There is a game out there that is quite beyond our world. A world were marbles are hated and are put in mazes to test their intelligences as well as their observation skills. Little do the marbles know that there is no freedom, no escape, no purpose in this crazy world of worms that eat glass and conveniently placed vacuums of oddness. Why it exists, what the mazes purposes are, and what the hell is that are questions you'll ask yourself in this game, but for the most part, you'll just won't ask a thing in pure bewilderment. Lets have a look in to the madness that is Marble Madness.

Now, normally I begin with the story, but this time, it'll be far more appropriate to begin with the game play. You have two different types of controls: 90 degrees, and 45 degrees. 90 degrees is were when you press left, you go left. Down is down and right-up is right-up. 45 degrees takes the controls of 90 degrees, but rotates how they work by 45 degrees, so left is down-left, down-left is down, and down is right-down. I prefer the 90 degrees option for the pure simplicity of it all. You begin at the practice race, where you just get to grips to your
controls and how the game works. It's very straight forward, almost
anyone can do it. When you get to the end, you get a bonus depending on how fast you complete the level

Don't celebrate just yet, you move on to the beginners race. This time there are black marbles trying to push you off, green worms trying to eat you, narrow passages, and other little do-dads to make things more complex. You move to the intermediate race, where your total time is the initial time is added to the time left over the race you finished. The faster you finish the last race, the more time you'll have on the later races. Although at random times, the game will freeze, while a magic wand flicks over you and you gain 10 seconds. How....thoughtful, I guess. This goes on for another 3 races, making a total of six, but it's hard to complete it, as you are rushed to get to the end. This results in you taking longer to complete the race. And then, when you get to the silly race with subtitles "everything you know is wrong", this widens the universe of this marble world by a lot. Things are crazier, the music is odder, everything makes you think there is more to this sad world of people bullying marbles.

The music is awesome, it gives you the sense one being on another planet, yet giving a good tune for you to listen to. It's very fitting with both the game and the environment you are in. The graphics are very mystical. I hate it when they add black backgrounds, as they feel like they re hiding something and not giving me the full picture. Yet, in this game, they match really well with the game play and music. It almost gives me the sense that there are mad scientists behind that black curtain, experimenting with biological marbles that can think for themselves, and planting odd creatures in a vortex of the space-time continuum....

The first time you play, it's quite a challenge, but as you play, you'll find what is the fastest route around the place, as the mazes remain the same. although the controls are a little fiddly to begin with, you get used to them after some time. You then find yourself making corners as high speeds, yet you may not have enough time. Well, the answer to this is you can roll faster. By holding down the A button, you go at a faster pace than normal, which can shave several seconds off.

The game, although short, has a lot to offer. The practice race is a prime example. It's possible to jump onto the edge near the end and gain some bonus points. I always wondered why those numbers were there. It's good to explore and see what you can find. it's fairly addictive, even when you get close to the end and fail. The music the game over screen gives makes you feel there is yet more to this world than it seems, and you want to get to the end just to see if there is anything. Does the marble get freed? Do we accurately get to know what the hell is happening here?

However, despite various setting, the mood it sets, the graphics it implies, the music it tells, it's just a game to get as many points as you can. Seriously, I was almost disappointed to beat the ultimate race (with a certain amount of satisfaction, I might add), just find a load of different coloured balls bouncing around the screen telling me how I got a score bonus for completing the game. So the silly was a lie? Or was the lie about the lie a lie? Maybe the lie wasn't a lie, yet the marble was a lie. Did any of this really happen? Was it all just a hallucination? If so, it's a pleasant one.

Overall, I give this game an 8.3/10      Once you get used to the controls, and the way the game plays with your mind, it's a very enjoyable game to play. Granted, it can get little boring after you complete it once, but it has that charm that allows you to play it with the same excitement once in a while. It's a game that certainly should be played again if you remember it and is defiantly worth a play if you got the time. If you like weird stuff that makes no sense, then you'll enjoy this game even if you hate the marble aspect of it. It's one of those forgotten classics that might have scared away some of the customers rather than draw them in, and I can see why. Caution when playing then game, as it contains some pretty bizarre stuff.

Haven't heard of this game, but it looks like a fun game to play, so I might check it out sometime. Nice description of the game.

wow what a odd story anyway i'm not a fan of this game its...boring imo

This game is a real classic. I have very vague memories of playing this game when I was about 4-5. But like I say, they are vague. Before I found this site, I looked all over for it (which is hard when I couldn't remember the name). I found it today, as a matter of fact, and had a nice playthrough. Good times.