BOMBANANA! Roles Guide: Blind, Mute & Deaf Monkeys

BOMBANANA! flips standard co-op gaming on its head with its three-monkey asymmetric information relay. No single player possesses all the pieces required to disarm a bomb: one has the hands, one has the brains, and one has the voice.

Understanding how these three distinct roles interface with one another is mandatory to survive high-tier campaign and endless runs.

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1. The Three Monkey Operatives Matrix

Monkey Operative	Sense Enabled	Blindspot / Disability	Primary Responsibility	Primary Communication Channel
Blind Monkey	Touch & Physical Manipulation	❌ Cannot see colors, displays, or LED lights	Cuts wires, toggles levers, types keypad codes	Verbal audio listening (from Deaf)
Mute Monkey	Manual Reading & Sight	❌ Cannot speak into voice chat or type text	Consults rules, decodes logic tables, confirms solves	Emote Wheel, body language & slaps
Deaf Monkey	Vision & Outgoing Voice	❌ Cannot hear any incoming audio or alarms	Observes bomb state, interprets Mute’s gestures, shouts	Outgoing microphone to Blind

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                       THE 3-MONKEY RELAY TRIANGLE                        |
|                                                                          |
|               [MUTE MONKEY] --- Holds Disposal Manual                    |
|                     |                                                    |
|           (Gestures & Nodding)                                           |
|                     v                                                    |
|               [DEAF MONKEY] --- Sees Bomb + Speaks                       |
|                     |                                                    |
|             (Voice Commands)                                             |
|                     v                                                    |
|              [BLIND MONKEY] --- Hands on the Detonator                   |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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2. Emote Wheel & Gesture Protocols for Mute Monkey

Because Mute Monkey cannot use microphone voice chat, the team must agree on five standardized visual signals using the in-game Emote Wheel:

1. The “Wait / Hold” Palm: Mute holds their hand up while scanning manual pages. Deaf Monkey immediately halts Blind Monkey from touching any switches.
2. The Directional Point: Mute points towards the target module quadrant (Top-Left, Top-Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right) to orient Deaf Monkey’s gaze.
3. The Numeric Finger Count: Numbers 1 through 6 are signaled by distinct finger flares. A single finger means “First Wire / First Button”; four fingers mean “Fourth Wire”.
4. Vigorous Nod vs. Head Shake: Green affirmative nod confirms that Deaf Monkey’s verbal description matches manual criteria; red violent shake indicates a mismatched condition.
5. The Friendly Slap: If Deaf Monkey begins relaying the wrong wire cut to Blind Monkey, Mute must immediately slap Deaf Monkey to break transmission before detonation.

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3. Deaf Monkey: The Vital Relay Bridge

Deaf Monkey carries the heaviest cognitive load on the squad. Because Deaf Monkey cannot hear whether Blind Monkey understood the instruction, they must adopt strict military-style clarity:

• Rule 1: Use Cardinal Numbers: Avoid saying “Cut that one” or “The wire next to the blue one.” Always say: "Cut Wire Two. Repeat, Wire Two."
• Rule 2: Establish Module Lock: Deaf Monkey should state the target module before giving action commands: "Wire Module: Cut wire number 3 now."
• Rule 3: Watch Blind’s Cursor: Watch where Blind Monkey’s monkey hands hover on screen. If they hover over wire 4 when wire 2 was called, shout "Stop! Move up!" immediately.

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4. Blind Monkey: Tactile Precision & Muscle Memory

Blind Monkey operates entirely in the dark. You are steering the ship with your eyes closed:

• Feel the Boundaries: Move your cursor or stick across the module borders to register tactile bump clicks, establishing your spatial coordinates.
• Repeat Before Executing: Whenever Deaf calls an action, repeat it aloud on your microphone: "Hovering Wire 2. Cutting in 3, 2, 1." This gives Deaf Monkey a visual and temporal window to slap you if you made a wrong turn.
• Emergency Lever Duty: In levels with Capacitor Discharge modules, Blind Monkey should keep one hand mentally anchored to the discharge lever to vent steam on Deaf’s command.