Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD

 Switch
User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 42
  3. Negative: 18 out of 42
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  1. FlyingPiloswine
    Nov 6, 2019
    0
    In my eyes, the absolute best part of Monkeyball is it's flexibility. Back on the gamecube, you could play any mode with any number of players. Play by yourself for some casual fun, or get some friends over and bust open some beers.

    The difficulty had all sorts of features. Some levels were easy. Some had a secret trick. Some were just brutally hard to the point that it was hilarious.    In my eyes, the absolute best part of Monkeyball is it's flexibility. Back on the gamecube, you could play any mode with any number of players. Play by yourself for some casual fun, or get some friends over and bust open some beers.

    The difficulty had all sorts of features. Some levels were easy. Some had a secret trick. Some were just brutally hard to the point that it was hilarious. Others, like Monkey Target, were very skill based and separated the pros from the rookies.

    This game has none of those things and for no good reason. You cannot play the story mode levels as multiplayer like you could on the Gamecube, and you cannot play party games alone, like you could on the gamecube. Monkey Target is no longer physics based. And the story levels are so easy that my wife beat half the game in one night.

    The reason this is a 0/10 is because I feel that the things I have mentioned ARE the Monkeyball brand. They are the reason people with such different tastes, like me and my wife, consistently play the gamecube version still. Who in their right mind would expect a home console version of Monkeyball to not have multiplayer options that existed in the past? I feel like I was tricked with a bait-and-switch. Especially because I know how easy it is to implement the features that I so sorely miss from a programming standpoint.    … Expand
  2. Camad
    Nov 8, 2019
    2
    It's perhaps ironic how hard SEGA dropped the "ball" on this one.

    The return of the Monkey Ball franchise in a big way has been long overdue, the games are still popular and the idea, while perhaps beginning to show its cracks, is still fresh and unique. Unfortunately, this particular entry in the series is very poor indeed. The choice to remake Banana Blitz was already a strange    It's perhaps ironic how hard SEGA dropped the "ball" on this one.

    The return of the Monkey Ball franchise in a big way has been long overdue, the games are still popular and the idea, while perhaps beginning to show its cracks, is still fresh and unique. Unfortunately, this particular entry in the series is very poor indeed.

    The choice to remake Banana Blitz was already a strange choice, being one of the weaker entries in the franchise it was a strange decision. But this "remake" is significantly worse than the original, already weak game. The visuals are pleasing and pop making the game a joy to look at, unfortunately actually looking at the game will likely cause nausea.

    The camera, or lack thereof, really makes this game bad. The redesigned levels are almost universally for the worse. The music is worse as well. Minigame selection is worse. Really everything is worse.

    Unless you desperately want to play as Sonic in a Monkey Ball game, do yourself a favour and play the original on the Wii. Or the better games on Gamecube.

    2/10    … Expand
  3. xx47
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This **** not good thats all i needa say................................................................
  4. CrimKat
    Dec 1, 2019
    0
    One of the worst excuses of a "remaster" I've ever seen. They made it pretty, gave it a fresh UI, but changed nothing about the game that made it so poorly received in the first place. The bosses are still garbage. The levels are still dull. The sad thing is that SEGA will see these reviews and trash the SMB series all together. Why they didnt remaster SMB2, the perfect SMB game, is beyondOne of the worst excuses of a "remaster" I've ever seen. They made it pretty, gave it a fresh UI, but changed nothing about the game that made it so poorly received in the first place. The bosses are still garbage. The levels are still dull. The sad thing is that SEGA will see these reviews and trash the SMB series all together. Why they didnt remaster SMB2, the perfect SMB game, is beyond comprehension.....… Expand
  5. lvl3
    Nov 4, 2019
    1
    What a hot oil of trash. Growing up with Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2 for GameCube was a highlight of my childhood. This is not those games. There are 90 stages that are oversimplified because they were originally designed to play with motion control on Wii... And 10 bosses that are hard because of poor controllers and not actual difficulty. The party games are also hot trash, as there is noWhat a hot oil of trash. Growing up with Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2 for GameCube was a highlight of my childhood. This is not those games. There are 90 stages that are oversimplified because they were originally designed to play with motion control on Wii... And 10 bosses that are hard because of poor controllers and not actual difficulty. The party games are also hot trash, as there is no solo way to play any one game, so you have to hook up a 2nd controller just to play. Why they didn't remake super monkey ball 1/2 into one game is beyond me. I regret my purchase 100 percent and Nintendo gives no refunds.… Expand
  6. Chrislee1982
    Nov 1, 2019
    0
    Super disappointing. Game cube version, how I miss thee. No monkey punch, monkey target is a joke (you can't gain altitude by gaining speed and pulling back. Pulling back only slows you down. You're consistently dropping out of the sky regardless of your speed) and the rest of the game just feels so lazy. Soooooo wish they would just reissue the original game cube version on switch. SuperSuper disappointing. Game cube version, how I miss thee. No monkey punch, monkey target is a joke (you can't gain altitude by gaining speed and pulling back. Pulling back only slows you down. You're consistently dropping out of the sky regardless of your speed) and the rest of the game just feels so lazy. Soooooo wish they would just reissue the original game cube version on switch. Super disappointed. Wish I hadn't gotten my hopes up or wasted 40 bucks. Booooo.… Expand
  7. Krossbone
    Dec 12, 2020
    0
    This game is f*cking terrible. Whether or not it fails or succeeds as a remaster isn't up to me, as I haven't played the original game on Wii, but having played up to World 5 in this version, I feel at liberty to lay into this hot trash seeing as I wasted my time playing over half of it.

