Rasta Monkey Review

There’s something compelling about bright colours, bouncy reggae inspired music and a monkey that conforms to Rastafarian stereotypes. As soon as you boot up Rasta Monkey you’re greeted with something instantly engaging, and it lasts, too.

While you’re still amused by the game’s presentation, it lightly introduces the gameplay mechanics, explained by your dad, whose text is spelled in an appropriately ‘Rastafarian’ manner. The object of the game is to swing from branch to branch of the Jamdown Jungle, collecting fruit for your dad to make a fruit shake with.

The gameplay is brilliant fun and remarkably well implemented. You swing on a branch by touching the screen in two places, and letting go will propel your Rasta monkey through the air. Small additions are gradually added throughout the game, like ropes and space ships. That these additions do little to change the game doesn’t matter because swinging never stops being fun. Rasta Monkey is a relaxed experience: you don’t have a time limit and you can’t lose all your lives; so it’s easy to just kick back and enjoy it.

Your initial encounters with these additions might try your patience, partly because the game doesn’t tell you how to use them, but they only take a few minutes of fun away from the several hours of enjoyment you’ll get. There are only ten levels, but they’re thoroughly enjoyable and you’ll be genuinely disappointed that there isn’t more tree-top fun to be had.

The graphics aren’t as crisp as they could have been, though this is barely noticeable, and the game’s minimalist style fits its tone well. Combine this with a worryingly catchy soundtrack and you’ve got something that will put a smile on your face from start to finish and beyond.

We strongly recommend Rasta Monkey, especially at the current promotional price. It might not take long to finish, but it will grab you in an instant and captivate you throughout.