Marble Skies

About

Marble Skies is a single player and multiplayer casual racing game. It was developed by [untitledDev] and was released on July 4, 2019. It received positive reviews from players.

Marble Skies is a back-to-basics platformer where you control your marble through various levels and try to get the best time for each one. Complete all the levels at your own pace, or challenge your friends to get on top of the leaderboards!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Skip User Reviews

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 408 reviews

music32 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

Nostalgic experience reminiscent of Marble Blast Ultra with smooth controls and fun level design.
Great variety of levels and challenges, with a good balance of difficulty that keeps gameplay engaging.
Relaxing soundtrack and visually appealing graphics enhance the overall experience.

Physics can feel floaty and inconsistent, leading to frustrating gameplay in certain levels.
Level design varies widely in quality, with some levels being overly difficult or poorly thought out.
Bugs and UI issues detract from the experience, including problems with achievements and multiplayer functionality.

music
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
52%
5%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its chill, relaxing atmosphere and groovy soundtracks that enhance the gameplay experience. Some players appreciate the variety and quality of the music, likening it to a nostalgic throwback, while others criticize it as mediocre or even bothersome. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a significant aspect of the game's aesthetic, contributing positively to the overall enjoyment for many players.
- “The gameplay is natural and smooth, and the music and sound effects are inobtrusive, relaxing-- one might even say, zen.”
- “The levels have a good deal of variety, and the soundtrack is nice and relaxing.”
- “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
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
56%
6%
The gameplay is generally praised for its smooth mechanics, interesting level design, and relaxing soundtrack, making it enjoyable for fans of marble-style games. However, some players find certain mechanics frustrating and feel that the gameplay can be slow or lacking in excitement at times. Overall, while many appreciate the customization options and the challenge of mastering levels, opinions vary on the overall fun factor of the gameplay experience.
- “Amazing game, great mechanics and level design.”
- “The gameplay is natural and smooth, and the music and sound effects are inobtrusive, relaxing-- one might even say, zen.”
- “Fun game, smooth gameplay, great soundtrack, interesting level design and not too many bugs for early access.”
- “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.”
- “The levels are focused on much slower gameplay and overall odd flow.”
graphics
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
52%
6%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and smoothness, with many users highlighting the appealing marble reflections and vibrant aesthetics that evoke nostalgia for classic marble racing games. However, some critiques mention that while the visuals are good, the terrain can be repetitive and basic, and the marble itself does not fully match the game's overall aesthetic. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, especially in higher resolutions, despite some performance issues on certain 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
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players frequently criticize the grinding aspect of the game, describing it as tedious and time-consuming, with a significant portion of their playtime dedicated to repetitive tasks for achievements. Many find the gem stages particularly frustrating, as they often require excessive effort for minimal reward, leading to a sense of monotony and dissatisfaction.
- “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.”
- “Some of the gem stages are tedious though.”
- “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.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game offers solid replayability, particularly for players interested in mastering levels and competing for world records, though some users feel the initial replay value is limited. With a wide variety of levels and potential future additions like a workshop, players can expect to stay engaged for extended periods, making it a worthwhile choice for casual gaming.
- “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.”
- “Replay value, so far, isn't too big, unless you wish to master and dethrone world records in this game.”
- “Wide variety of levels, and if a workshop is added in the future, that will give this game a lot of replayability.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Overall, the game's in-game controls are praised for being tight and responsive, but the menu system suffers from poor gamepad optimization. Despite this, players have noted significant performance improvements and graphical enhancements since launch, contributing to a generally optimized experience.
- “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.”
- “Poor gamepad optimization.”
- “The menus are clunky and completely unoptimized for gamepad use.”
- “Despite the tight and responsive controls in-game, the overall optimization leaves much to be desired.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting numerous bugs, particularly in the user interface and fullscreen functionality. Additionally, controller navigation in the menus is problematic, further detracting from the overall experience.
- “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.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its vaporwave aesthetic, combining nostalgic elements reminiscent of classic marble running games with modern graphics. The music complements this ambiance, enhancing the overall experience and evoking a strong sense of nostalgia.
- “The game's atmosphere (including music) is very vaporwavey, and it is such a throwback to old marble running games I played as a kid, but with modern graphics.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is perceived as exploitative, with users labeling it a "cash grab" despite its low price point.
- “I know this game is cheap, but it's a cash grab...”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers emphasize the critical role of background music (BGM) in shaping the emotional experience of games, particularly those lacking a protagonist or emotional anchor. Mediocre music is noted to significantly diminish the overall emotional impact and aesthetic of the game.
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently described as hilarious, though it is acknowledged that the situations presented are not realistic or appropriate in real life.
- “It was hilarious, but obviously not something that should happen.”