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Marble Blast is a 2002 3D platform game. It was pre-installed on some Apple Inc. computer systems like the iMac, iBook, and Mac mini. It was also available for Windows operating systems as well as various Linux distributions. It was remade for the XBOX Live Arcade during Marble Blast's final years.
| Marble Blast | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | GarageGames |
| Publisher(s) | Monster Studios |
| Engine | Torque Game Engine |
| Platform(s) | Xbox Windows Mac OS X Linux |
| Release | December 13, 2002 (Marble Blast)[1] May 2, 2002 (Marble Blaster)[citation needed] May 9, 2003 (Marble Blast Gold)[2] |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle-platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The game was originally released in December 2002 as "Marble Blast" and then updated in May 2003, being renamed Marble Blast Gold. During the same year at some point, it was also licensed to eGames to be resold under the name Marble Blaster.[3]
The sequel, Marble Blast Ultra, was released in 2006 for the Xbox 360 platform with new features and improved graphics, sometime after the enhanced version of Marble Blast for the XBOX Live Arcade[4] which released one year earlier. A spiritual successor to Gold and Ultra, Marble It Up!, was released for the Nintendo Switch in September 2018, later being ported to Windows and Apple Arcade later that year. Marble Blast XP, a version for the Net Jet online game system, has updated graphics and a marble selector.
A tribute to Marble Blast, called Great Marble Adventure, was released in 2022. There are also modifications of the game that have also been created by members of the Marble Blast Community, most notably Marble Blast Platinum & PlatinumQuest, Marble Blast Powered Up, Quaternion, and STOP DeluXe.
Gameplay
editBasic gameplay involves taking the perspective of an autonomous marble moving on its own from a start pad to an end pad, without falling out of bounds. Stages may contain hazards to make this more difficult. The player controls the marble spin, movement, and can also make the marble jump, therefore administering movement. There are a variety of power-ups available, which are collected by touching them with the marble. Some stages must be completed within a qualification time, to increase difficulty. Each stage also has a "Gold Time", an additional challenge to complete the stage in a specified time-frame. Each Gold Time is always possible but usually involves finding hidden power-ups and/or taking shortcuts. Some stages require a number of gems to be picked up before the stage can be finished. There are 100 stages, categorized by difficulty: 24 Beginner, 24 Intermediate, and 52 Advanced, totaling 100 stages in the entire game. The Xbox version of the game includes additional features, including nine new stages, easter eggs, and an online leaderboard.[5]
Development and release
editMarble Blast was one of several games created by GarageGames using the developer's proprietary Torque Game Engine, first created for the first-person shooter Tribes 2.[6] Retail versions of Marble Blast were shipped by GarageGames in June 2003, having previously been available on the developer's website.[7] On 10 May 2005, the game was also released as an online download for the Xbox as part of the Xbox Live Arcade service.[8][9][5] Marble Blast Gold was also preinstalled on Mac computers, including the Apple Mac Mini.[10]
Reception
edit| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | 5/10[11] |
| Macworld | [12] |
| Absolute Games | 80%[13] |
| Inside Mac Games | 6.5[14] |
Marble Blast received average reviews from critics.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "GarageGames Player Site Launches - Game Spy Daily". Archived from the original on January 16, 2003. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Marble Blast Goes Gold - GarageGames". Archived from the original on June 3, 2003. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Harmon, Mark (June 12, 2003). "Marble Blaster == Marble Blast?". GarageGames. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Pringle, James (August 4, 2004). "Marble Blast Rols on Over to Xbox". IGN. Archived from the original on October 31, 2005. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ a b "Marble Blast Races Out of the Garage onto Xbox Live Arcade The First Torque Game Debuts on Xbox Live Arcade". GamesIndustry.biz. May 10, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ Lloyd, Justin (September 2004). "Torque Game Engine". Game Developer Magazine. pp. 8–9.
- ^ Calvert, Justin (June 24, 2003). "GarageGames ships two to retail". GameSpot. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ "Xbox Live Arcade". Xbox Nation. No. 22. January 2005. p. 46.
- ^ Pringle, James (August 5, 2004). "Marble Blast Rolls on Over to Xbox". IGN. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ Withers, Stephen (May 2005). "Apple Mac Mini". Australian Personal Computer. p. 42.
- ^ Reed, Kristan (August 10, 2005). "Xbox Live Arcade". Eurogamer. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ Cohen, Peter (June 2003). "Simple Pleasures". Macworld. p. 53.
- ^ Oma (July 26, 2003). "Marble Blaster". Absolute Games.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ Park, Eddie (January 28, 2003). "Marble Blast". Inside Mac Games. Archived from the original on February 10, 2003. Retrieved January 30, 2024.