Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 64 | 34 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 15 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 58% | 58 | 200 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 52 | 7 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | – | – | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (63)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 50
“If you're an avid fan of the Monkey Ball series you may find some entertainment here. Otherwise, I'd say you should pass, or wait until it's on sale as Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is not the grand return of the series it could have been”
read full review ↗ - 60
“On the one hand, the game has lost its arcade drive and charm, on the other - it's still a good Monkey Ball, albeit not without drawbacks in the form of inappropriate bosses, wacky mini-games, outdated graphics and a little different cartoon style.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Back in the day, we gave the Wii version a crushing 4/10 score and said 'if the controls were good then you could double the score'. Little did we know that over a decade later, our words would ring (almost) true. With more usable controls you can finally enjoy this batch of 100 levels for what they are, but the wider game is let down by weird leaderboard decisions and those lacklustre mini-games. The best monkey-in-a-ball game since Super Monkey Ball 2, sure, but not quite a return to the series heyday.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Regardless, Banana Blitz HD is the definitive version of an era of Monkey Ball that desperately needs to make a comeback by either remaking the original two games or a creating new entry altogether. This is one of those instances where the quality of life improvements are noticeable, and it's worth your money being able to play it on the go at all.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Its mini-game collection is meek and its story mode is weighed down by difficulty spikes and pedestrian boss battles, but its arcade gameplay, clever course designs, and Decathalon mode make it an overall decent entry in the Monkey Ball universe.”
read full review ↗ - 71
“From the start I was always a fan of the Super Monkey Ball series...”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Not the entry fans of the series would have preferred to see get ported, but Banana Blitz HD is worth checking out for anyone that never played it on Wii, or those that just couldn't deal with the motion controls back then.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“The package is rounded out with various Time Trial options and the minigame-powered Decathlon, but not even the addition of online leaderboards can make the title’s awful adaptation of Whack-a-Mole entertaining.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD provides glimpses of the greatness but these are few and far between in a game that struggles to find a solid difficulty curve and provide much else outside of the core 100 stages.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“After spending time with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD, I'm still confused as to why this specific game was the pick to revive the franchise. The 10 mini-games included aren't that strong and the main game is mediocre at best, dragged down by the motion-focused level design and abysmal boss battles. On one hand, I was happy to play Super Monkey Ball again, but on the other, I wish I could play a better Super Monkey Ball game.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Anyone with any love of Monkey Ball would be doing themselves a disservice not picking up a way better version of a game that was hindered by motion control.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The premise is ridiculous but cute, and the action is certainly well-done with a nice fast and fluid feeling that Sonic the Hedgehog would approve of. It makes for a quick, entertaining diversion, though I do not know that it really has the depth in the single player to keep me coming back for more once I worked through the stages - but Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a blast with some friends if you enjoy some multiplayer shenanigans. It might be a bit more difficult to justify this release if it were a full sixty dollars, so ringing in at only two thirds of that price certainly helps. I do wonder if there were not better choices in the series to choose from that would not require a complete reworking of the controls, such as Monkey Ball Deluxe which had a lot more content available. Still, what we have here is definitely fun, even if it is in shorter bursts.”
read full review ↗
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