Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD

This remaster of a previously solid entry in the Super Monkey Ball franchise initially thrills, but the shine fades fast.

The motion controls of the Wii original are stripped out for this remaster, leaving an entertaining if not quite excellent outing.

As a return effort the core of Super Monkey Ball is there with Banana Blitz HD, it'll just be hard to turn people onto it unless you're going in with a solo mindset. If you haven't ever experienced monkeys in balls before and plan on coming in as a rogue agent, that budget pricing helps.

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.

Back in the day, we gave the Wii version a crushing 4/10 score and said 'if the controls were good then you could double the score'. Little did we know that over a decade later, our words would ring (almost) true. With more usable controls you can finally enjoy this batch of 100 levels for what they are, but the wider game is let down by weird leaderboard decisions and those lacklustre mini-games. The best monkey-in-a-ball game since Super Monkey Ball 2, sure, but not quite a return to the series heyday.

I wanted to like this game, as I am a huge fan of the franchise, but this banana does not pass the smell test.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD isn't a perfect recreation of the original game due to some things being improved and others being taken away.

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.

For what it is, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD knocks it out of the park. From the simplicity, approachability, and variability of the gameplay to the fun aesthetics and music, Banana Blitz HD has a level of quality and self-awareness that many games (especially those for younger audiences) lack nowadays. At the end of it all, this game is a complete joy to play, full stop.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD provides glimpses of the greatness but these are few and far between in a game that struggles to find a solid difficulty curve and provide much else outside of the core 100 stages.