The single-player puzzle levels in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz have been designed to challenge gamers' skills like never before. For the first time in the Super Monkey Ball franchise, AiAi and his friends have the ability to jump when players flick the Nintendo Wii controller in an upward motion. The ability to jump has given game designers another dimension in which to expand the Super Monkey Ball gameplay experience and allows gamers a whole new way to interact with the franchise; this time in true three-dimensional fashion. The Party Games return with more variety than ever. An abundance of new Party Games have been designed to take advantage of the Wii controller in a multitude of ways. Gamers find themselves competing in a traditional game of ring toss, or even smacking pesky moles in a game of "Whack-a-Mole."
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PLATFORM: Steam Deck via Banana Blitz HD, and Android via Dolphin Emulator
GOAL: Clear Story Mode
PROGRESS: Up to World 8's boss in HD, up to World 5 in Wii
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is a bad Super Monkey Ball game. Going from a physics-based puzzle game to a 3D platformer with jumping and boss fights is a concept that very much ignores why this series is so beloved.
That being said, with both Banana Mania and Banana Rumble under our belts now, along with the originals still being great and having a ton of fanmade level packs, I went into Banana Blitz with an open mind, and found that the fusion of Monkey Ball and 3D platforming led to a pretty unique experience. You still have ball physics and stage tilting, and despite the shift in philosophies, I think they still understood how to make a great set of levels. It's just in a different style now!
That's not even mentioning the controls, the biggest difference between Wii and HD. Uh... yeah there's a reason I played HD first. I don't think motion controls are inherently bad, but the way you hold the Wii Remote doesn't make me feel like I'm truly tilting the world. The mobile games definitely had a better feel of control and were more immersive, which was definitely shown when I started emulating the game on my phone. Neither control scheme quite replicates a perfect Monkey Ball control set, but I can get behind either.
Some other big changes are boss battles, individual character stats, and the removal of Challenge Mode, none of which I'm the most fond of. For bosses, I like World 4 and 7's bosses, can tolerate the rest, and 2, 5, and 8 suck lol. For character stats, I managed to feel lucky that YanYan was already my favorite, and even then I switched to AiAi sometimes (7-1 is a particular sour spot, as YanYan doesn't want to properly get in the Goal). For the removal of Challenge Mode, I don't entirely mind the World structure, and the levels incorporating some more natural obstacles is cute, but I would've liked some more Advanced and Expert-tier courses.
The actual level design does definitely feel a little neutered for motion controls, but there's still some moments of fun, like jumping all the way from the start to the goal, getting the right amount of tilt for dash panels, or manuevering treacherous rails (said rails being made MORE treacherous in HD, hehe). I do wish this was an analog stick game from the start, just so they could go further...
Let's talk about aesthetics and how HD changed them. I quite like the art style, going for a colorful cel-shaded look, though I do miss the aesthetics of 1 and 2. The music, on the other hand, is phenomenal! Jungle Island, Smooth Sherbet, Cobalt Caverns, and Ultra Heaven are my beloved. However, this is an aspect that HD... well, sidegrade is the sweetest word I could use. The entire soundtrack, aside from Smooth Sherbet, was replaced, and while new compositions like BANANA~NA In Love, Landing On A New Island!, Khafre's Trials, and Swamps Of Side Chain might honestly outclass the Wii soundtrack, the rest of this new OST is reused from 1, 2, and 3D, for some reason. I do still like most of the replaced tracks, but it's a shame that Chihiro Aoki wasn't contracted for the full thing.
In conclusion, while Banana Blitz fails to capture the spirit of Monkey Ball, it still manages to do the best it can with an odd idea, creating a 3D platformer with ball-rolling physics and (semi-optional) motion controls, making for a novelty I'd honestly go back to as much as the first game, despite the tough act not being followed. It's a 7/10, and a 7/10 I like.
GOAL: Clear Story Mode
PROGRESS: Up to World 8's boss in HD, up to World 5 in Wii
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is a bad Super Monkey Ball game. Going from a physics-based puzzle game to a 3D platformer with jumping and boss fights is a concept that very much ignores why this series is so beloved.
