to successfully go to the flip side and get in the goal is too much effort. Just go to the normal goal. *Warps to Floor 5. Floor 4: Obstacle Course Difficulty: 5 Make the turns, go over the hills, and follow the moving platforms. The first 2 platforms move horizontally and connect, the third moves in a circle. Then jump the two bumps (there's a gap after the first bump), then up the ramp and onto the platform below. Carefully traverse the bumpers and then across the thin walkway. Bonus Floor 5: Classic There are 50 bananas to get. Go in a circle, collecting the bananas as you go. Then get the banana in the middle and then the banana on the platform jutting out from the square. Floor 6: Little Blocks Difficulty: 4 The big block will split eventually into 2x2 blocks. Step on one when it comes and ride it to the middle. Then run to the block across from the one you were on. It'll take you to the goal. Floor 7: Early Evil Difficulty: 10 This is by far one of the hardest levels in Expert! It's long, skinny, and well, hard! Ok. Blast up the hill and go in front of the skinny peak. Get some speed and go over the hill as straight as possible (use the tiles on the floor to help you). Go down the steps ASAP and approach the blocks. The safest way to beat them is to go along their diagonals (from now on known as the familiar term "cornering"). After you cross the blocks, you've got a long skinny bridge between you and the goal. Cross it quickly, but don't be ruthless. And whatever you do, don't let the 10-second countdown psyche you out! When you complete this floor (especially for the first time), be proud. I'm not saying the rest of Expert is easy, but it won't get much harder than this. Floor 8: Shortcut Difficulty: 3 So, you beat floor 7? Congratulations. You're rewarded with an easy floor. This floor can be completed by going the right way, but only if you're really fast, so just take the shortcut. So from the beginning, drop down to the platform below to the right. Mind the hole! Do it again. Now go to the top right corner and enjoy the roller-coaster ride to the goal. Floor 9: Racetrack Difficulty: 8 It's getting harder! Like Advanced 11, there are 5 paths leading to the same end. The path thicknesses go from .1 to .5 (probably) inches. The .1 path is the shortest with the most bananas, but the turns are sharp and the path is very skinny. Pick .5. It has no bananas, but the path is the easiest and the turns are shallower. Take your time. Easy on the turns and when you hit the straightaway you might want to go a little faster to make up for the time on the curves. Bonus Floor 10: Ripples There are 50 bananas in 2 circles and the floor ripples like a droplet in a stagnant stream. And you only have 30 seconds! I like to go in the circles once and get what I can, and then go back and get what I missed. This isn't an easy bonus. Floor 11: Goin' Down Difficulty: 5 Go down the ramp and avoid the bumpers as you go. Simple as that. I advise you don't go faster than gravity, and hold back on the control stick and slow down a little on the tight bumper areas. Floor 12: Gears Difficulty: 5 Board the first gear and roll to the other side, and hopefully get to the second gear, repeat. Remember that when you roll the gear is moving, so keep that in mind. Take it easy and don't make it harder than it is. Floor 13: Holey Cow! Difficulty: 5 Lots of holes. Go in between the first set, bounce, over the second, bounce, and get to the sunken in area with the big 8 holes. Go across it and build up speed on the straightaway. Bounce over the gap at the end, make 2 rights, corner the skinny bridge and into the goal you go. Floor 14: Precision Bumpers Difficulty: 6 Go straight and get in between the two bumpers going the perimeter of the platform. Do the same for the next set. Then lean towards the banana so the bumper doesn't hit you. Repeat two more times, go across the bridge, and break the tape. Floor 15: Too Easy for Expert! Difficulty: 1 Notice the odd bumpers? Anyway, this level is the easiest Expert level. Start going straight, ease up a bit, and hit the goal! But if you want all the bananas, good luck! Floor 16: Steep Slant Difficulty: 6 Go to the end of the skinny platform and go on the steep slant. Corner to the goal. Hold back to make it easier. Floor 17: Big Rings Difficulty: 6 For this huge stage you only use