New NES Game From Former Elite Beat Agents Devs Looks Totally Bananas

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Work3 Studio, a new development team comprised of former Elite Beat Agents and Osu! Tatakae Ouendan! devs, has announced that it is working on a brand-new NES game, which is set to bring some monkey-based puzzling to real hardware (thanks for the heads up, VGC).

Banana Bash! is a single-screen arcade-style puzzler being built on a massive 4-megabit cartridge — "one of the largest ever for the NES," the team claims. It looks part Pac-Man, part sliding block puzzle, with its primate protagonist swinging across the stages to avoid enemies and pick up fruit.

The momentum-based movement and groovy soundtrack had us sold on this one, but the real kicker is how the dev specifies it will be "100% complete and fully functional on real NES hardware", complete with its own cartridge, box and manual. Mmmm, physical...

All this is set to be funded via a Kickstarter page, which Work3 states will start accepting donations around June 2025. The page itself is now live, providing a rundown of the game's key features and a handful of screenshots (which you can also find below):

Massive Game Size: One of the biggest NES games ever made, boasting 4 megabits of pure fun.
Simultaneous 2 Player Battle Mode: Take on a friend in the battle arena to see who's the master of monkey business!
Addictive combo and ranking system: The combo system rewards established and confident players with higher and higher points resulting in a higher rank reward on stage completion!
Immersive Gameplay: A unique blend of action and puzzles with mechanics that challenge and delight.
Vibrant Visuals & Sound: Stunning 8-bit art and a toe-tapping modern soundtrack with key and beat-synced sound effects that keep the energy high.
Tons of gameplay features: Warp through holes, spin on poles, twirl on discs, smash through walls, launch off punching blocks, and more! and also use these features to attack the enemy!
Speed Runner-friendly gameplay: Stages can be practiced and researched for optimum speed and maximum scoring routes!

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We like to think that we'll all be deep in the throes of Switch 2 by the time Banana Bash! finally swings our way, but it might be nice to hop back over to the NES for a slice of something a little more retro between all that modernity.

We'll be keeping an eye on the Kickstarter for more news on this one over the coming months.

What do you make of Banana Bash? Will you be picking it up? Let us know in the comments.