Marble It Up! Review for Steam

Marble It Up! is a game where physics is either your best friend or your worst enemy. Launched by Bad Habit Productions and developed by The Engine Company, Alvios, Arcturus Interactive, and Shapes and Lines, Marble It Up! is a fun, intense game for those who enjoy marble roller games and puzzle-platformer like the Marble Blast franchise.   

The game has 50 unique levels divided into five chapters. The first chapter is a tutorial of the mechanics of the game. I definitely appreciated that the tutorial was broken down in 10 levels instead of having too many instructions shoved into one. Since I am unfamiliar with marble roller games, understanding the physics of the world of Marble It Up! allows casual players like me to play without getting frustrated. Especially since there are many types of boosters and helper-items, the build up tutorial allows these items to be slowly incorporated into the gameplay. Even if the build up is slow, it also allows for more intense players who are used to the genre to play more intensely where you can ghost race yourself for a better time, watch the different races as the game records your progress, and compete with others online.

The graphics of Marble It Up! are well-made with its futuristic theme. Several themes are bright with blue skies and clouds while other themes present a night-theme where you can see the stars in the sky and holographic colors on the surface. In the Main Menu, you can customize your marble with different skins that are unlocked through achievements in the game. Also, the music is actually fun and catchy. In the pause menu, you can skip or repeat any of the 11 song tracks while playing the game. Overall, the aesthetics and music of Marble It Up! compliments the game and does not hinder the gaming experience.

I have very few negative critiques about Marble It Up!, but I do have two major ones. For one of the tutorials, the explanation for the “jump” action for the controller is incorrect. Although in the settings the correct button corresponds to the movement and it can be easily figured out, I think it was a mistake that was overlooked and could have been easily fixed. Lastly, there is no option to return to the main menu. It took me about five minutes to figure out how to return to the main menu. You have to first pause the game, select a level change, and use the command to go back twice in order to go to the main menu. It is a bit of an inconvenience to try to figure it out when a main menu option could have been there from the get-go.

Overall, Marble It Up! is definitely a game for those who loved the Marble Blast franchise like Marble Blast Gold and Marble Blast Ultra as well as those who love intense, fast puzzle platformers. May the fastest marble win!

Rating: 8.5/10

Check Out the Marble It Up! Trailer:

Marble It Up! is available for PC and Mac via Steam.