Banana Island – Bobo's Epic Tale is an arcade styled game for Windows 10 where you must help a small monkey, Bobo, save his girlfriend. His journey is filled with platforms to navigate, dangers to dodge, treasures to collect and quests to complete.
Available for Windows 10 Mobile, this free game has over 100 levels of play that span six different island environments. Graphics are full of color and gaming controls are simple and responsive. To help you survive the journey, power-ups are available throughout to give Bobo a boost. There are also a few customizations (hats, glasses, etc.) to give Bobo a little fashion flare.
Banana Island does have a casual pace, but isn't exactly a pushover. Instead, it comes across as a fun and entertaining way to spend a little down time.
Gameplay is mapped out across six island environments and includes over 100 levels of play. Each level has a series of performance quests that Bobo needs to complete before he advances to the next level. These quests include collecting a number of coins, pounce on a few angry baboons, collect treasure, etc. As Bobo completes a level, he earns stars based on his performance and the more stars Bobo earns, new islands become available.
The game screen for Banana Island has your gold collected count, points and quest progress displayed across the top of the display. When you tap the screen to start gameplay, Bobo's forward progress is automatic and all you need to concentrate on is jumping Bobo around the screen to collect coins, gems and avoid dangers. Controls are simple: tap the screen to make Bobo jump. The longer the tap, the higher he jumps. If you want Bobo to glide, tap and hold the screen while he is in mid-jump. This is a handy move when Bobo needs to collect coins that are positioned at an angle or if Bobo needs to slow his descent to avoid a danger.
Along with the glide move, you can swipe down at the screen while Bobo is jumping to make him dive hard back to the ground. This move helps Bobo bash enemy gorillas and baboons for points or to satisfy quests.
Power-ups are available throughout gameplay and includes a magnet to pull the coins to Bobo, a shield to protect Bobo from attack and a coin multiplier. Coins collected land in Bobo's bank account and can be used in the game's store to buy hats and glasses to give Bobo a customized appearance and to buy power-ups that can be used as needed during a game.
Dangers include gorillas and baboons, some of which are fitted with jetpacks, who punch and throw bananas at Bobo to ruin his day. You also have piranha plants, spike pits and more to avoid. Along with the jumping actions, some levels include vine-swinging action. As you progress through the levels, the dangers become more frequent and gameplay keeps you on your toes.
The game experience with Banana Island is good. Gameplay is not as intense as other platform games, but that doesn't translate to an easier game. Banana Island does a nice job of testing your skills at timing and reaction as dangers appear on the screen.
Graphics are decent and full of color, and the controls are very simple while the challenge of gameplay keeps you on your toes. The only possible downside to this free Windows 10 Mobile game rests with its ad support. After each level of play, a full-screen ad appears that needs to be closed out before you can continue playing Banana Island. This is not a deal breaker, but can get old. As an alternative, I would have rather seen an ad-banner running along the bottom of the menu and scoring screens.
Nonetheless, Banana Island – Bobo's Epic Tale is a fun addition to the arcade/platform game lineup in the Windows Store. It does have a slight casual gaming feel but has plenty of challenges to keep you busy.
Download Banana Island – Bobo's Epic Tale from the Windows Store
