Marble Mayhem: Fragile Ball

59%
Game Brain Score Based on 348 reviews
  • music
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Marble Mayhem: Fragile Ball Game Cover
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"Marble Mayhem: Fragile Ball" is a Windows PC physics puzzler that puts your problem-solving skills to the test. With 85 levels of increasingly difficult and creative challenges, the game will keep you engaged for hours. Developed by Japanese game design genius Hirofumi Hattori, the game offers a unique and rewarding experience for fans of the genre.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

59%
Audience ScoreBased on 348 reviews
graphics6 positive mentions
music10 negative mentions
  • The game offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic marble games, providing a fun and challenging gameplay loop.
  • Despite its simplicity, the game can be addictive and rewarding for players who enjoy precision-based challenges.
  • It's an affordable option for casual gamers looking for a quick time-waster with a variety of levels.
  • The controls are overly sensitive and can lead to frustrating gameplay, making it difficult to navigate levels accurately.
  • Many levels rely on luck rather than skill, leading to a lack of satisfaction when completing challenges.
  • The graphics and audio quality are dated and unpolished, detracting from the overall experience.
  • music43 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its calming and nostalgic qualities, while others find it repetitive and annoying. Many users note that the soundtrack can become irritating quickly, and some even suggest that the option to listen to personal music is a welcome feature. Overall, the music is described as average to poor, with a few standout tracks that some players enjoy.

    • “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
    • “Great game, love the music! Died so many times, can't wait to die some more.”
    • “The music is actually quite nice; unfortunately, I can't seem to find it anywhere aside from the game itself.”
    • “Will say this: the soundtrack gets really annoying really quickly.”
    • “The music is terrible along with the textures, the physics engine, the sound effects and the level design.”
    • “The music gets irritating fast, and the controls don't work properly, making some levels near impossible.”
  • graphics37 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received largely negative feedback, with many users describing them as outdated, basic, and reminiscent of early 2000s titles. Critics noted issues such as poor level design, grainy visuals, and a lack of aesthetic appeal, which detracted from the overall experience. While some acknowledged that the graphics were polished enough for a puzzle game, the consensus is that significant improvements are needed to enhance the game's visual quality.

    • “The graphics are basic but polished enough for a puzzle game.”
    • “The visuals were fine, with some nicely responsive and helpful shadows reflecting your current angle of rotation.”
    • “Its high quality graphics with 10/10 sound choices makes it one of the best 21st century games.”
    • “The level design is atrocious, the ball breaks far too easily, the visuals feel like they were ripped from a stock asset pack, and the music gets repetitive very early on.”
    • “Aesthetically, it looks like a demo for a game that's still in development, with textures and level design being reused so frequently that the déjà vu gave me a concussion.”
    • “Graphics are grainy enough that they hinder your ability to see the game properly, and the menu is near unreadable.”
  • gameplay31 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it bland and frustrating due to poorly implemented mechanics and a lack of engaging features. While some appreciate the challenge and sense of accomplishment from completing difficult levels, others criticize the game's controls, audio, and graphics, leading to a generally negative perception. Overall, the gameplay is described as simple yet tedious, with a steep learning curve and a reliance on trial and error that can induce frustration.

    • “There's a bunch of mechanics brought in to spice things up over a kahjillion levels.”
    • “The gameplay will last an average user a considerable amount of time to complete, with 85 levels to frantically press your arrow keys to move through.”
    • “With a single core mechanic and a bare handful of variables, it offers levels with very high difficulty that will take a lot of retries, no room for mistakes, but beating them gives a high sense of accomplishment.”
    • “Bland in gameplay, miserable art, not technically impressive, bothersome audio, just nothing really worth playing.”
    • “Gameplay is horrifically bad, due to terrible mouse optimization.”
    • “It has awful stage mechanics, the music gets irritating fast, and the controls don't work properly, making some levels near impossible.”
  • story7 mentions

    The game's story emphasizes resilience and the unpredictability of life, encouraging players to persevere through challenges. Additionally, the narrative is noted for its diversity and engaging progression, with varied missions that enhance the overall experience.

    • “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
    • “My oh my, the storyline!”
    • “The game changes from mission to mission, and it is pretty diverse in the stages.”
    • “The story line is lacking depth and coherence.”
    • “The game changes from mission to mission, but the overall narrative feels disjointed.”
    • “My oh my, the story line fails to engage or captivate the player.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The game's stability is significantly compromised by numerous bugs and glitches, including frequent crashes, unresponsive interfaces, and problematic mouse controls that disrupt gameplay. Players report that certain levels are particularly unstable, with issues like screen freezes and erratic physics making it difficult to complete challenges. Overall, the lack of thorough testing is evident, leading to a frustrating experience despite the game's fun and challenging elements.

    • “It feels as though the game has not been tested enough because some levels are extremely buggy and glitchy, especially with the moving platforms.”
    • “It has also happened several times where the screen freezes for a split second when I'm trying to do a difficult 360-degree flip, resulting in certain death.”
    • “The mouse often leaves the window when you're trying to rotate the level, which freezes the rotation and messes up whatever maneuver you were attempting.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players noting its clever and smart comedic elements. Additionally, there are specific jokes that resonate well, contributing to an overall lighthearted and entertaining experience.

    • “Funny game.”
    • “Smart game and funny.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unenjoyable, often leading to frustration rather than satisfaction. Many express that the experience feels more like a chore than a source of entertainment, diminishing the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “This game is just a mess; my head hurts after 30 minutes of playing it. It's just tedious.”
    • “At the end of the day, the game was more tedious than fun, and I found that I felt more relieved than happy when I beat a level.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Players express that the game offers a significant emotional challenge, likening the experience to the tension of reading in a moving vehicle. The various obstacles create a sense of mental and emotional testing, enhancing the overall engagement with the gameplay.

    • “Do you want to be tested mentally and emotionally?”
    • “It made me feel like reading a book in a car or something.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Reviewers indicate that the game's replayability is currently limited, with a desire for additional achievements to enhance challenge and encourage repeated play. There is hope for future updates that could improve the overall experience and increase its replay value.

    • “Needs some achievements for challenge and replayability.”
    • “Hopefully there'll be a fix for that somewhere and maybe this game will become a little more playable.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game shows significant potential, but suffers from poor performance and subpar mouse optimization, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience.

    • “The potential is big, but the performance is lacking.”
    • “Gameplay is horrifically bad due to terrible mouse optimization.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere has been noted as a source of irritation for some users, suggesting it may detract from the overall experience of the game.

    • “The atmosphere irritated me even further.”
    • “The game lacks any sense of immersion, making it hard to feel connected to the world.”
    • “The overall ambiance feels flat and uninspired, failing to evoke any real emotions.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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