Marble It Up! | Nintendo Switch Review
Back during the NES days, I was obsessed with a title called Marble Madness. Although only a handful of levels long, it was something completely different from the platformers and RPGs that took up most of my time. The premise was simply to roll a marble from point A to point B within a specified time limit while navigating tricky obstacles. Bad Habit Productions has expanded on that concept (and maybe borrowed a few ideas from Super Monkey Ball) with Marble It Up! on the Nintendo Switch. What it lacks in content, it makes up for in cleverness and sheer fun.
Roll Out!
Marble It Up! plays with a perspective from behind a silver marble. As expected, pushing the left Joy Con moves the marble in the desired direction. Your right Joy Con controls the camera for better view of the tracks. You also have the ability to jump your marble, which is necessary for going up stairs or jumping gaps. Although these controls seem very basic, they are perfectly responsive. I never found myself wrestling with the joysticks, and each “death” truly felt my like my fault.
You also have a handful of power-ups at your disposal. A lightning bolt gives you a quick burst of speed, a set of wings gives you flight, and an arrow gives you much higher vertical leap. There’s even a “pause” button that slows the timer for a short period of time. Some of these items are necessary for making it to your goal, but others are optional and offer a quicker way to the end to beat your times.
Timing Is Everything
And that’s really where the meat and potatoes of this game lies. Every course offers a bronze, silver, or gold medal based on how quickly you cross the finish line. There’s even an S-rank level for those looking for an added challenge. It’s not overly difficult to complete all the stages, especially with its forgiving check point system. Beating your and your friends’ times is where you’ll spend the majority of your time. Marble It Up! offers an online leaderboard and a ghost mode where you can race against your previous runs. There’s even an option to watch others’ attempts to see exactly how the best in the world managed to shave off a few seconds.
Most of the levels are pretty straight forward: move from the start and get to the end as fast as possible. Others require you to collect a certain number of gems before the goal opens for you. This adds a clever spin on the formula, but I definitely found myself enjoying the open courses much more. There’s just something so exhilarating about flying down (or up!) a hill at breakneck speed trying your best not to fall off the edge.
Marble It Up! Final Verdict
The only real issue here is the lack of courses. There are only four worlds with about ten courses in each. I was literally able to complete all the courses in one sitting, and found myself wanting more afterwards. The time trials are an added bonus, but those who just prefer to blast through the levels for the experience might find the it slightly empty.
That’s not to say that Marble It Up! isn’t worth your time, however. It’s a joy to play, and even gave me flashbacks to the Bowser stages in Super Mario 64. The vibrant colors and the ability to view the entire course from the start makes this a very charming title. I’ll echo my sentiments about another game I reviewed recently: we need more from this developer. Even though the hours you’ll spend might not seem quite worth the price tag, a lot of love went into this. You won’t be disappointed in the experience.
This review is based on a Nintendo Switch review copy provided by Sandbox Strategies and is available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch for $19.99.
Marble It Up!
$19.99
Pros
- Perfectly Tight Controls
- Beautifully Vibrant Graphics
- Genuinely Fun, Novel Idea
- Good Implementation of Leaderboards
Cons
- Needs More Courses
