Full ReleasePC

Bombanana!

Lefto Studio · Puzzle, Indie, Party Game

Overview

Chaotic bomb disposal fun with friends & monkeys! Work together as a 3-player co-op team of blind, deaf, and mute monkeys. Each player has only part of the needed information. Communicate, solve puzzles, and race against the clock. Can you defuse the bombs before they explode?

BOMBANANA! is a chaotic, explosively funny co-op multiplayer game for three, where each player has only part of the information - blind monkey, deaf monkey and mute monkey must work together to defuse a bomb, or everyone goes BOOM! Will your friendship survive the ultimate test?

MEET YOUR SQUAD!

🙈 Blind Monkey: You can’t see the bomb, but you can touch the bomb! 👍 Sadly, you can’t see colors or read screens. You’ll need to rely on your teammates for the rest.

🙊 Mute Monkey: You are the only one who can read the bomb disposal manual. If only you could tell the others what you know.

🙉 Deaf Monkey: You can see the bomb and you can see your friends as they frantically gesture at you. Sadly, you can’t hear a thing, but at this point, would you even want to?

As you gamble with your friends' lives, you must rely on each other and your monkeys' unique abilities. Communication is key, and there’s no one right way to defuse the bomb. We don’t impose any methods: wave, shout, throw bananas. Working out how you communicate is your job.

WARNING!

Players can and should expect peak amounts of misunderstanding, unjust accusations, and desperate body language, placing your friendships in jeopardy. Just because you keep talking, that doesn't mean nobody explodes. Even if you manage to survive the bomb, there's no guarantee your friendship will. Some might call this game "friendslop". We disagree. If anything, it's a new genre: anti-friendslop, or perhaps an argument simulator. 🤔

We’ll let you be the judge!

FEATURES!

3-Player Co-op - No more, no less. Exactly three monkeys required

3 Game Modes -

Campaign - 30 handcrafted levels with increasing difficulty

Endless - Procedurally generated, wave-based levels that keep getting harder

Custom - Players create their own challenge by adjusting bomb difficulty, the timer, module types, environmental hazards, and how many mistakes are allowed

Asymmetric Roles - Every player sees, hears, and acts differently

Fun interactions - Point, wave, gesture or flail wildly. Your options are only limited by your imagination and each player's Emote wheel

Slapping - Obviously an essential feature

New Environments: We all know the trusty minivan, but what about a plane? What other environments can you defuse bombs in?

Environmental Hazards: Navigate events like power outages, obstructions and loud interruptions

Voice Chat - Some of you can talk, some of you can’t. You’ll figure it out

Puzzle Modules - Each bomb has different modules and different rules, all of which are guaranteed to induce different kinds of panic

Level System - Defuse the bomb to unlock new levels. The better you get, the harder they are

Color Blind Mode - Just because the monkey is blind, doesn’t mean he can’t defuse a bomb! Colors used across objects and the UI have been adapted to support two different types of color blindness.

From the game's Steam store page.

THE GAMEQ VERDICT1,016 reviews analyzed

What players are actually saying

1. Summary

BOMBANANA! is a three-player co-op bomb defusal game in the vein of Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes: one monkey is blind and handles the bomb, one is deaf and sees the bomb's surface, and one is mute and holds the manual. It sold for about $8 (around $5 on launch sale). 97% of reviews are positive, and much of what reviewers write is about the laughter and shouting that come from three friends who can't talk to each other properly. Slapping teammates and throwing beer bottles and bananas are both the comedy and a real communication tool. Several reviewers who know Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes say this three-way version is more approachable and more fun, and the reviewers who mention the price call it a steal.

Most of the complaints come from people who recommend the game. The 30-level campaign is short (usually three to six hours), and once a group learns the modules the game gets easy, so the most common request is more modules, more levels and Steam Workshop support. The mute player's gesture set is too thin (there is no way to show "zero"), new modules often can't be solved without failing first and talking it over in the lobby, and Morse code is the module people most often call unfun. Needing exactly three players who each own the game is the main barrier to entry.

2. What keeps coming up

What players praise

Three-way miscommunication with friendsHigh

34% of all reviews explicitly frame the game around playing with friends. A running joke is that it's great for "ruining friendships": players describe yelling at a teammate who can't hear them, forgetting they are the mute monkey and shouting instructions anyway, telling the blind monkey to "cut the yellow wire", and finding out which friend can't tell left from right or read a grid. Reviewers say the comedy comes out of the roles without feeling forced, and that failing a level is often as funny as clearing it. Several say every monkey is needed, and that the best part is inventing a private language (nods, finger counts, thrown objects) as a group. The few dissenters say the fun depends entirely on who you play with, and one early quitter found the whole thing more frustrating than fun.

