Developer: Atari Publisher: Electronic Arts Release: 08/91 Genre: Puzzle
Marble Madness was a ground breaking game when it released in 1984. With its unique perspective and controls everyone who saw it had to try it at least once. And as with any popular arcade game it was ported to a wide variety of systems, some that could handle it and many that could not. I do not think it is a stretch to say the NES version is one of the most popular. The Sega Genesis is home to many fine arcade conversions. Sadly this is not one of them. Between the busted controls and the middling presentation Marble Madness deserved better.
Marble Madness stood out in 1984 thanks to its art direction and perspective. It stands to reason that more powerful hardware should allow for an arcade perfect port. Instead the Sega edition is a mixed bag. Even compared to the NES version the colors are washed as if they were compensating for the system’s limited color palette. Shadows take a huge hit as a result. Some background elements look better than the arcade such as pipes that have a pre-rendered sheen to them. While the graphics are not as good as they could be the music is an unmitigated disaster. The music is god awful warbling mess that barely resembles the arcade’s score. Whoever the composer is should be ashamed of their self. At least the gameplay is intact.
The objective in every level is to reach the goal. Each level is one big obstacle course as you try to maneuver your marble through the madness (heh). All manner of traps lie in wait; wind will push you of course, hammers will flatten you, and acidic slime will melt you down to a puddle. Technically you are invincible and will respawn a second later. But every death costs you precious time. Death animations take seconds and some hazards will steal a few seconds off the clock. Time is important as whatever time remains at the goal is added to the next stage. You will need all the time you can get as the game is quite stingy at allotting more with each new level but also because you will fight the controls.
The d-pad on the stock Genesis controller has always been bad and something we tolerated. For isometric games with diagonal movement it is awful. In the case of Marble Madness it nearly ruins the game. Trying to make precise movements is painful and unfortunately that is called on frequently in the game. It is doable but less than ideal. For a game where precision is key and every second counts the controls are a sore spot in this version of the game.
Marble Madness is a difficult game in general and demands skill that you build up over time. Perhaps as a concession due to the controls this version has adjustable difficulty settings. Each settings awards different amounts of time at the start of each level. The easy setting gives I feel is what medium should be. You have enough time to make a few mistakes without them feeling like a massive detriment. You can also accrue more than 99 seconds of time which is a bit overkill but allows some leeway in practicing the stages to advance to higher difficulties. I will say that hard mode is for masochists; I cannot imagine anyone enjoying it but I am pretty sure there are some weirdos out there who do.
Even if the port were better Marble Madness still has the same major flaw: it does not have a lot of content. There are only six stages and although you will have to put in major time to complete them there is not much reason to revisit the game. If you are good you can complete the game in 5 minutes! The competitive two-player mode is fun but only briefly. You can go back and try to beat your previous score but considering how hard the game is in general (especially with these controls) I doubt many will want to. A randomizer would give this game infinite replay value. Alas, what could have been.
In Closing
I wanted to like this version of Marble Madness. But the port is simply not good. It is certainly possible to enjoy the game if you are willing to tolerate its flaws. But you should not have to. Sometimes some games should stay in the arcade.
