Super Marble Roll is very similar to Super Monkey Ball. You have a ball that you need to roll to the end of the stage, all by using the accelerometer. It’s a simple concept, and one that has a lot of potential because of the ability to use tilting to steer.
You start off the game by choosing a difficulty level: easy, medium, or hard, although only easy will be available to you right away. Then, you take on stage by stage by rolling your ball to the end. Levels are mixed up with moving platforms, lots of hills, and collectables to improve your score. If you end up losing your three lives before completing all the levels, it’s game over and you need to start from the beginning.
Likes
Smooth gameplay: The game runs very smoothly and your ball easily glides through the levels. You’re cruising on platforms in the sky so there’s not too much detail in the background, but the platforms and items look good.
Dislikes
Difficulty level: I really don’t like having to replay levels. It was especially a pain when going through the easy stages. I’d lose, and then have to restart all the way from the beginning, tutorial type levels. A level select would have been a much more enjoyable design decision and avoided this problem.
Odd camera angle: For some reason, the camera sits facing the ball. This means you’ll be generally rolling the ball towards you, but it makes it really difficult to see what is coming. It seems like an artificial way to make the game harder. I would have liked to see the camera behind the ball so that I could plan out my moves.
Super Marble Roll suffers from some design issues that create more frustration than I personally liked. If you’re a Super Monkey Ball fan looking for similar action, then try out the lite version and see if the game works for you.
Super Marble Roll was developed by iScapeGames and is currently available for $1.99. I played version 1.2 on an iPod Touch 2G. There’s a lite version available to try before buying.
What an original title, I loled when I saw it
Nice review, I haven’t played this game and I don’t think I ever will.