ZOMG! There's a Baby Monkey Riding Backwards on a Pig Game!?

For 30 years The Empire Strikes Back was my favourite film - and then I saw Baby Monkey Riding Backwards on a Pig, and everything changed. Beautifully shot, and with a scene-stealing cast of monkey and pig newcomers the film tugs at your heartstrings like a skillful hillbilly plucking at a banjo. And best of all, its original score is to die for. Who can forget the infectiously catchy Parry Gripp tune that underscores this masterpiece? Let's watch it again right here, now with an obnoxious banner ad that links to the game that I'm just about to talk about:

It's still pretty breath-taking, isn't it? So imagine my shock/awe/delight when this morning I awoke to discover that there is now a Baby Monkey Riding Backwards on a Pig videogame where you, the player, can put yourself inside the skin of both monkey and pig and relive this tender moment again and again and again...

After the jump, I'll show you footage from the game, give a hands-on review, and share an untapped new monkey video that we can build a media empire fortune upon.

It was browsing Joystiq this morning that I first saw the news. The gane is here and it is very real. And you can download it for you iphone RIGHT NOW for a mere 99 cents and become part of the pig/monkey action. Here's the trailer for the game, complete with a re-worked version of the classic song:

Hahahahaha he's ridin' a pig! And he's a baby monkey! Well, surely I don't need to tell you, Dear Reader, that I HAD TO HAVE IT. I literally dropped everything I was doing (I was feeding an infant) (jokes!) and I downloaded it immediately. So how does it play?

Actually it's a pretty fun pick-up-and-play-for-a-couple-of-minutes-and-try-to-beat-your-high-score-again-and-oh-shit-my-bus-is-here-I'll-get-back-to-it-later kind of game. Satisfyingly, you control both monkey and pig at the same time thanks to a monkey button on the lower left of the screen and a pig button on the lower right. Your goal is essentially to collect point-scoring hovering bananas by leaping the monkey into the air (he's clearly a psychic monkey with a banana radar because he is facing backwards) and you avoid obstacles by jumping the pig over pits and steps, and crashing him through barriers like pumpkins and fences (while trying not to hurt the monkey). Get as a high a score as possible and then rinse and repeat.

That's really all there is to it, but of course the most appealing part is the bright and attractive animation coupled with the original Parry Gripp song which, if you're having a good run, you will listen to again and again and again and again and again. It's enjoyable, and for less than a dollar it's a fun time-waster, especially if, like me, Baby Monkey Riding Backwards on a Pig, is your favourite movie ever.

Of course, it's not all wine (swine?) and roses. Is making a popular youtube clip into a game opening a Pandora's Box that can never be closed? Are we now going to be bombarded with downloadable games of every meme? An 8-bit Charlie Bit Me? Or perhaps a Keyboard Cat Keyboard Trainer? Maybe a Dramatic Murder Mystery Hosted by the Dramatic Chipmunk? Is this a bad thing if there's laughs and money to be made? WE NEED IN ON THIS FAST!

Thus, I have selected another hilarious monkey video which only has a modest 1,340 views. I do, however, think it has potential to hit really big, so we should start negotiating with the uploader, programming the game, writing the song, and perhaps printing up some T-shirts. It's called Baby Monkey Humps a Kitten, and I think you'll agree, it's pretty amazing:

Inspired? Provoked? Are the tears of joy welling in your unprepared eyes? Let's get to work!