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{{Short description|1984 video game}}
{{Infobox VG
{{featured article}}
|title=Marble Madness
{{Infobox video game
|image= ]
|title = Marble Madness
|caption= A ''Marble Madness'' ]. Note the two player trackball controls.
|image = MarbleMadness arcadeflyer.png
|developer=]
|alt = Artwork of a vertical rectangular advertisement flyer. Pictured is an image of an arcade cabinet in front of an image of red, blue, and silver marbles on a gridded plane. The top left corner displays the Atari logo, while the top right corner reads "System I". Below the logo reads "Marble Madness".
|publisher=]
|caption = North American arcade flyer
|distributor=
|developer = ]
|designer=]
|publisher = Atari Games, Inc.
|composer= Brad Fuller and Hal Canon
|designer = ]
|released=1984
|programmer = Bob Flanagan
|genre=]/]
|artist = Mark Cerny<br/>Sam Comstock
|modes=Up to 2 players simultaneously
|composer = ]<br/>Hal Canon
|ratings=
|released = {{vgrelease|NA|December 1984}}
|platforms=]
|genre = ], ]
|media=
|modes = Up to 2 players simultaneously
|requirements=
|platforms = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
|input=]
|arcade system = ]
|cabinet=Custom upright
|arcade system=]
|cpu=]
|sound=], ]
|display=19" Horizontal orientation, ],<br /> standard resolution (Used: 336 x 240)
|width=
}} }}


'''''Marble Madness''''' is an ] ] designed by ], and published by ] in 1984. It is an ] game where the player must guide an onscreen marble through six courses, populated with obstacles and enemies, within a time limit. The player controls the marble by using a ]. ''Marble Madness'' is known for using certain technologies before other games. It was one of the first games to use true ]—previous games used either ] sound or ]. The game was Atari's first to use the ] hardware and to be programmed in the ]. '''''Marble Madness''''' is an ] designed by ] and published by ] in 1984. It is a ] in which the player must guide a marble through six courses, populated with obstacles and enemies, within a time limit. The player controls the marble by using a ]. ''Marble Madness'' is known for using innovative game technologies: it was Atari's first to use the ] hardware, the first to be programmed in the ], and one of the first to use true ] (previous games used either ] sound or ]).


In designing the game, Cerny drew inspiration from ], ]s, and artwork by ]. He aimed to create a game that offered a distinct experience while utilizing a unique control system. Cerny applied a ] appearance to the course and enemy designs. Throughout development, he was frequently impeded by technology limitations and had to forgo several design ideas. In designing the game, Cerny drew inspiration from ], ]s, and artwork by ]. He aimed to create a game that offered a distinct experience with a unique control system. Cerny applied a ] approach in designing the appearance of the game's courses and enemies. Throughout development, he was frequently impeded by limitations in technology and had to forgo several design ideas.


Upon its release, ''Marble Madness'' was met with commercial success and became a high-earning game in arcades. Common praise among critics focused on the game's difficulty, unique visual design, and soundtrack. The game was ported to numerous platforms and inspired the development of other games. A sequel was planned for release in 1991, but location testing showed the game could not successfully compete against other titles. Plans for the sequel were canceled and resources were allocated to another video game. Upon its release in arcades, ''Marble Madness'' was commercially successful and profitable. Critics praised the game's difficulty, unique visual design, and stereo soundtrack. The game was ported to numerous platforms and inspired the development of other games. A sequel was developed and planned for release in 1991, but it was canceled when location testing showed the game could not succeed in competition with other titles.


==Gameplay== ==Gameplay==
] course. Scores and available time are tracked at the top of the screen.]]
]
''Marble Madness'' is an ] game where the player controls an onscreen marble from a third-person perspective. The player controls the marble's movements with a ]—most home versions used ]s with ]. The aim of the game is for the player to traverse six maze-like, ] courses before a set amount of time expires. Each course has its own time limit, with the remaining time from completing a course added to the proceeding one. The game also features an option which allows two players to race against each other on the courses.<ref name="Fever">{{cite book| title = Arcade Fever: The Fan's Guide to The Golden Age of Video Games| first = John| last = Sellers| pages = pp. 142–143| publisher = ]| month = August| year = 2001| isbn = 0762409371}}</ref><ref name="Retro">{{cite journal| title = The Making of Marble Madness| journal = ]| month = August| year = 2008| publisher = ]| first = Craig| last = Grannell| issue = 53| pages = pp. 82–87}}</ref><ref name="GameTrailers">{{Cite web| url = http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23633.html| title = Video Game Vault: Marble Madness| work = ]| first = Thomas| last = Hanley| publisher = ]| date = 2007-08-16| accessdate = 2008-10-14}}</ref><ref name="NP-1989">{{cite journal| title = Marble Madness| journal = ]| publisher = ]| pages = pp. 56–59| month = January/February| year = 1989}}</ref> ''Marble Madness'' is an ] ] in which the player manipulates an onscreen marble from a third-person perspective. In the arcade version, a player controls the marble's movements with a ]; most home versions use ]s with ]. The player's goal is to complete six maze-like isometric race courses before a set amount of time expires. With the exception of the first race, any time left on the clock at the end of a race is carried over to the next one, and the player is granted a set amount of additional time as well. The game allows two players to compete against each other, awarding bonus points and extra time to the winner of each race; both players have separate clocks.<ref name="Fever"/><ref name="Retro"/><ref name="GameTrailers"/><ref name="NP-1989"/>


