Marble Madness

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Description

The idea of this arcade game is deceptively simple: Guide a marble down a path without hitting any obstacles or straying off the course. The game is viewed from an isometric perspective, which makes it harder to stay focused on the direction the ball is to follow. There are tight corridors to follow and enemies to avoid. There is a 2-player mode in which players must race to the finish; otherwise you're racing against the clock.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Alternate Titles

• "マーブルマッドネス" -- Japanese spelling

Part of the Following Groups

• Genre: Rolling ball
• Officially-licensed Marble Madness games

User Reviews

A Challenge To Gamers Everywhere.	NES	powerstone05 (349)
The lack of a proper control system mars this otherwise perfect conversion.	PC Booter	Trixter (9110)
Madness? It's only marbles.	Genesis	Liam Dowds (51)
PC Version Disappointed	PC Booter	AstroNerdBoy (40)
The PC version doesn't hold a candle to the Amiga classic.	PC Booter	Tomer Gabel (4643)
One of the best coin-op conversions of its era	Amiga	Randy Delucchi (33)

Critic Reviews

Joystick (French)	NES	Dec, 1991	88 out of 100	88
Atari ST User	Atari ST	Mar, 1988	8 out of 10	80
Tilt	Apple II	Jun, 1987	16 out of 20	80
Questicle.net	NES	Sep, 2012	B	75
Ultimate Nintendo: Guide to the NES Library	NES	2016		70
ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)	SEGA Master System	Aug, 1992	8 out of 12	67
Retro Game Reviews	NES	Sep 11, 2015		60
Power Play	Game Gear	Aug, 1992	59 out of 100	59
NES Archives	NES	Jan 06, 2002	C+	58
The Video Game Critic	Game Boy	May 31, 2014	C	50

Forums

Topic	# Posts	Last Post
Secret level in Apple II and Apple II GS version?	2	Ethan Brunton (1) Jul 21, 2019

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The Arcade version of Marble Madness appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Graphics and Sound

A non-advertised fact about the PC version is that it supports 16-color graphics and 3-voice sound -- but only on a Tandy or PCjr computer. All other users automatically get 4-color CGA graphics and single-voice sound.

Secret level

In the Atari ST, C64, Apple ][, Apple //GS, and PC versions, there is a secret level accessible from the first level (involving being in the right place at the right time) which contains various difficult challenges (rivers, moving platforms and the like). This secret level does not exist in the original arcade game. It can only be finished in two player mode as several parts of the level require the cooperation of both players to get by.

Awards

• Happy Computer
  • 1986 - Best Coin-Op Conversion of the Year
  • Issue 04/1987 - #13 Best Game in 1986 (Readers' Vote)

Information also contributed by Daniel Yu, Indra was here and FatherJack

Related Web Sites

• Game Map (Sega Master System) (Images of the level maps of each level.)
• NES Player - Marble Madness (Shrine site with information about the game.)