Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz Review

I missed Monkey Ball fever back when the series first started kicking off. In my ignorance, I asked myself why would I want to play a monkey in a ball rolling around collecting bananas? To be fair – back in 2006, I was a little emo kid who’d rather play Halo or Killzone and completely ignore the kid-friendly games of the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube generation, it is a time of shame when I look back at it.

Trying Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD for the first time on PS4 has made me kick myself because from besides some intense motion-sickness, I found myself having fun with the simple rolling puzzles that the series is known for.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is the HD remaster of the Wii 2006 release, bringing over 100 single-player maps, 10 multiplayer mini-games and a bunch of new graphical features to boost it up to the standards we have for our current gaming generation. This, of course, includes a graphical update that boosts from the original 480p with 30fps to 1080p with 60fps.

The premise is simple enough – A pirate-like villain named Captain Crabuchin steals the Golden Banana Bunch and AiAi and his friends hop in their roller balls to collect the scattered pieces. It’s not the most gripping story, but let’s be honest that’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to roll some monkeys in a ball through some increasing difficult mazes.

In that aspect – Banana Blitz HD does not disappoint. While the first two levels are a breeze to get you used to the controls and mechanics, which you’ll need to know all of to prevent yourself from falling into the various traps and pitfalls that the game will throw at you in later maps.

While it can get frustratingly difficult, the game never feels unfair. There is a way around every obstacle as well as hidden shortcuts for those who want to be brave, which can come in handy as you go back through the missions in the new Time Attack mode to rank in the online leaderboard.

Another beneficial update to the game is the controls, as Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz was originally a Wii game, it fell for the motion control gimmick that was popular for the console. Thankfully this feature, from what I can tell on the Playstation 4 version of the game, has been completely removed allowing for more precise controls via the Joysticks.

While everything is pretty and the controls are great, the new 60fps gameplay is not for those who are easily subjectable to motion sickness, as I found out I am. As you tilt the analog sticks, the world moves with the direction giving a dizzying experience as you attempt to collect bananas and make it to the goal, especially on levels where sharp turns are needed to proceed.

If you’re tired of the rolling around, you do have the option to try out a variety of mini-games which are excellent party games. In the original, the list of minigames was at 50, many were heavily reliant on the Wii’s motion controls while others were just plain boring. The set here is the best of the bunch, and the new Decathlon mode that pushes you to play them in succession is a nice feature, however, they’re still very forgettable when it comes down to the main game.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is simple, fun and the lack of motion controls that the original Wii version had is a blessing in disguise, giving players a fun time killer that’s suitable for everyone in the family. If you’re a fan of the series, it’s a return to form for a series that has been dormant for a while, while newcomers can jump in with easy to learn controls and a fun time-killer.