"Super Monkey Ball" was one of Sega's big franchises in the early 2000s, and its early GameCube entries were pretty popular. As the years went on, though, the series started to lose its luster, largely thanks to newer entries often feeling like tech demos to showcase a new console and one of its particular gimmicks. It got bad enough that the series was pretty much put on ice after the 2012 PlayStation Vita installment "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz." However, seven years later, Sega finally made the decision to revive the franchise with an HD re-release of 2006's Wii entry "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz," an announcement that led the fanbase to respond with a collective "...huh?" While "Banana Blitz" wasn't an entry that fans actively disliked, many were confused by the decision to remaster that game, instead of the classic entries for the GameCube. Personally, I only remembered playing "Banana Blitz" at a demo kiosk in 2006 before having my Wii (and thinking it was the most mind-blowing thing ever because I was an easily-impressed 8-year old), so I was interested in seeing the game brought back. After spending some time playing through the game, I was honestly surprised.
"Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD" takes an early Wii game and does a good job bringing it up to speed with a new generation. The visual design is absolutely stunning, I think the HD facelift does wonders for it, and as you would expect, this game features some extremely catchy and fun music. The level design is crafted very well, and in comparison to the original release, playing with standard controls as opposed to motion controls feels like a dream. The game features plenty of levels and content to explore, many of which provide the solid challenge this series has always been known for. Some changes have been made that help the game feel a bit more accessible (I will admit, as much as it gets hated, I don't mind the jump button), and the multiplayer gameplay really adds to the overall replayability.
There are some notable flaws with the game, though. For starters, the difficulty slider feels like it swings wildly between two extremes at points. One level will take me 20-30 tries to complete, and then the next level will be a first-try cakewalk, and it feels like the game doesn't balance that part out. Also, yes, as many people previously criticized before, the boss fights can feel a bit underwhelming. I don't know why they added bosses to the game, but they certainly aren't the best part of it. Oh, and sadly, the HD re-release doesn't really add too much to the original package.
Overall, "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD" is a very fun game that updates the Wii title in a very respectful way, keeping it as a great experience. It may not be the game "Super Monkey Ball" purists immediately wanted remastered, and I probably ended up liking it a lot more than others, but yeah, there was a lot of fun to be had with this. If you enjoy the series, I do suggest giving this HD re-release a try.
Final rating: 8 out of 10 "Great"