The absurdity of primates in spheres is back with ‘Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD,’ a remaster of the original released on the Wii in 2006, coming later this fall for console and PC.
Banana Blitz sees the return of the Wii launch title with a significant overhaul, featuring updates to gameplay and features. Perhaps the main update being controls, since Banana Blitz was initially a Wii-exclusive release, Sega states that each version has “uniquely optimized control schemes for each platform” bypassing the limitation of motion controls. Along with that, the remaster also includes 100 single-player stages to enjoy as well as 10 multiplayer mini-games for others to join the fray.
The game will also include a brand new “Decathlon” mini-game, a collection of 10 mini-games that you compete in back to back. Along with all the new games will be online leaderboards for tracking the best times for each stage and mini-game. Graphical overhauls round out the list of updates as well, along with a roundup of several screenshots that were released with the announcement trailer.
Known for its chaotic balance-based platforming, Super Monkey Ball has seen several releases and re-releases since the first game came out in 2001. But since 2010, other than some ports and handheld games, Super Monkey Ball hasn’t seen a mainline console release in a long time (since 2010 with ‘Step & Roll’ on the Wii). It’s exciting to see this immensely fun series finally making a triumphant return, even if Banana Blitz may not be the best in the series (Super Monkey Ball 1’s Monkey Target mini-game is too fun). Here’s to hoping this can gauge interest for a potential proper sequel one day.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD releases October 29 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with a Winter 2019 release window for PC via Steam.