Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz delivers the series' signature rolling-monkey charm on the Wii, but it suffers from imprecise motion controls that fight against the fun. The tilt-based gameplay often creates frustration rather than the fluid control fans expect from Monkey Ball. While the level designs and visual style remain colorful and some of the included minigames are enjoyable diversions, Banana Blitz struggles to capture the addictive essence of its predecessors.
Pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this! Motion-centric games usually lose their charm by an hour or so, but here they’re implemented very well and I can’t imagine playing this game without them. I found them to be pretty spot on and I always felt in control even as I screwed up. This is my first MB game so i have no clue what the standard is for a “good” MB game is but this one was cute and fit the wii aesthetic perfectly. This game wasn’t too challenging up until world 6, which makes sense considering the target audience, so the learning curve was pretty generous. One of my favorite Wii games to date
took super monkey ball and kinda squashed it flat. some fun levels here and there but the controls are just awful for monkey ball level design and many of the levels are just so dull and lifeless. features what may be the worst boss fights in the history of video games, too. lets not forget the copious amounts of atrocious minigames the original had to offer. the soundtrack is pretty good at least, and graphically the redesign isnt ungodly on the eyes.
Abandoned on Windows via Dolphin. I used a real Wiimote for the record. The controls are just poppycock. You can't come to a halt easily; you have to hold it as a weird 45 degree angle. And going forward takes a lot of tilt, but going backwards is as easy as pie. This would be fine if the stages felt built around that, but at times they can be weirdly precise. And sometimes they can be annoying because you can't stop. Hell even the damn MENUS are a bitch to navigate. That's never happened to me in my (albeit short) gaming career. Overall, this game just sucks.
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.
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.
not as insanely bad as people say? it's honestly a mid monkey ball game rather than an outright bad one imo. The motion controls are kinda lame, yeah, but they work reasonably well enough to have the game be properly controlled plus the levels are more designed around the more imprecise control scheme. There's also a jump button for some reason, which is really a love it or hate it addition. I haven't played much of the minigames because my friends don't trust this game so can't say anything about that. If you have a wii and like monkey ball maybe give this a shot with an open mind?
While Super Monkey Ball is a classic and beloved series, Banana Blitz suffers greatly from bad motion controls. The Wiimote just wasn't up for the task of the accuracy required for these tilt stages- which leads to a really aggravating experience on the console. Banana Blitz was re-released in recent years for modern consoles and I'm sure with a traditional controller it's a much better game but on the Wii it just wasn't cutting it. At least there were a lot of decent multiplayer minigames to check out which were fun for a few hangouts as a kid.