| Marble Blast | |
| Developer: | GarageGames |
| Publisher: | Monster Studios |
| Engine: | Torque |
| Released: | December 13, 2002 (Marble Blast)[1] May 2, 2002 (Marble Blaster) May 9, 2003 (Marble Blast Gold)[2] |
| Genre: | Puzzle-platformer |
| Modes: | Single-player |
| Platforms: | Xbox Windows Mac OS X Linux |
Marble Blast is a 2002 3D platform game. It was pre-installed on some Apple Inc. computers like the iMac, iBook, and Mac mini. It was also available for Windows operating systems as well as various Linux distributions.
The game was originally released in December 2002 as Marble Blast and then updated in May 2003, being renamed Marble Blast Gold. At some point during 2003, it was also licensed to eGames to be resold under the name Marble Blaster.[3]
The sequel, Marble Blast Ultra, was released a few years later for the Xbox 360 platform with new features and improved graphics. 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. Marble Blast Gold was also ported to the Microsoft Xbox through the Xbox Live Arcade service the following year with enhanced graphics.
Modifications of the game have also been created by the Marble Blast community, most notably Marble Blast Platinum, PlatinumQuest, Marble Blast Powered Up, and Marble Blast Emerald.
Basic 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. Levels may contain hazards to make this more difficult. The player controls the marble spin, and therefore movement, and can also make the marble jump. There are a variety of power-ups available, which are collected by touching them with the marble. Some levels must be completed within a Qualification time, to increase difficulty. Each level also has a "Gold Time", an additional challenge to complete the level in a specified time-frame. Each gold time is always possible but usually involves finding hidden powerups and/or taking shortcuts. Some levels require a number of gems to be picked up before the level can be finished. There are 100 levels, categorized by difficulty: 24 Beginner, 24 Intermediate, and 52 Advanced. The Xbox version of the game includes additional features, including nine new levels, easter eggs, and an online leaderboard.
Marble 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.[4] Retail versions of Marble Blast were shipped by GarageGames in June 2003, having previously been available on the developer's website.[5] On 10 May 2005, the game was also released as an online download for the Xbox as part of the Xbox Live Arcade service.[6] [7] [8] Marble Blast Gold was also preinstalled on Mac computers, including the Apple Mac Mini.[9]
Marble Blast received average reviews from critics.