SEGA has a few notable franchises, such as Phantasy Star, Yakuza, and of course Sonic the Hedgehog. Another series is Super Monkey Ball. Originally on the arcade, SEGA brought the first game to the GameCube in 2001. It was well-liked for its unique platforming gameplay. AiAi, the game's protagonist, would go on to become one of SEGA's most well-known characters. In 2006, SEGA released Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz for the Wii. Banana Blitz received an average reception. Its emphasis on motion control was mixed. Many felt it made controlling the characters aggravating. This week saw the release of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD, a high-definition remaster of the 2006 title. Gone are the motion controls in favor of the standard analog stick. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a decent entryway into the Monkey Ball series, but its frustrating sections and overall lack of fine-tuning prevent it from being a high recommendation.

For the main mode in Banana Blitz HD, players can choose between six characters: AiAi, MeeMee, GonGon, YanYan, Doctor and, Baby. Each has their stats (Doctor goes the fastest, while YanYan jumps the highest), so players can mix and match if certain characters aren't working out. The player character can run and jump over obstacles. There are eight main worlds, with eight levels and a bonus stage in each. A boss awaits the end of every world. Along with the main mode, there is local play in the form of minigames and online rankings.

The story begins when Captain Crabuchin arrives and steals the Golden Banana Bunch. Now, it's up to AiAi and friends to roll around eight worlds and get the fruits back.

Fun And Frustrating Platforming

The levels in Banana Blitz HD are built for rolling. Often the player will be zooming across tracks. However, there are many stages where players will carefully maneuver the ball. One of the most fun stages is in Cobalt Caverns, where the player has to navigate a large area. Smooth Sherbet is one of the best worlds, incorporating fast-rolling and fun platforming. Stages are short, but have a time limit. There's an addicting factor to the game thanks to the levels' length. As for the visuals, the art direction is fantastic. From the snowy Smooth Sherbet to the pretty Space Case, the environments are always nice to look at.

While Banana Blitz HD does have fun and rewarding platforming, it can be frustrating towards the latter part of the campaign. A lot of the deaths feel cheap due to the stage design and floaty controls. Some of the sections in Volcanic Pools are not fun in the slightest. There's a massive difficulty spike in the game, and honestly, it's often more infuriating than rewarding. To shake things up, the game features boss encounters. The battle on top of the Dinobot was the most fun. However, often these boss battles lack refinement and come across as very low budget. If one puts these boss encounters next to the average Sonic game, the difference is night and day. Because of this, Banana Blitz HD can feel like a cheaply-made game, which is more apparent with the minigames.

These Minigames Are Bad

For local play with friends or siblings, Banana Blitz HD features ten minigames. This is a downgrade from the original 50, but many of those were severely disliked. Instead, ten of the most popular were chosen. There are a couple of decent ones, but most of these minigames are awful in comparison to the minigames found in the Mario Party series. Just taking a look at these minigames gives the impression that the game is nothing more than a cheaply-made party title. Instead of these, the game should have incorporated a standard two-player race version of the main mode.

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Unlike the original game, Banana Blitz HD features online rankings. For Time Attack, players can test their skills against others by seeing how fast they can get through the worlds. There's also Decathlon, where players compete for the highest score through the ten minigames. While all this is fine, Decathlon is probably not going to be used too much due to how boring the minigames are. It's a shame real-time online play is not included. Racing others with the standard Monkey Ball gameplay could have provided some fun and lasting replay value.

Sonic Is Here! ...But Just For The Main Mode

Banana Blitz HD features an upbeat soundtrack. While nothing outstanding, the tunes are more than adequate and appropriately fit the diverse stages. After successfully completing the main game, Sonic the Hedgehog will be unlocked, along with a bonus World 9. Sonic is a fun guest star, but he is contained to the main mode, so friends cannot use him in the minigames. Although the main mode does have replay value in the forms of collecting every single banana, or going for the Champion Medals in no-continue runs, not being able to play as Sonic outside it is unfortunate.

Should Have Remade The First Game Instead

Overall, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a decent game. A lot of the levels are a blast to play through. The stages are best when they combine rolling with platforming. Sadly, the later stages are very frustrating. The boss battles are a welcome change of pace in concept, but they lack refinement. The minigames are very lackluster; there's no point in playing them if one has Super Mario Party on the shelf. Banana Blitz HD is fine, but SEGA should have remade the first game instead.

A Nintendo Switch copy of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD was purchased by TheGamer for this review. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is now available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is an enhanced version of the Nintendo Wii classic for modern systems, laynched in 2019. It features over 100 levels, as well as minigames, a party mode, and new characters.

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