Marble Skies

About

"Marble Skies" is a physics-based marble racing game where players guide their marbles through challenging obstacle courses. With a variety of modes including time attack, relay, and 100-meter dash, players can test their skills and race against friends or AI opponents. The game features vibrant graphics and a dynamic environment, providing an exciting and immersive experience for marble racing enthusiasts.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 278 reviews

music21 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game captures the nostalgic feel of Marble Blast Ultra, providing a fun and challenging experience.
Controls are smooth and responsive, making it enjoyable to navigate through the levels.
The graphics and soundtrack are appealing, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.

Level design can be inconsistent, with some levels feeling frustratingly difficult or poorly thought out.
The physics can feel floaty and imprecise, leading to moments of frustration when trying to execute jumps or maneuvers.
There are bugs and performance issues, such as crashes and resolution problems, that detract from the overall experience.

music
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
48%
7%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players praising its relaxing and atmospheric qualities, particularly highlighting the synthwave and vaporwave influences that enhance the overall experience. However, some users find the soundtrack mediocre or even bothersome, suggesting that it detracts from the gameplay. Overall, while the music is generally appreciated for its chill vibe and compatibility with the game's aesthetic, opinions vary significantly on its quality and impact.
- “The music and the way the game is presented graphically can be art on its own.”
- “Accompanying all this is a very relaxing soundtrack that goes well with the casual sort of gameplay.”
- “This game is a true successor to Marble Madness, with a great soundtrack and the gameplay you know you love.”
- “The 8-bit midi music that accompanied the gameplay was intentionally bothersome, to distract and annoy you.”
- “The only bad thing I can say about this game is the music is horrible.”
- “BGM is a really important aspect to the overall aesthetic of games with no protagonist or emotional anchor... the music's mediocrity really detracts significantly from the overall experience.”
gameplay
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
51%
8%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its smooth mechanics, interesting level design, and relaxing soundtrack, making it enjoyable for fans of marble games. However, some players found certain mechanics, particularly the jumping system, frustrating and felt that the overall gameplay could be slow or lacking in depth compared to similar titles. Overall, while the game offers a fun and engaging experience for some, others feel it falls short in certain areas.
- “I loved this game; it took too long to get the 100km achievement, but the puzzles and the maps were great, and the mechanics of moving were fun!”
- “The gameplay is natural and smooth, and the music and sound effects are unobtrusive and relaxing—one might even say, zen.”
- “This game is a true successor to Marble Madness, with a great soundtrack and the gameplay you know you love.”
- “But the gameplay style chosen and the level designs just leave too much to be desired.”
- “Gameplay just wasn't fun, not even for a second.”
- “This mechanic is frustrating because it requires specific timing and is absolutely necessary in order for you to get anywhere in the game.”
graphics
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
45%
10%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and polish, with many reviewers highlighting the vibrant aesthetics and smooth controls. While the visuals capture the essence of marble racing well, some players noted that the terrain can be repetitive and basic, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game is considered visually appealing, especially in higher resolutions, though performance may vary depending on settings.
- “The graphics are great for what it is, I love the marble reflections and skins.”
- “The music and the way the game is presented graphically can be art on its own.”
- “Graphics look sweet in 4K and it controls really well with a joypad, which for me was the make or break.”
- “The laptop played normally except for the fact that it runs slow on medium, high, and ultra graphics settings. I can change the resolution to make it faster, and using v-sync for some reason speeds up the game.”
- “The stages are aesthetically acceptable, with the lighting, but each mode's worth of stages all have identical, extremely basic terrain, except for a tiny handful ludicrously late into the ultra-hardcore bonus maps.”
- “Your marble gets almost no friction, the jumps are very low, it doesn't even run except on the low graphics setting, and it's an exact copy of Marble Blast Ultra and PlatinumQuest, and you can get both for free.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players frequently criticize the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and time-consuming, with many feeling that a significant portion of their playtime is spent on repetitive tasks rather than engaging gameplay. The gem stages, in particular, are noted for their frustrating design, requiring excessive effort for minimal reward and contributing to an overall sense of monotony.
- “Due to that, the achievement becomes a tedious task.”
- “And by the time I uninstall the game, 95% of my playtime on the game will have been spent grinding for that one achievement, with me doing nothing the entire time.”
- “The bonus stages offer variety, in that the gem levels are somehow worse and more tedious than before because they require more gems all over the place on a small map.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
Overall, the game's in-game controls are tight and responsive, but the menu system suffers from poor gamepad optimization. However, since launch, there have been significant performance improvements, and the game runs smoothly on PC with no noticeable bugs or glitches.
- “Since launch, we have seen balanced physics updates, performance improvements, 100+ new marble skins, plus bonus and community-designed stages (you can build your own)!”
- “The graphics look nice, and the game seems really optimized.”
- “It runs smoothly on my PC, and I haven't noticed any bugs or glitches so far.”
- “The menus are clunky and completely unoptimized for gamepad.”
- “Poor gamepad optimization.”
- “Despite some performance improvements, the overall optimization still feels lacking.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting significant bugs and issues, particularly with the UI and controller functionality, while others have experienced smooth performance without any noticeable glitches.
- “However, the game is still extremely buggy.”
- “The UI is buggy.”
- “The game doesn't even go to fullscreen easily, and the menus are buggy if you use a controller.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as solid, offering a variety of levels and the potential for mastering challenges and competing for world records. While some players may find limited replay value, the inclusion of leaderboards and the possibility of future workshop content could significantly enhance long-term engagement.
- “The game has great replayability.”
- “You could do a lot worse with your time, and even as a weekend chill game, there's a ton of levels to keep you busy for a long time, with leaderboards and personal best records for replayability.”
- “Wide variety of levels, and if a workshop is added in the future, that will give this game a lot of replayability.”
- “The replay value, so far, isn't too big, unless you wish to master and dethrone world records in this game.”
- “There is a wide variety of levels, and if a workshop is added in the future, that will give this game a lot of replayability.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a nostalgic vaporwave aesthetic, enhanced by great music that evokes memories of classic marble running games, now presented with modern graphics. Additionally, there is a suggestion for the atmosphere to evolve based on community feedback to foster a welcoming environment for improvement.
- “The game's atmosphere (including music) is very vaporwavey, and it is such a throwback to the old marble running games I played as a kid, but with modern graphics.”
- “Great music and atmosphere.”
- “The game's atmosphere feels very vaporwave-inspired, reminiscent of the old marble running games I played as a kid, but with modern graphics.”
- “Wouldn't it be wise to create an atmosphere that encourages welcoming improvement based on the community's feedback?”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived as exploitative, with players feeling that despite its low price, it primarily serves as a cash grab.
- “I know this game is cheap, but it's a cash grab.”
- “The monetization system feels exploitative and ruins the overall experience.”
- “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users emphasize that the background music (BGM) plays a crucial role in conveying emotions in games, particularly those lacking a protagonist or emotional anchor. Mediocre music is seen as a significant detractor from the overall emotional experience, highlighting the importance of a strong auditory component in enhancing player engagement.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as hilarious, though it is acknowledged that the situations presented are unrealistic or inappropriate.
- “It was hilarious, but obviously not something that should happen.”