Marble Madness
System: NES
Release Date: March 1989
Developer: Rare
Publisher: Milton Bradley Company
Genre: Puzzle/Racing
Marble Madness is a much better outing from Rare. This was certainly a fun diversion for me in my youth, but even as I aged, I never actually finished the race! I said to myself, there’s no way I finish this review without finally beating Marble Madness. You begin by inputting your name and choosing the control scheme. 90 degrees has the d-pad move you where you point, 45 degrees tilts the control much like Q*bert did.
You race against the clock through six levels. Each level gets progressively harder as more obstacles are thrown in your path. There are multiple paths per level and finding the most efficient route is in your best interest. Your confidence grows as you beat the levels, and then you get to the penultimate Silly Course. The gravity rules are backward here, which can take a minute to get used to, but once you do, you can snag some extra time by killing mini enemies. The final level isn’t terrible until the end, when you have to navigate through disappearing platforms, but once you get through that, you win!
Something I didn’t know about Marble Madness until the last time I played it maybe a year ago, is that by pressing the A Button, you give your marble a turbo boost! This makes it way easier to avoid enemies and actually complete certain areas of the courses. It took me five tries before I conquered the Ultimate Course and I audibly cheered. I saw I died 18 times and thought I could do better. I tried once more, beat it, but died 20 times. I’m content with my performance.
Graphics: 2.0
The graphics are average. Being at the isometric angle allows for more impressive illustrations, at this time.
Sound: 3.0
I think the music for each level is very well composed and sounds good. The sound effects are appropriate for what they portray.
Gameplay: 2.5
This isn’t an extremely deep game and you’re liable to be driven nuts by the momentum until you get it down. But once you get the feeling of control, it’s like butter.
Difficulty: 3.0
Learning how each of the traps work is integral to success. I would be incredibly surprised if someone beat this on their first try.
Fun Factor: 3.5
I think Marble Madness is an extremely fun game. It’s simplicity is where it really shines.
Overall Grade: 2.8
Marble Madness earns a B. This is a great, simple title that keeps you coming back for more. I highly recommend this one.