the small part at the top! Weave to the goal. The rings are conveyors that go against you with bumpers placed at certain intervals. The last few rows have a slight bump you need to go over, so bear that in mind. Floor 18: Long Tilt Difficulty: 4 Wait for the platform to go all the way left and right when it starts going right roll on and to the goal. Stay towards the left. Floor 19: Diagonal Checkerboard (kind of) Difficulty: 4 Just go to the goal. The ramps get steeper as you ascend. A pretty no-frills stage. Bonus Floor 20: Bumper Mania There's 40 bananas in the jumble of bumpers. Just swiftly follow the banana lines straight through and try to avoid the bumpers. Floor 21: Knockers Difficulty: 6 Go straight across as fast as possible. There are 2 knockers that will knock you into a Fall Out if they hit you. Move away from the oncoming knocker just enough so that it doesn't hit, but you don't fall off. Floor 22: SEGA Difficulty: 8 There are MANY ways to do this, but this is what I do (I am open to easier routes if you wish to email them). I go off the ramp and. If I land on the first line: I go to the end of it and hop to the bottom line of the top of the E. Then I bump to the outer part of the G. Roll onto the A, bump into the inside part, and into the goal. If I land on the second line: I go to the end of it and hop to the outer part of the E. Go to the bottom and skim the edge of it and bump onto the outer G (the part that's not curved). Then follow the ending of the top method. Floor 23: Pulsating Zigzag Difficulty: 2 Very easy. Follow the zigzag and don't fight the platforms. You just kinda do it. Floor 24: Stretched Out Slinky Difficulty: 3 Doesn't it look like a slinky that was stretched out and strained that way? Anyway, although it's possible, it takes a long time to beat if you follow the route. There is a shortcut you should always take, because it is the matter of 20 seconds and a 10 second warning. Go down the platform. Soon you'll see a part of the route that can be jumped to easily. Do it. Now just go along the platform. Floor 25: Half-Pipes Difficulty: 3 Think of a half-pipe as if you're about to drop in. See them in a row. That's the stage. Now, you must keep momentum for if you can't get over one of the pipes, you won't get enough momentum and you should just commit suicide. When you drop in, bump on the inside curve so you roll down it and roll up the other. Keep that mantra and get the goal. BTW, I'm not a skater. The half- pipe thing was just the first thing that came to mind. Yay! Halfway done! Floor 26: Freefall Difficulty: 3 Put your map on the up-close view. Literally just follow the arrows and bananas. For the last two drops, adjust your map to the closest setting. When you bounce from impact, look at your map to plan where to bounce. I think this stage is really fun. Floor 27: Corner Test Difficulty: 6 There are two paths to take. One with bananas and one without. The banana path is quite hard, so stick with the non-banana path. Stay as straight as possible on the corners and don't fidget the control stick. This is all skill. Floor 28: Super Bowl Difficulty: 7 There's two ways to do this, the normal way and the shortcut way. If you want to do the real way, roll forward and hold the ball against the path. It gets steeper as you go. I prefer to take the shortcut. Hold up as you start. On the straightaway, right when the time hits 56:99, roll off the path to the left and you should go right in the goal. Floor 29: Conveyor Difficulty: 4 Get on the first conveyor and try to hold still as you wait for the next one. Because of the camera (it points the way the monkey faces), you might need to alter yourself a bit. Alternate conveyors and remember that the last one slants downwards. Bonus Floor 30: Pyramids Finally a new bonus floor! There are 50 bananas scattered on the tops of certain pyramids on the floor. You have a whole minute. Go around the borders until you get to the center, getting the bananas as you go. Floor 31: Four Big Blocks Difficulty: 4 Before we begin, take some time to admire (in my opinion) the best background and BGM! Notice the penguins jumping from background island to island, the huge snowflakes, and the reflective floor! Good stuff! Anyway, this floor is four blocks with gaps in between. Right when the level starts [I usually] bump to the right