    There is absolutely no DECENT difficulty curve. Let me put it this way: the first few worlds are    This game is f*cking terrible. Whether or not it fails or succeeds as a remaster isn't up to me, as I haven't played the original game on Wii, but having played up to World 5 in this version, I feel at liberty to lay into this hot trash seeing as I wasted my time playing over half of it.

    There is absolutely no DECENT difficulty curve. Let me put it this way: the first few worlds are half-baked and easy as hell. The last few worlds amp up the difficulty stupidly high from out of nowhere. Obviously, i want the game to have a learning curve and a bit of challenge, but not to where I want to throw my Switch in frustrated rage. Speaking of which, let's NOT talk about the boss battles, because I just want to forget about them. Oh, I have to? Oh... Oh the terrible boss battles. Every single boss battle in this game outside of a minor two are cumbersome and frustrating button-mashing fests as you try to get your dumb-f*ck monkey player character to try and jump on a specific part of the boss battle, be it anything from missiles to some hideous belly button wart. This, however, is terribly designed, as you can go flying off the ledges of the arena simply for hitting what you're supposed to hit because, oh? You wanted to build up a little momentum so you could hit your enemy where the game is so obviously telling you to? Well too bad, mf! This game will send you flying off the cliffside with as much momentum as you hit the boss with. This is a recurring problem, and it even applies to enemies within normal stages.

    Coming to mind as I speak of the godawful boss battles, this game's physics are f*cking awful. I can't even begin to describe how it's led to numerous of my untimely deaths simply for slightly bumping into a wall or enemy (and only bumping into enemies in the later stages, mind you, because as said before, this game's difficulty curve is horse feces with literally no enemies in the earlier stages to get you accustomed to their presence). And these terrible physics aren't complemented whatsoever by the lack of an actual camera system, as the only one that's there also controls basic movement, not just camera movement.

    On the whole, while I'm still glad I bought the game (only because I want to support Sega reviving franchises they've left for dead, which could bring back better, more well-rounded franchises), I still can't stand this game's terrible physics, lack of a camera, dogsh*t difficulty curve, and abysmal boss battles. Hopefully they can redeem Monkey Ball with a completely new game next, or at least a similar HD remaster of an ACTUALLY good Monkey Ball game? Somehow I imagine they'd screw even that up.    … Expand
  8. GangsterSwedish
    Nov 1, 2019
    4
    I blame my love all of things SEGA for the fact that I preordered this atrocity. Having played (and enjoyed) the Wii original, I knew what I was getting into. What I didn't expect was just how poorly the motion controls would be ported to joy-con. If I wanted motion sickness I'd have worn my Oculus. Thanks, but no thanks.
  9. mtkf
    Nov 29, 2020
    2
    This game is terrible. Some stages are fun but many of the boss battles are a frustrating horrible mess. There are no camera controls, which honestly doesn't matter UNTIL you have a boss battle and leads to many unfair losses. Any time I beat one of these bosses it didn't feel like I beat it on my own merit, but just out of luck after the 30+ time attempting. This game should be a tenThis game is terrible. Some stages are fun but many of the boss battles are a frustrating horrible mess. There are no camera controls, which honestly doesn't matter UNTIL you have a boss battle and leads to many unfair losses. Any time I beat one of these bosses it didn't feel like I beat it on my own merit, but just out of luck after the 30+ time attempting. This game should be a ten dollar eshop game, but for $40 new it's just an overpriced cash grab port. This was my first and will definetly be my last monkey ball game. It's just not a fun game.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

93
#93 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 30, 2020
    75
    Sadly, about 10% of the game stands in the way of enjoying the other 90. [Issue #44 – January/February 2020, p. 63]
  2. Switch Player
    Nov 12, 2019
    60
    Super Money Ball: Banana Blitz HD feels at odds with both its former self and the new hardware it is running on. It lacks the functions, features and creativity to bring this Sega series back to where it belongs — in the hearts of many a gamer.
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  3. Nintendo Insider
    Nov 11, 2019
    40
    Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a substandard remaster of a game that quite frankly didn’t need it in the first place. The disappointing level design, frustrating boss battles and shallow party games are a sore reminder of just how much this series has fallen since the glory days of the GameCube pair. I want the series back just as much as any fan, but not like this.
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