Marble Madness
- Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2 (1999)
-
Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2
(1998) -
Midway Arcade Origins
(2012) -
Midway Arcade Treasures
(2003)
- Marble Madness (1989 on Dedicated handheld)
Description official descriptions
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.
Spellings
- マーブルマッドネス - Japanese spelling
Groups +
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (Arcade version)
19 People
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 73% (based on 49 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 166 ratings with 6 reviews)
The Good
There really wasn't anything I liked about this game. : (
The Bad
This was the first PC game I purchased for myself in 1987 and I thought it would look better than it did. But the CGA graphics really bummed me out, especially since the PC I used back then had an EGA card!
The Bottom Line
Take the arcade version of Marble Madness, take away the sound and all but 4 colors and you have the PC version of this game.
PC Booter · by AstroNerdBoy (35) · 2001
One of the best coin-op conversions of its era
The Good
One of the best coin-op conversions of its era. Launched in 1985, the Amiga brought a new era in graphics capability to home computers, and Marble Madness really took advantage.
The Bad
Pretty short, to play it start-to-finish.
The Bottom Line
Guide your marble through a series of 3D isometric challenges.
Amiga · by Randy Delucchi (32) · 2003
The PC version doesn't hold a candle to the Amiga classic.
The Good
The Amiga version of this game is one of my favorite games ever - it's unbelievably addictive, looks great and the music is a classic. The PC version, on the other hand, has nothing in common except for the name and the concept.
The Bad
The graphics are horrible and could've been done a lot better, even though it's CGA. The music stinks (but what did you expect), and the gameplay is not nearly as addictive as the arcade and the Amiga versions - in fact, you'll put the game aside after a few short minutes. Even the controls are completely horrible!
The Bottom Line
A really bad conversion anyone in his right mind would stay away from.
PC Booter · by Tomer Gabel (4534) · 1999
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Secret level in Apple II and Apple II GS version? | theclue (175) | 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
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EGM
- November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #10 Best Arcade Games of All Time
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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
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Related Sites +
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Game Map (Sega Master System)
Images of the level maps of each level. -
NES Player - Marble Madness
Shrine site with information about the game.
Identifiers +
Contribute
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by emerging_lurker.
Commodore 64 added by Quapil. Game Boy Color added by Corn Popper. SEGA Master System added by Tibes80. PC-98 added by Infernos. BlackBerry, FM Towns added by Sciere. Sharp X68000 added by Kabushi. Arcade added by Pseudo_Intellectual. Antstream added by lights out party. Game Gear added by Macintrash. NES, Apple IIgs, Apple II, Amiga, Atari ST, Genesis added by Servo. Game Boy added by quizzley7.
Additional contributors: Trixter, Apogee IV, Alaka, j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】, Patrick Bregger, Jo ST, FatherJack, theclue, Ethan Brunton.
Game added November 24, 1999. Last modified November 5, 2024.