Slapping and throwing things at teammatesHigh

Slapping, and throwing beer bottles, soda cans and bananas, are among the most-mentioned features. Players love them as slapstick (a few delight in teammates' heads growing bigger with each slap) and as a real tool: the mute monkey throws a bottle to get attention or point at a color, and the blind monkey slaps the deaf one to signal. A few note the physics can leave items stuck out of reach.

Outstanding value for the priceMedium

Reviewers who mention the price almost all call it a bargain. At $5 to $8, it is the "Best 5 bucks ive spent" for one reviewer, cheaper than going out for lunch for another, and fair for three to six hours of laughter even if they never replay it. Several who criticize how short it is say the price makes up for it. One European reviewer felt the full €8 price was a bit high for the content and was glad to buy it on sale.

A worthy successor to Keep Talking and Nobody ExplodesMedium

Dozens of reviews compare it to Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. Several say it improves on the formula: the third player means nobody can solve a bomb alone, the manual's solutions are randomized so they can't be memorized, the manual reader is as helpless as the defuser, and the cute, silly tone takes out some of the anxiety. A few find it easier and shallower than Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, with fewer module variants and a less punishing finale.

Charming art, animations and a smooth, polished launchMedium

Reviewers praise the colorful low-poly look, expressive monkey animations and sound design, and a few report no bugs and solid performance on modest hardware, the Steam Deck and Linux. Several single out the whole launch package: 30 levels, Endless mode, a Custom mode, a public lobby browser and a random-role dice roll. One player misses the old monkey designs from the demo, and another found the bright visuals hard on the eyes and asked for a setting to tone them down.

A big step up from the popular demoLow

Players who came from the demo say the full release added a lot: more modules, more for each role to do, sound cues and "pressure" modules for the blind monkey, throwables and a reworked voice chat.

Colorblind modeLow

A few colorblind players thank the developers for a mode that genuinely helps in a game built around calling out colors. Other groups work around it instead: one of the most-upvoted reviews jokes that the group forced its colorblind friend to play the blind monkey "so he doesnt make us explode".

Where players are split

Learning new modules: fail first, then figure it out in the lobbyMedium

Not being able to solve a new module on the first try is the most common reason given in the 32 negative reviews, and it is also a loop many players enjoy. Its fans describe meeting a new module, blowing up, arguing in the lobby, swapping roles, and finally cracking it together; a couple suggest a house rule of never discussing modules between rounds. Others find the mute monkey's tools too limited to explain a module they have never seen, so the first attempt is basically a guaranteed loss and the real learning happens in the lobby or, for a couple of groups, on a fan wiki. The symbol, dial, "Monkey Says" and piano modules are named as especially confusing, and several reviewers say the manual's wording is unclear. Suggestions include a simplified, answer-free version of the manual for the other roles, or a limited drawing pad for the mute monkey.

Difficulty: too easy once learned, or tough in EndlessMedium

Several players who finished the campaign say that once every module is understood the game becomes too easy (one calls it "trivially easy"), and that the fun peaks whenever a new module appears and drops off in between. One negative review says only about six of the 30 levels felt fun for that reason, and another player wanted the tougher Morse module to be the finale instead of the easier final one. Other groups say the late levels, with stacked chaos modules and distractions, are frantic enough, and the few long-haul players describe Endless wave 30 and the achievements as properly hard.

Are all three roles equally fun?Low

Players disagree about role balance. Some say every monkey always has something to do; others say the deaf monkey is mostly idle relaying messages, the blind monkey carries too much, or the mute runs out of work once puzzles are learned. A couple also say the random role option keeps putting the same person in the same role.

Playing with strangersLow

A small group plays in public lobbies and loves it: meeting people from other countries and solving bombs across a language barrier becomes its own puzzle, and the most-upvoted review in the set describes a perfect run with two strangers. One negative review describes waiting alone in lobbies, getting kicked within seconds, and racist players with no way to report them, and a few others say the game really needs a fixed group of friends.

What frustrates players

Short campaign and a thirst for more contentHigh

Groups finish the 30 levels in three to six hours, some in one sitting, and the complaint that this is too short comes almost entirely from people who recommend the game. A few say modules repeat on a bomb and variants are thin. Reviewers ask for more modules, more levels, new locations beyond the van, and Steam Workshop or mod support for custom modules, which one of the most-upvoted reviews asks for directly. Custom and Endless modes help, but several say they get repetitive once you've seen everything.