block. Then go to the corner furthest from the goal. Muster up speed and hop that gap too. Go to the goal. Floor 32: Ever-Narrowing Spiral Difficulty: 6 Couldn't think up a better name. This floor is a flat spiral that gets skinnier as you go. It's easy until you get to the last few skinny alterations. Coincentally, the last part of the spiral is the width of Baby, so logically, Baby is the easiest to beat this with and Gongon would be hardest, because of the monkey sizes. Keep trying and you'll do it. This one is fun too once you master it. Floor 33: Black Hole Difficulty: 5 This floor slopes down to a hole in the bottom. Use centrifugal force while avoiding the obstacles to swing around to the goal. Floor 34: Drums Difficulty: 3 Sega and AV have put their names in this game too many times! Look inside the middle drum. Yep, that's the AV logo! Anyway, just stay on top of the drums and advance when it's safe. Floor 35: Soft Serve Difficulty: 5 The rotating part of this level looks like soft serve ice cream! How appropriate for a cold world! Anyway, get on a side of the platform, and advance at the same speed as the rotation. Don't go too fast or too slow. Find the happy medium and stay there. Mind you the platform goes slowly, so don't get impatient. At the other side, break the tape. Floor 36: Bumper Limbo Difficulty: 6 Enter the bumper fray and stay inbetween the bumpers as you go. After memorizing how the bumpers move this floor won't be as hard. Floor 37: Boing! Difficulty: 2 Very easy and fun. Roll onto the first trampoline immediately. It will bounce you. HOLD UP THE ENTIRE TIME. You'll be very close to the goal. Let the trampoline bounce you up and in the goal. Floor 38: Connectors Difficulty: 3 Very linear. Centrifugal force is your only enemy. Don't forget the goal platform moves too! Floor 39: Slide Ramps Difficulty: 4 The ramps slide back and forth in an alternating fashion. They'll slide slow and fast alternating too. Stay as straight as possible and go across the ramps when they're moving slow. Bonus Floor 40: Bonus Finish Very odd. 50 bananas move down the long stage, and you must follow them to get them. After an extremely Monkey Target beginning, try to roll the speed of the bananas to get them. Don't go too fast or too slow. At the end the bananas will fly away and a goal is waiting for you. Why is this floor called "Bonus Finish"? Because that's the only thing you'll get on this bonus stage. You WILL NOT get all the bananas. Floor 41: Bowl With A Hole Difficulty: 2 This final world is hard to classify. Oh well. Admire the downpour and your reflection in the slick floor, and roll into the bowl. Use centrifugal force to get to the goal. *Floor 42: Corner Challenge Difficulty Normal: 4 Green Warp: 7 Red Warp: 8 Finally, some warps! This is the ultimate cornering test. Follow the corners to each goal. Much easier said than done. Another pure skill floor. *Green warps to Floor 44. *Red warps to Floor 45. Floor 43: Ferris Wheels Difficulty: 7 There are 2 Ferris wheels. The first one rotates slowly and the second one goes back and forth making an almost revolution. I like to go to the end of the catwalk and wait for the available Ferris platform. It doesn't connect to your catwalk and you'll need to fall onto it. It'll swing around and connect to the middle platform. Wait for the second Ferris platform to ride up to you (it connects). Once on and at the very top, fall to the bottom platform. It will connect to the goal platform. Confused yet? This one's hard to explain in words. Floor 44: Convex Difficulty: 3 Not too hard. Follow the top of the convex pipe to the end. Just stay in the green and don't take your time too much, because you only have 30 sec. Floor 45: Stuck in the Middle Difficulty: 4 You cross the flipping platforms by wedging yourself in between. Just judge the first phase on when to cross, and once on the divider platform, stay on the opposite side of the second flip phase. When you think it's right, blast on the platforms and hold up-left. Hold it until you break the tape. *Floor 46: More Centrifugal Difficulty Normal: 4 Warp: 10 Start by going to the left and weave through the steepening circles. If you did it right you'll eventually hit the goal. Now for the warp. that bowl is very steep and will be tough to get out of without falling through. I never use that