Kororinpa: Marble Mania

The Good
Kororinpa: Marble Mania (henceforth referred to as K:MM) begins with a fairly rough start that soon becomes a feather in its cap - tight, immediate control with the Wiimote that is very sensitive. At the beginning, this can be quite frustrating but after a bit the game gently teaches the player to become one with the balance of the Wiimote, and things improve greatly.

As you tilt the playing field (you actually use the Wiimote to tilt the maze that the ball is on, not to move the ball) to navigate K:MM's mazes and setups, the level design gently increases in difficulty to the point of requiring the player to turn the Wiimote and the maze entirely upside-down, dropping the marble from one level onto another. The level design is fascinating, and still simple enough for the player to grasp without feeling overwhelmed.

As you progress, you gain access to new mazes and new marbles, many of which are mind-meltingly cute. The Dog, Cat, Penguin and Pig are all very soft little marbles that squeak little noises (all of which are variants on "Wii!", I do believe) as they roll along the playing field. Not only is the sound and visual aspect of this hilarious and cute, but the soundtrack is 100% on the mark and appropriate. The soundtrack is upbeat and peppy on a level so high, it actually helps to reduce the mounting frustration that comes with the more difficult levels that seem impossible to get through.

Refreshingly (for some of us at least), K:MM is one of the most forgiving games ever made. Your marble can fall off the maze a hundred times and you will still be allowed to complete the maze and move on (though your time for the level may wind up long - each level is timed and some extras are earned with a speedy delivery). Once you get used to this, you start to realize that screwing up is okay - the game wants you to learn its secrets and improve and progress, it doesn't want you to fail and laugh at your ineptitude.

It's all about light-hearted fun, with bright colors, happy music, smiley little marbles that squeak as you go along, it's quite a package as a whole.

The Bad
Some minor downsides are present - the graphics, on a pure technical level, are probably best rated somewhere in the Gamecube territory. "Marble Blast Ultra" for Xbox Live Arcade, as one example, looks notably shinier and more immediately visually impressive. I would make the case that it doesn't detract at all from the experience, but there is room for improvement, especially on some maze textures that are pretty grainy.

Another weird little thing that maybe I just don't "get" - why call the game "Kororinpa: Marble Mania" instead of just "Marble Mania" or something? I'm not sure how to pronounce Kororinpa, it doesn't mean anything to me or anyone I mention it to....I dunno. Maybe they're going for the "Katamari Damacy" thing, but I thought Katamari Damacy should've been called "Giant Cute Sticky Rolling Ball" or whatnot, so maybe I should be ignored completely on this front. I just don't see why for the US / Euro release of the game they'd use a title like that, but whatever, no matter.

The Bottom Line
I have been very happily surprised and impressed with K:MM. I thought before I played it that it would be a short-lived thing, cute but annoying, spunky but basic, and I am very glad to be wrong. It's addictive, thoughtful, interesting, creative and uplifting. It's definitely a game to keep around to balance oneself after a round or two of Resident Evil 4 and the like. Couldn't we all use a ray of squeaky, roley-poley, table tilting sunshine once in awhile?