Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD (Switch) Review
Release Date: October 29, 2019
Publisher/Developer: Sega
Platform: Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam (coming soon)
Price: $39.99
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz was an experiment for the series, utilizing the infamous Wiimote motion controls instead of the traditional joystick to tilt and roll your monkeyball around the level. This October, Sega is rereleasing this Wii exclusive on all major platforms. Given that motion controls aren’t guaranteed to exist on all possible platforms, they have opted to remove them entirely, returning to a traditional control scheme. While an HD upgrade, this edition has a few things taken out of it or replaced to the point that your appreciation of the game will center around which kind of control scheme you prefer.
This is my first foray into the Monkey Ball series, so I did a little research for this article. The Wiimote controls were divisive for gamers familiar with the series. Some disapproved, saying the controls were sloppy, whilst the ones who got the hang of it felt it was more precise. The Wii edition added (and this version still retains) things that were new to the series at the time, such as boss battles and a jumping mechanic. Levels consist of a series of floating islands, ramps, mechanisms and such that your selected monkey has to maneuver to pick up as many bananas as possible on the way to the goal. There’s a basic level progression, but points are also acquired based on percentage of bananas collected and time taken.
Banana Blitz had a huge assortment of minigames on the Wii that relied on the motion controls. This has been pared down from forty or so to ten. These are allegedly the best of the bunch, but it is kind of sad to see an “HD Edition” of a game actually lose content. I can also really easily see that the ones still here were made for silly motion control fun, not pinpoint analog precision. There are still motion controls in Switch, PlayStation, and certain PC controllers, but motion controls aren’t even an option. Had they allowed gamers to try the original control scheme those extra modes could have still been there, for better or worse. Also, the soundtrack has been altered a bit (I read it’s due to licensing issues) is catchy, but different if you’re looking for the same experience you got on Wii. The new music is arcadey, but it tends to get a bit repetitive.
So really, as I said before, this will boil down to controller preference. It does vastly change how these particular levels are played on a functional basis. Looking at the game with that knowledge, I really can see the effort put into the game to make it Wiimote-friendly, especially in the third level where there’s a lot of slalom-like courses. I can see it being easier to guide your monkey via subtle tweaks of a motion controller instead of the analog stick. Meanwhile, a boss became easier as motion controls would likely keep you rolling when proper timing and a jump to bounce his bullets back made the battle into a bump in the road. It further cemented this thought in my head when my son, who has never seen a Monkey Ball game at all, came out to watch me play. He thought it was neat, but after about ten seconds said “this looks like it was made for gyro controls, is there an option to swap?” I know it would leave Xboxers out in the cold, but it really would add to the game to offer the original control scheme.
So here comes another paragraph about controls...I know it’s an arcade game, and I know that prior titles in the series likely were limited, but the motion controls were tacked over to the left analog stick. That and a jump button is all you get. In a world with regular right analog sticks, I was consistently frustrated I couldn’t adjust the camera angle with the right, especially on the boss levels where you track an (occasionally randomly moving) boss instead of aiming where you want to go. Even if traditionalists hated it, giving an option to man the camera would have been better.
It’s great to see a classic series like Super Monkey Ball get a new release, even if it’s just a port. Fans of the series ought to pick it up if anything to support and show interest in more. This port, removing original music, a ton of the minigames, and it’s original control scheme, makes me feel like it could have been so much more. Yes, Banana Blitz brought new and interesting additions to the Monkey Ball formula, but the spirit has changed porting it from a lighthearted motion control game to a more serious basic control setup.
Pros:
-Fans of the original who disliked the motion control scheme will be pleased as it plays like previous games in the series
-HD-ified classic arcade fun (on the go with Switch!)
-Neat additions to the Monkey Ball formula with bosses and jumping mechanics
Cons:
-If anything, this HD remake is actually a non-definitive edition, removing assets of the original like music and party levels
-Controllers have motion support, if the game was built around them, offer them. If you go analog, offer some more options, like camera control or inverting the tilt
-Levels designed for motion control fun feel extremely different on an analog stick
Special Thanks to Sega for providing a download code for review!