warp because it's too much trouble and skips easy floors. *Warps to Floor 48. Floor 47: Completely Random Difficulty: 5 This is the most random floor ever. You have to go up 3 steps to get the goal. You usually go up the first two well and get hung up on the third step. If you get hung up, go as far as you can away from the step (without going down) and ram into the step. Eventually you'll bump up. Break the tape. Floor 48: Race Difficulty: 5 You have 30 seconds to go all the way around the track with banked curves and no shortcuts. Ready, Set, GO! I eventually get in a groove when I do this floor so it shouldn't be too hard. Floor 49: Carousel Difficulty: 5 There are a bunch of bumpers going in a circle guarding bananas. One guards the goal. Just find a way in and go in. Don't think too hard. Floor 50: Box Difficulty: 3 So easy! You'll see the box open until it is reconstructed inside-out, and then it'll come back. Follow it as it opens and open the last party ball at the end. Congratulations! You're done! But if you didn't get a Game Over. =================================== IV: Expert Extra Walkthrough Here we are, Expert Extra. This is no easy task to unlock, it will take you many tries to get this far. There are 10 Extra floors. Some are farmiliar, some are just crazy! Extra 1: Nothing new. If you've unlocked Expert Extra, then you've unlocked Beginner and Advanced Extra too. This is the same first extra floor as the other difficulty levels! Anyway, think of this as Expert 23, just go straight. This shouldn't be hard. Extra 2: Alternation This floor's floor will drop in an alternating fashion. Corner what you can but don't rush. You might want to study the floor to find the route that's best for you. Extra 3: It's Just Bigger This should be farmiliar from the previous Extra modes. Only here the wall around the goal is bigger and faster. Go to the left side of the square and face the goal. Eventually it will slow down, and when it does and it is facing you, blast through it. Extra 4: Ferris Wheel Model II Pretty easy. Roll onto one of the platforms and ride it to the goal. The camera might play games with you so your map might be helpful. Extra 5: Goal Factory Now it's getting weird. Roll to the other side and wait on the furthest-most edge. Trust your instincts and when you're ready, roll towards the goals and hopefully you'll land in one. Extra 6: Corkscrew Roll inside and take it cautiously. Know where the holes are in the corkscrew and enjoy the ride. Don't hit the goal platform too hard and break the tape. Extra 7: Contraption Wait for it to extend and get aboard it. It does have a bump where it overlaps so mind that. Take your time and remember the orange circles are safe spots. Eventually you'll get to the goal. Extra 8: They Better Empty Their Recycle Bin! Also making appearances in Beginner Extra and Advanced Extra, this final AV cameo is the same as all the others. Hop on the AV and move around the V. Turn around, watch your footing, and roll in the goal. Extra 9: Planets Almost identical to the Super Monkey Ball 2 floor of the same name, you make your way across these sphere-like shapes to the goal on the bottom planet. You can go down slowly once at a time or make a suicide run to the goal. No matter how you do it, this floor will require skill, and a lot of it. Extra 10: Hammer Time! This is a novelty level. There are 6 platforms top to bottom that are hammered away by a hammer on the ground floor. Follow the hammer as it hammers away the numbered floors. Immediately after #2 is hit away, roll into the goal on #1 before the hammer hits it. YOU DID IT! If you still did not receive a Game Over, you're off to the Master floors. But there's a walkthrough for them and I didn't unlock them yet, so my FAQ ends here. Good luck! =================================== V: Special Thanks Sega and AV: For making the Monkey Ball games and winning the award for most logo cameos. Nintendo: For exclusively putting the games on GameCube. Dole: For being the first fruit company to join with a game, and also winning the award for most logo cameos. Everyone: For not making an exclusive Expert guide, thus making me the first one to do so! *Email me with strategies, new floor titles, glitches, etc. to have your name here too!* ===================================================================END OF FAQ