I haven't reviewed Marble Blast Ultra, but it's honestly a top 10 3D Platformer. Great presentation, simple yet fun movement, and good variety make it a great time.
In a lot of ways, this is more of the same. It's extremely derivative of Marble Blast Ultra. Many mechanics are taken directly from that one. Now, I'll give this somewhat of a pass, since, if you didn't know, that game is delisted from any online retail, and the developers lost the rights to the game. Maybe they just wanted to deliver the same kind of experience for a modern audience, and I get that.
Even with that excuse, there is one bad change here: The lack of the chargeable shockwave jump. I thought this was an excellent move in Ultra, as it simultaneously lowered the skill floor and raised the skill ceiling. New players could wait to get some extra height, and veteran players could use it to sequence break at least once a level. This worked great in a game where completion speed was the main replay value.
Marble It Up! ditches this entirely, and offers nothing new in return. And ultimately, that's the only notable gameplay change. The level design is somewhat different, but not notably better or worse. The visuals shifted from 'Early Windows Aesthetic' to Vaporwave, and there's finally more than one song, but the gameplay is ever so slightly worse.
There is one way this game does exceed Marble Blast Ultra: The impact from online connectivity. There's a level creator and weekly challenges, which is really cool, but most fan levels won't be up to par and the community challenges reuse the main levels.
Once again, I'd be pretty upset at the lack of ambition if not for the very specific circumstance this series is in. Hopefully, a sequel would take more risks if it ever comes to fruition. For now, while this is a good game, I'd recommend everyone play the fan PC port of Marble Blast Ultra first. 7/10.
In a lot of ways, this is more of the same. It's extremely derivative of Marble Blast Ultra. Many mechanics are taken directly from that one. Now, I'll give this somewhat of a pass, since, if you didn't know, that game is delisted from any online retail, and the developers lost the rights to the game. Maybe they just wanted to deliver the same kind of experience for a modern audience, and I get that.
Even with that excuse, there is one bad change here: The lack of the chargeable shockwave jump. I thought this was an excellent move in Ultra, as it simultaneously lowered the skill floor and raised the skill ceiling. New players could wait to get some extra height, and veteran players could use it to sequence break at least once a level. This worked great in a game where completion speed was the main replay value.
Marble It Up! ditches this entirely, and offers nothing new in return. And ultimately, that's the only notable gameplay change. The level design is somewhat different, but not notably better or worse. The visuals shifted from 'Early Windows Aesthetic' to Vaporwave, and there's finally more than one song, but the gameplay is ever so slightly worse.
There is one way this game does exceed Marble Blast Ultra: The impact from online connectivity. There's a level creator and weekly challenges, which is really cool, but most fan levels won't be up to par and the community challenges reuse the main levels.
Once again, I'd be pretty upset at the lack of ambition if not for the very specific circumstance this series is in. Hopefully, a sequel would take more risks if it ever comes to fruition. For now, while this is a good game, I'd recommend everyone play the fan PC port of Marble Blast Ultra first. 7/10.