That being said, with both Banana Mania and Banana Rumble under our belts now, along with the originals still being great and having a ton of fanmade level packs, I went into Banana Blitz with an open mind, and found that the fusion of Monkey Ball and 3D platforming led to a pretty unique experience. You still have ball physics and stage tilting, and despite the shift in philosophies, I think they still understood how to make a great set of levels. It's just in a different style now!
That's not even mentioning the controls, the biggest difference between Wii and HD. Uh... yeah there's a reason I played HD first. I don't think motion controls are inherently bad, but the way you hold the Wii Remote doesn't make me feel like I'm truly tilting the world. The mobile games definitely had a better feel of control and were more immersive, which was definitely shown when I started emulating the game on my phone. Neither control scheme quite replicates a perfect Monkey Ball control set, but I can get behind either.
Some other big changes are boss battles, individual character stats, and the removal of Challenge Mode, none of which I'm the most fond of. For bosses, I like World 4 and 7's bosses, can tolerate the rest, and 2, 5, and 8 suck lol. For character stats, I managed to feel lucky that YanYan was already my favorite, and even then I switched to AiAi sometimes (7-1 is a particular sour spot, as YanYan doesn't want to properly get in the Goal). For the removal of Challenge Mode, I don't entirely mind the World structure, and the levels incorporating some more natural obstacles is cute, but I would've liked some more Advanced and Expert-tier courses.
The actual level design does definitely feel a little neutered for motion controls, but there's still some moments of fun, like jumping all the way from the start to the goal, getting the right amount of tilt for dash panels, or manuevering treacherous rails (said rails being made MORE treacherous in HD, hehe). I do wish this was an analog stick game from the start, just so they could go further...
Let's talk about aesthetics and how HD changed them. I quite like the art style, going for a colorful cel-shaded look, though I do miss the aesthetics of 1 and 2. The music, on the other hand, is phenomenal! Jungle Island, Smooth Sherbet, Cobalt Caverns, and Ultra Heaven are my beloved. However, this is an aspect that HD... well, sidegrade is the sweetest word I could use. The entire soundtrack, aside from Smooth Sherbet, was replaced, and while new compositions like BANANA~NA In Love, Landing On A New Island!, Khafre's Trials, and Swamps Of Side Chain might honestly outclass the Wii soundtrack, the rest of this new OST is reused from 1, 2, and 3D, for some reason. I do still like most of the replaced tracks, but it's a shame that Chihiro Aoki wasn't contracted for the full thing.
In conclusion, while Banana Blitz fails to capture the spirit of Monkey Ball, it still manages to do the best it can with an odd idea, creating a 3D platformer with ball-rolling physics and (semi-optional) motion controls, making for a novelty I'd honestly go back to as much as the first game, despite the tough act not being followed. It's a 7/10, and a 7/10 I like.
Not gonna sugarcoat it or make a funny, this games not good. the party games are fine but the main game simply drags in a way i find hard to describe...its gamefeel is off. I prefer Banana Mania, but as a first entry (for me) this nearly turned me off the franchise.
Could've been good - the whole idea of SMB involves rolling and in principle, that would fit great with motion controls, but the Wii didn't allow the precision needed to make it enjoyable.
0 souvenirs du jeu mais monkey
At first, this seemed like a match made in heaven. Utilizing the precise and physics-based controls of the Super Monkey Ball games, and mixing that with the new motion controls of the Wii console, this could have been a fantastic combination. Unfortunately, this game's controls were imprecise and clunky, while the levels around it were braindead easy and unmemorable. It's as if the developers knew that the gameplay wasn't going to be as good with only motion controls, and instead of figuring out that problem, they made each stage so open and easy it wouldn't matter how poorly it controlled. On the positive end, the minigames were pretty fun, though most of them you could find better iterations of in other games on the Wii, like Wii Sports. Thankfully, there is a remake that seems to rectify some of these, so I would recommend playing that over this version of the game.
Checked out from the library at some point in the late 2000s. Played through a few levels with my brother, but did not finish.