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NES Game Reviews #27 – Marble Madness

Marble Madness is a quirky game that’s a lot of fun! Who didn’t love Marbles as a kid? Those glass balls with strangely coloured interiors, I had a box of them, always found them very mysterious. I also had no idea what I was supposed to do with them. They were just Marbles! This thing that existed and looked pretty. Did anyone actually play Marbles properly, ie win other kids Marbles off them for keepsies? I don’t recall anyone in my playground doing that, guess I was the wrong generation.

De qualquer forma, a Atari decidiu transformar o popular jogo em um videogame. Ironicamente, o jogo acabou sendo tão misterioso para mim quanto o jogo real! Marble Madness tem um fascínio estranho que é difícil de descrever. Quando colocado em palavras, o conceito de controlar uma bola de gude em 7 níveis diferentes, evitar perigos e cair das bordas não parece nada de especial, mas quando você joga o jogo, é como se houvesse algum significado mais profundo escondido ali? Talvez seja o design de níveis um tanto psicodélico? talvez seja a música maravilhosamente bizarra? Ou talvez seja apenas o fato de que eu costumava ficar muito chapado quando jogava esse jogo na minha adolescência?

Your aim is to get your Marble to the end of the course within the time-limit. A time bonus is awarded upon completion which adds to your total. This gives you more time for the next level. Since there’s a global time limit it is tougher than it first seems. However you can pick up the odd time bonus for crushing certain enemies, and occasionally a random time bonus for… doing well?

You’re reliant on completing stages quickly in order to have enough time remaining for the final stage. To be honest, it really shouldn’t take an average player too long to complete this game. Whilst not the hardest, and perhaps not the most engaging for those not half baked… To me this game will always be special. Long live Atari!