Monkeys ruining friendships

I feel like I start over half of my reviews with the phrase “I had never heard of insert game name here until I was asked to review it.” Well, I had never heard of Bonkies before I had been asked to review it. I guess that’s my classic intro. What I found out was Bonkies is not only a pretty good game, but also a difficult, yet simple one, one that will have players cheering one minute and at each other’s throats the next. It is the physics-based storm that really encompasses the thought of “party game.”

It’s a simple concept – use jetpack wielding monkeys to grab and push differently shaped blocks into a formation and hold them there for an allotted time, oh, and score is all based on how quickly players can get this done. If only it was that simple. Not only are players having to deal with movement, positioning, and stability of structures, they also have to worry about how gentle they are with their placement as well as the other players that are trying to accomplish the same thing.

MSRP: $14.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, Switch, PC

Each monkey has a jetpack that can be used to project them across the area. They also have a single claw arm that can grapple a block. Here’s the thing, many blocks in co-op mode require multiple monkeys to lift. So coordination is a must when playing with other people. On top of that, having to make sure the entire structure is balanced is a task in and of itself. One small bump can have the entire thing tumbling over, and that is really going to upset some of the co-op partners that have been on pins and needles trying to make everything work thus far. Oh, and did I mention some blocks act differently than others? Yep. There’s even glass blocks that will break into smaller pieces if they are dropped too hard or slammed into another block.

What makes the game feel great are those moments of triumph. Even if the structure I built was most definitely not up to code and looked about as ugly as sin, as long as it held in place for my timer, I was happy to see it finally complete. It’s one of those gameplay aspects that gives off the rewarding feeling just right. The only issue is, with players that aren’t too familiar with games, people are not going to get this feeling very much. While it is a simple concept that everyone can get, the execution is one that requires the hands of a rather competent gamer. A person that is only familiar with Mario Party is really going to struggle with the pinpoint accuracy that is required here. It’s going to end up being a “this game is too hard” and will end up not being played after the first few tries.

For those wondering, while this is a co-op game at heart, there is a full single player campaign to play through. It has numerous levels at increasing difficulty that can keepeven the most skilled Bonkies players on their toes for a few hours. Even for the single player only people, there is enough here to keep them busy for a little while.

Bonkies has a place in the party game universe, and it succeeds in making an entertaining night for players that have a good grasp on video games. Unfortunately, for the players looking for a new couch co-op game to play with non-gaming friends, this mayend up being a one and done kind of game.Luckily, there is a single player that is pretty decent for when the friends actually do go home. If you’re into puzzle games with a deliberate frustrating twist, this is your game. If you don’t think you can handle the semi-rare feeling of completing a level, you may want to wait for a price drop, at least.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.