BOMBANANA! gives every player one of three monkey roles, and each role is locked into a different communication handicap. You pick Blind Monkey, Mute Monkey, or Deaf Monkey, and that choice decides whether you touch the bomb, read the manual, or speak the instructions. None of the three can do everything, which is the whole point of this three-player co-op defusal game from Lefto Studio.
Quick answer: If you want the simplest role to start with, pick Blind Monkey. You only execute inputs your teammates confirm, so you never have to read the manual or solve a module yourself.
All three BOMBANANA! roles and what each one can do
The team is built as an information triangle. One player handles the bomb, one player holds the answers, and one player connects the two by speaking. Break the chain and the bomb goes off before you finish the module.
| Role | Can do | Cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Blind Monkey | The only player who can touch and operate the bomb by feel, including tactile or braille-style information. | Cannot see colors or read screens, so depends on teammates for every detail. |
| Mute Monkey | Holds the defusal manual and knows the answers, signaling them through gestures and emotes. | Cannot speak a single word to the team. |
| Deaf Monkey | Sees the bomb, speaks instructions to Blind Monkey, and reads Mute Monkey’s gestures. | Cannot hear teammates or in-game voice. |
Mute Monkey owns the manual but has to mime everything, so big, clear gestures matter. Deaf Monkey is the bridge in the middle, watching both the bomb screen and the Mute player while talking out loud to the Blind player. Blind Monkey is the hands, turning spoken instructions into a wire cut, a button press, or a switch flip.
How information moves through the team
Most rounds move information in one direction. Mute Monkey reads the manual, signals Deaf Monkey, Deaf Monkey speaks to Blind Monkey, and Blind Monkey acts. Reverse that order and the team falls apart, because someone ends up acting on stale or guessed information.
| Step | Who leads | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Observe | Blind and Deaf Monkey | Blind reports what the bomb feels like, Deaf reads what is on screen. |
| Interpret | Mute Monkey | Mute matches the manual page and decides the answer. |
| Confirm | All roles | Everyone agrees on the same instruction before anyone moves. |
| Act | Blind Monkey | Blind executes only after the target and action are clear. |
Deaf Monkey is the bottleneck. They have to watch the bomb and the Mute player at the same time while speaking clearly, so if they glance away during a gesture, the whole chain breaks.
Which BOMBANANA! role should you pick?
All three roles are equally important on the bomb, and no team clears a level without each one pulling its weight. But if you are deciding which role to take on your first night, Blind Monkey is the easiest entry point.
The Blind Monkey carries the lightest mental load. You do not read the manual, you do not solve the puzzle module, and you do not track multiple answers in your head. Your job is to wait for a confirmed instruction and carry it out on the bomb.
Mute Monkey is usually the hardest beginner role, since you have to mime every answer one signal at a time without speaking. Deaf Monkey is the most demanding on attention, because you split your focus between the bomb screen and the Mute player’s gestures while still talking. Many groups rotate roles every few runs so one person does not get stuck on the toughest job and burn out.
Tip: Before the timer starts, agree on at least three gesture meanings — wait, yes, and wrong. Teams that skip this step end up arguing about what a thumbs-up means halfway through the second module.
What you need before picking a role
BOMBANANA! requires exactly three players, no more and no less, and there is no solo or two-player mode. Every player needs the game installed, and you assign all three roles in the lobby before the round begins. The free demo is the place to practice these roles, and the full game is planned for an August 2026 Steam release.
Once your team learns the rhythm of the communication triangle, any of the three monkeys becomes comfortable to play. Start as Blind Monkey to learn the flow with the least pressure, then rotate into Deaf and Mute to understand both ends of the chain.
