Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Director Wants to Make More Monkey Ball

Sega’s Super Monkey Ball was once one of the publisher’s most entertaining franchises. With its enjoyable single player modes and surprisingly deep multiplayer options, the first two Super Monkey Ball games established a rather passionate fan base. Unfortunately, games like Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz failed to live-up to the same level of quality, and the series has been on life support, over the last few years. In October, Sega attempted to resuscitate the series with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD, an enhanced port of a game initially released as a launch title for the Nintendo Wii in 2006. In an interview with Crunchyroll, Banana Blitz HD director Masao Shirosaki stated that the port could show Sega that there is demand for more Monkey Ball.

“I’m really grateful for the fans who still support the Monkey Ball series after all these years, and who motivate me to create only the best for them. And of course, I am aware that the most favored titles are the first two games. If there is enough support for Banana Blitz HD, this will open up doors for remaking the first two games or even a whole new title to the series. But for now, I’d be happy if everyone has fun playing Banana Blitz HD.”

When Banana Blitz first released, many fans took issue with the game’s motion controls. Banana Blitz HD eschews those controls in favor of a more traditional control scheme. The new version also dumped a number of the waggle-oriented party games, focusing instead on fan favorites like Monkey Target and Monkey Snowboarding. Finally, the game also added online leaderboards so fans could share their high scores online.

While these additions are certainly nice, a new game would obviously be preferable to longtime fans. After all, Banana Blitz HD is the first release in the franchise since 2012’s Super Monkey Ball Bounce on iOS and Android. Fans aren’t the only ones hoping for a new game in the series, however. Shirosaki wants to see it, as well.

“As for my next project, I have many ideas in mind but my hope is to create a new Monkey Ball title.”

Would you like to see a brand-new Super Monkey Ball game? Or would you prefer an HD version of the first two games in the franchise? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!