The mute monkey's gestures are too limitedMedium

Several reviewers ask for a gesture for zero; groups work around it with "ten", a fist or staring straight ahead. Players also want clearer up, down, left, right and yes or no signals, more emotes (braille, size), rebindable gesture hotkeys, and a less clunky radial menu. Some found that nodding with the camera worked better than the built-in thumbs up and down.

The Morse code moduleMedium

Most reviewers who mention Morse code complain about it: it cycles codes too slowly and sets the pace for the whole bomb, the blind monkey can't see their own input, and players with tinnitus or hearing damage find it painful. One player loved it as the hardest puzzle in the game, and another asked for a visual option for the dots and dashes.

Needing exactly three players who all own the gameMedium

Many reviews warn that you need two other people, and a couple of reviews say only that they "couldn't find the third friend". One player wished for a friend pass like It Takes Two's so one purchase could cover the group, and a few ask for spectator slots or modes for more players.

Voice chat problems and no text chatLow

Some groups hit in-game voice problems: one player's mic not transmitting even though their monkey's mouth moved, choppy audio, or mics cutting out, which forced them onto Discord. One player praised the developers for responding quickly to a voice bug. Players without a microphone, or who are speech-impaired, say they effectively can't play because there is no text chat.

Accessibility gaps beyond colorblindnessLow

A group of deaf players stopped at level 8 because the symbol module relies on hearing sounds, the Morse module is hard for anyone with hearing loss, one reviewer says the blind monkey role doesn't work on macOS, and a Linux player had trouble with emotes.

Small bugs and rough edgesLow

Isolated reports: symbols that don't match the manual (filled versus empty star), a colorblind mode that couldn't be switched off, items stuck out of reach, piano notes that don't match their labels (raised by musically trained players), occasional crashes, and the blackout hazard that leaves the team waiting with nothing to do.

Some just found it dullLow

A handful of very early quitters (under an hour) called it boring, a "nodding simulator" or aimed at kids.

3. The player conversation

The tone is joyful, loud and full of jokes. Many reviews read like group-chat banter: gags about hating your friends, "monke" one-liners and slap stories, with a steady stream of detailed, thoughtful reviews underneath. There is little disagreement over whether the game is good; the arguments are about how long it lasts and whether failing a new module on the first try is fun or frustrating. Negative reviews are scattered: early quitters who found it boring or couldn't get voice working, and players who felt the first-try puzzle design or the easy late game let them down.

Reviewers under two hours mostly describe the chaos of their first session, and that is where the handful of "boring", mic and crash complaints sit. The two-to-ten-hour group, which is most of the reviews, is the one asking for more modules, a zero gesture and a Morse rework. The few players past ten hours are Endless and achievement hunters asking for deeper systems like item respawns and tighter braille rules. Sentiment stayed high through launch: 98% positive in launch week, 97% in week two, 94% in week three and 98% in week four. The week-three negatives are a mix of early quitters who found it boring, mic and lobby trouble, and frustration with first-try puzzles.

4. What the developers could do

Add more modules, levels and locations, and open Steam Workshop or mod support. Running out of content is the complaint raised most often, almost always by players who recommend the game, and one of the most-upvoted reviews asks for Workshop tools for custom modules.
Expand the mute monkey's gesture set, starting with zero. Several reviewers ask for a zero gesture, and players also want clearer directions, yes and no, rebindable hotkeys and a faster radial menu.
Make first encounters with new modules solvable. Clearer manual wording and an answer-free overview for the other roles would help, since players say they can only understand a new module by exploding and discussing it in the lobby.
Rework the Morse code module. Most reviewers who mention it call it slow, a bottleneck for the whole bomb, or hard on players with tinnitus, and one suggests a visual option for the signals.
Add text chat and harden in-game voice. Mic failures pushed groups onto Discord, and players without a microphone say they can't join matches at all.
Rebalance the deaf role and fix the random role roll. A few players describe the deaf monkey as idle for long stretches, and a couple say random mode keeps handing out the same roles.
Close the accessibility and polish gaps. Deaf players were blocked by sound-only modules, and players also report the colorblind toggle sticking, mismatched symbols, off-pitch piano keys, unreachable items and a harsh bright palette.
Improve play with strangers and lower the three-owner barrier. Individual reviewers asked for friend requests, a way to report toxic players and livelier public lobbies, and one suggested a friend-pass license so one purchase covers the trio.