The Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD remake marks the first release for the rolling ball platformer in nearly five years.
Sega will breathe new life into the 2006 Nintendo Wii Super Monkey Ball in an HD remake of the title for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It will be a remaster with some updated content, including an online leaderboard, a first for the series.
The press release describes how the remaster will fine-tune the game’s controls for each console’s release. “With uniquely optimized control schemes for each platform, everyone from first-time rollers to world-record holders can jump right in to the fun!”
The original Nintendo Wii Banana Blitz is known for having some pretty difficult controls, but is still a decent platformer. The remaster will hopefully take the good foundation of the Nintendo Wii game and create an easier to play version of AiAi’s adventures.
The last title to hit for the Monkey Ball series was 2014’s Android and iOS title Super Monkey Ball Bounce. Ball Bounce was a Peggle-like game, which was a deviation from the tried and true ball rolling platforming gameplay of the titles before it. In 2014, the PlayStation Vita received the last main-series Monkey Ball title in Banana Splitz.
As the original Banana Blitz took advantage of the Wii remote’s motion controls, it may be that the Nintendo Switch follows suit by utilizing the motion control technology present in the Joy-Con controllers.
The Banana Blitz remake has a worldwide console release date of October 29, 2019. A brief announcement trailer for the HD port teases the new graphics and return to form for the Super Monkey Ball series.
We’re not monkeying around, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD lands on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on October 29, 2019, with a Steam release planned for Winter 2019!https://t.co/9B9ROhjB9D pic.twitter.com/ldNkFjPPxa
— SEGA (@SEGA) July 16, 2019