Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 16
  3. Negative: 3 out of 16
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  1. Worth Playing
    Dec 20, 2019
    90
    Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is exactly what one wants from an arcade game. It's simultaneously pithy and filled with content, fun and challenging, and energetic and thoughtful. Like the little monkey you control, Banana Blitz HD has mastered the art of balance, and it shows.
  2. LaPS4
    Jan 20, 2020
    81
    Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a fun and challenging 3D platform game. Ideal for playing alone or cooperatively with several friends on a single screen. We are facing the return to the scene of SEGA, and despite being a dazzling game, knows how to meet in levels of quality, fun and challenge.
  3. The Games Machine
    Oct 29, 2019
    81
    After nearly 14 years Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz is still an entertaining piece of software despite some minor flaws.
  5. SpazioGames
    Oct 25, 2019
    75
    Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a great remake that solves many of its predecessor's problems, but it's still plagued by a wacky camera and a general lack of content.
  6. Everyeye.it
    Oct 29, 2019
    70
    By straightening out some distortions of the original game and rationalizing the offer on the content front, the development team produced a version of Banana Blitz in every way better than the previous one, so much so that giving it a chance today would certainly not be wrong.
  7. We Got This Covered
    Oct 29, 2019
    70
    The developers have taken away motion controls, made it a bit more challenging, and added two new modes. Yet, for better or worse, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD plays the same as the original.
  8. Eurogamer Italy
    Oct 29, 2019
    70
    Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD is a remastered version for current-gen consoles of the 2006 Wii classic game. This new version adds games modes, online leaderboards for speedrunners and tunes the control for each platform. The PS4 version abandons motion controls, a good move for the main game but a bad move for the minigames. At least, we now have Sonic the Hedgehog as a playable character.
  9. Vandal
    Oct 29, 2019
    63
    It’s great to have the franchise back, but it feels like this remaster takes from the original more than it adds. The control changes and the lack of mini games make it feel a little bit barebones, although the core of the series is still there, and there is a lot of fun to be had.
  10. Multiplayer.it
    Oct 30, 2019
    60
    Quotation forthcoming.
  11. Metro GameCentral
    Oct 30, 2019
    60
    A welcome revival of a much-loved franchise, although Banana Blitz was never the best entry and Sega has had to accept too many compromises in porting it from the Wii.
  12. Video Chums
    Oct 29, 2019
    59
    Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is one of the most disappointing video game remasters ever. Although the core game is still a ton of fun, the amount of frustrating elements and missing content is simply unacceptable.
  13. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Oct 30, 2019
    50
    When taking a step back to holistically look at Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD, the word that comes to mind most prominently is “underwhelming.”
  14. Gamers Heroes
    Oct 29, 2019
    50
    Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD has a novel concept, but the incredibly fidgety camera puts a ghastly stain on the overall package.
  15. DarkStation
    Nov 13, 2019
    40
    Overall, 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.
  16. God is a Geek
    Nov 12, 2019
    40
    A disappointing package which fails to showcase the appeal of the classic series. Bad boss fights and bad mini games make this remake hard to recommend.
  17. Push Square
    Oct 29, 2019
    40
    Unfortunately, the minigames – a selling point for the first two entries in the franchise – flop harder than a gorilla on a trampoline. Their ranks – down from 50 in the original to 10 of the “best” here – include snowboarding and a terrible version of Monkey Target, but not even considerable effort can salvage these irritating alternative activities. The package is rounded out with various Time Trial options and the minigame-powered Decathlon, but not even the addition of online leaderboards can make the title’s awful adaptation of Whack-a-Mole entertaining.

User Reviews

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User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 25
  3. Negative: 9 out of 25
  1. KrakenOfPepsi
    Nov 2, 2019
    6
    While it's certainly not the best in the Monkey Ball series, Banana Blitz is still a worthwhile entry in the franchise, despite its flaws. TheWhile it's certainly not the best in the Monkey Ball series, Banana Blitz is still a worthwhile entry in the franchise, despite its flaws. The graphics and controls have obviously been improved significantly from the original which is nice, trying to play this game with tilt controls would have been painful. Significant changes to the structure of the game have been made setting it apart from previous instalments, you now have to complete eight levels per world as well as a boss fight, and you can use as many continues as you like, no more arcade style gameplay. This makes the game feel more like a traditional platformer, the ability to jump solidifies this feeling even more. The first four worlds are very easy, and I was worried that the notorious Monkey Ball difficulty was lost, but world five onward delivered pretty challenging and highly enjoyable levels. These later levels were definitely the best parts of the game, the easy levels got kind of boring. It was only when these levels came around that the highly creative and insane level design that the series is known for went on full display, shame there couldn't have had this level of quality throughout the whole game. I also thought that the boss fights varied in quality greatly, bosses were either so easy I'd beat them on my first try or so difficult and impossibly hard to predict and read that I would have to attempt them upwards of forty times. These boss fights were generally pretty dull, they all feel very similar to one another. Half of the time I found myself being launched off the stage at warp-speed because of strange hit boxes on the boss, or attacks knocking me WAY further than the game lets on. Like the giant squid boss whose slow moving tentacles would sometimes nudge me slightly and other times would send me flying to my doom without warning. Speaking of quality, the multiplayer mini-games are genuinely awful and tacked together pieces of **** why the devs even bothered making these is beyond me, they should have brought back the classic multiplayer modes instead of this rubbish. All of the games feel cheap and boring, there is absolutely no originality to be found in this games and should be disregarded entirely if I'm being totally honest. The lack of actual co-op or versus modes in general is pretty disappointing, as my favourite parts of the original were playing the main-game with friends. But all things considered, I realise this game was intended more for kids and newcomers to the series, and if it gets more people into the originals then by all means go for it. If you've wanted to give the series a chance, maybe start with this one - just don't expect the quality you've probably heard about the series.… Full Review »
  2. TicketStubs
    Jan 14, 2022
    4
    If you are someone who has played other games in the Monkey Ball franchise, you have probably also noticed how this specific game does notIf you are someone who has played other games in the Monkey Ball franchise, you have probably also noticed how this specific game does not live up to the expectations set by others in the franchise. I started with Monkey Ball 2 as a child and loved the game, I thought I would buy another Monkey Ball game and this is what I ended up with. The level design for the campaign isn't bad (although I didn't enjoy the boss fights very much). it's the same old same old kind of thing. The main issue I had with this game was the party games. They suck... really badly. I tried out each party game once and will never try them again. They are frustrating, simple, and not very fun to play. Monkey Ball 2 had racing, baseball, an arcade shooting game, etc. This game just had a bunch of simple boring games that had no replay value. That along with outdated mechanics made it a game not worth buying for me at least.… Full Review »
  3. Daniel_N
    Jul 30, 2021
    9
    An excellent game with challenging levels that keep you (or at least me) entertained.
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