GarageGames recently released Marble Blast Mobile into the app store to the delight of many. Marble Blast Mobile’s objective is to guide a rolling marble through each level, either collecting all of the available gems in order to unlock the finish pad or speeding to the finish pad in the least amount of time. In order to achieve your objective, you must navigate through moving obstacles, up steep slopes, onto or off of platforms, and through several other roadblocks within the allotted time.
Marble Blast Mobile contains 20 levels of rolling goodness. To start, the first 6 levels are unlocked, which is nice as it allows you to decide where to begin. If you get stuck on level 2, the entire game is not a loss. Move on to a different level and come back later. Each level has a Gold, Silver, and Bronze time assigned to it. A new level is unlocked each time you best a Bronze score. Half of the levels enable multiplayer action, where you play head-to-head with up to 4 friends for bragging rights. Power-ups abound to assist you in cruising to record-setting times.
There are plenty of options available to tweak the user experience, from multiple marble designs to calibration controls. Choose between tilt or touch controls to power your way to victory. Tap the marble to jump or the power-up icon to use the current power-up. The marble responds well to momentum and bounce mechanics. Controls are extremely smooth and intuitive, making the game a joy to play, regardless of your success in each level.
The game screen itself offers plenty of information to help you to determine where you are and where you need to be. Red arrows point in the general direction of gems. Bars on the bottom and right side of the screen indicate the level of tilt currently being employed. A gem counter tells you how many gems you’ve collected and how many there are on the board. Transparent arrows even allow for on-the-fly camera control.
The graphics are very nice. Each level has a unique look within a fully 3D environment. Sound is average. It is really an enjoyable game, despite its slight learning curve. It took us a few tries to get the hang of the speed and feel of the game, but once we did, it was a blast. The only thing that feels lacking is some type of global leaderboard or a mapping feature. A level editor would also be outstanding.
Currently, GarageGames has priced Marble Blast Mobile at $4.99, tagging this as an introductory price. While we are willing to fork over the five bucks for this great game, anything more than that would feel like overpayment. With outstanding replay value and terrific gameplay, Marble Blast Mobile rolls up any and all competition on its way to a 5-Dimple rating.
Marble Blast Mobile gets our AppSmile 5-Dimple rating:
Video by Garagegames
