Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Reviews

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is ranked in the 23rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.5 / 10.0
Oct 29, 2019

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD's steady increase in difficulty and well-ported physics engine made it easy to jump right in and get that Super Monkey Ball experience that's been missing from my life.

Read full review

5.5 / 10.0
Oct 29, 2019

It definitely controls better than the original game, but when the foundation was rocky to begin with, there wasn't much that Sega could've done to save this one.

Read full review

8 / 10
Oct 29, 2019

Regardless, Banana Blitz HD is the definitive version of an era of Monkey Ball that desperately needs to make a comeback by either remaking the original two games or a creating new entry altogether. This is one of those instances where the quality of life improvements are noticeable, and it's worth your money being able to play it on the go at all.

Read full review

Evan Norris
Top Critic
6 / 10
Oct 29, 2019

Its mini-game collection is meek and its story mode is weighed down by difficulty spikes and pedestrian boss battles, but its arcade gameplay, clever course designs, and Decathalon mode make it an overall decent entry in the Monkey Ball universe.

Read full review

7 / 10.0
Oct 29, 2019

This series was long overdue for a console return, and in that way the game succeeds.

Read full review

6 / 10.0
Oct 31, 2019

I’m happy to report that the game is worth checking out. I was surprised with the quality of the game in terms of level design; it’s varied, challenging and feels like classic Monkey Ball. Unfortunately, the party games lack the quality and depth of its predecessors and due to this, I award the game a Thumb Culture Silver Award!

Read full review

7 / 10
Oct 29, 2019

GOOD - Normally when a company goes through the trouble of converting a game to HD they choose the best in the series, but Sega has decided to bring Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD to current video game consoles. While not a bad game by any means, I think most would consider the first two GameCube games the best in the series. This one is still just as zany and does deliver in the fun department, but sensitive controls, needless boss battles, and ho-hum multiplayer mini-games hold it back from true greatness.

Read full review

7.8 / 10.0
Nov 6, 2019

Although there are a few aspects I didn’t like, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD was a fun game to play for the first time. I’m not the biggest fan of the controls, as the wobble-camera made things a little confusing and frustratingly more difficult that it had to be, but the nostalgic gameplay left me with a smile – when I wasn’t shouting due to an unfair death or tumble. The Time Attack and Decathlon modes will keep you busy if going for the platinum, and allows you to prove you really do have the best handle on your Monkey Balls! The party games are a nice bonus but considering forty of them were removed, I wouldn’t consider this a multiplayer game anymore, you’ll get the most entertainment out of playing it on your own.

Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Nov 1, 2019

While I’m sure there have been minor changes made from the original release, I still have to say this has been a rather fun experience, one that I’m glad that I didn’t turn down since it seems that this game is a small step in the direction of bringing the series back to life.

Read full review

6.5 / 10.0
Nov 18, 2019

Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD delivers an alright remaster effort with minimal changes and generally just a fresh coat of paint.

Read full review

Nov 21, 2019

They really don’t make games like this one anymore. The game immediately connects you to another era, and gives you the chance to experience something that just doesn’t exist in today’s market. In doing so though, it serves as a demonstration of why games have moved away from so many of the design principles on display in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD. For some, this will be a fun and convenient way to revisit a beloved old game. For most though, the best case on offer is an auto-retrospective experience, unflinchingly showing you all of its best and most mediocre parts.

Read full review

Games Xtreme
Jamie Hendrix Roberts
Recommended
Nov 21, 2019

The levels themselves are really well designed, when you are going down a spiral hill at a ridiculous speed you need to take care that you don't go shooting off the side while collecting bananas as you go along. Its like most games, you pick up over a certain number of collectibles and you earn a life. When you start the game you just assume that the levels are quite easy and you'd be right at the start but then as you progress, not only does it test your skills, it also tests your patience.

Read full review

6 / 10.0
Oct 29, 2019

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a game that I really enjoyed at first, only for things to hit a brick wall upon noticing the edits they made to try and change levels with normal controls in mind, as with the case with the aforementioned hellish challenge that is Stage 7-2, alongside those boring waiting levels and boss fights.

Read full review

Oct 30, 2019

Super Monkey Ball Blitz HD is a pretty competent high-definition rerelease, but I wouldn’t agree on the price tag. $40 seems a bit high for what can be interpreted as a resolution and framerate bump on a game from 2006.

Read full review

Nov 13, 2019

Super Monkey Ball banana Blitz HD is too difficult to play due to the controls. It made me feel sick, and it lacks a lot of the fun extras that were a draw for the series, or at least what should be expected in one for the current generation of consoles.

Read full review

7 / 10.0
Nov 21, 2019

The premise is ridiculous but cute, and the action is certainly well-done with a nice fast and fluid feeling that Sonic the Hedgehog would approve of. It makes for a quick, entertaining diversion, though I do not know that it really has the depth in the single player to keep me coming back for more once I worked through the stages - but Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a blast with some friends if you enjoy some multiplayer shenanigans. It might be a bit more difficult to justify this release if it were a full sixty dollars, so ringing in at only two thirds of that price certainly helps. I do wonder if there were not better choices in the series to choose from that would not require a complete reworking of the controls, such as Monkey Ball Deluxe which had a lot more content available. Still, what we have here is definitely fun, even if it is in shorter bursts.

Read full review

4 / 10.0
Jan 15, 2020

It's interesting to know that Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is actually a remix or remake of the original, not a remaster, so why look more like a remaster? Neither graphically improved, nor added to the depth of gameplay. However, if you're looking for a multiplayer, fun, and family-friendly game like me don't miss the Banana Blitz HD.

Review in Persian | Read full review

6 / 10.0
Nov 7, 2019

I would implore Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and SEGA to reconsider patching in motion controls for the title, to give gamer’s it’s respected experience that we all came to love on the Nintendo Wii, as it’s current bearings lack any posture to prop itself perfectly within the party gaming market. While I somewhat enjoyed the title, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is worth checking out, purely for it’s nostalgia factor.

Read full review

7 / 10.0
Oct 31, 2019

Super Monkey Ball series is back and while it is not a new game, and it is certainly not the best game to remaster in the series, this is still an upgrade over the original solely based on the choice of better analog controls.

Read full review