Courses are populated with various objects and enemies designed to obstruct the player. As the game progresses, the courses become increasingly more difficult and introduce more enemies and obstacles. Each course has a distinct visual theme. For example, the first course, "Practice", is a simple course that is much shorter than the others, while the fifth course, "Silly", features polka-dot patterns and is oriented in an opposite direction from the other course.<ref name="Fever"/><ref name="Retro"/><ref name="GameTrailers"/><ref name="NP-1989"/> Courses are populated with various objects and enemies, designed to obstruct the player, as well as track surfaces that make control of the marble more difficult. As the game progresses, the courses become increasingly difficult and introduce more enemies and obstacles. Each course has a distinct visual theme. For example, the first race (titled "Practice") is a simple course that is much shorter than the others, while the fifth race (named "Silly") features polka-dot patterns and is oriented in a direction opposite that of the other courses.<ref name="Fever"/><ref name="Retro"/><ref name="GameTrailers"/><ref name="NP-1989"/>


==Development== ==Development==
''Marble Madness'' was developed by ], with ] as the lead designer and Bob Flanagan as the software engineer.<ref name="RG-67"/> Both Cerny and Flanagan handled programming the game.<ref name="Retro"/> It uses the ] hardware, which was an interchangeable system of circuit boards, control panels, and artwork.<ref name="PriceGuide-1"/> The game features ] on a 19-inch ] G07 model ] and uses a ] ] (CPU) with a ] subsystem to control the audio and coin operations.<ref name="klov"/> ''Marble Madness'' was the very first arcade game to use an ] ] produced by ], similar to a ] ], which created the music in real time so that it was in ] with the game's on-screen action.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="ArtOfGameWorlds"/> The game's music was composed by ] and Hal Canon who spent a few months becoming familiar with the sound chip's capabilities.<ref name="Retro"/>
''Marble Madness'' was developed by ] and designed by ]. Programming was handled by Cerny and Bob Flanagan. Following the ], video game development within the company focused on providing a distinct experience using a unique control system. The company emphasized the inclusion of a ] mode. Cerny was first inspired by ] and was captivated by the idea that a playfield's contours influenced the ball's path. He began testing various ideas using Atari's art system. After deciding to use an isometric grid, Cerny began developing the game's concept. His initial idea involved hitting a ball in a way similar to miniature golf, but Atari was not enthusiastic. Cerny then thought of ]s and planned for races on long tracks against an opponent. However, technology limitations at the time could not handle the physics necessary for the idea, and Cerny switched the objective to a race against time.<ref name="Retro"/>


Cerny and Flanagan first collaborated on a video game based on ]. The project was canceled and the two began working on an idea of Cerny's that eventually became ''Marble Madness''. Development lasted {{Nowrap|10 months}}.<ref name="RG-67"/> Following the ], game development within Atari focused on providing a distinctive experience through the use of a unique control system and by emphasizing a ] mode. Cerny designed ''Marble Madness'' in accordance with these company goals. He was first inspired by ] and captivated by the idea that a playfield's contours influenced a ball's path. Cerny began testing various ideas using Atari's digital art system. After deciding to use an isometric grid, Cerny began developing the game's concept. His initial idea involved hitting a ball in a way similar to miniature golf, but Atari was unenthusiastic. Cerny next thought of ]s and planned for races on long tracks against an opponent. Technology limitations at the time were unable to handle the in-game physics necessary for the idea, and Cerny switched the game's objective to a race against time.<ref name="Retro"/>
Cerny and Flanagan programmed ''Marble Madness'' in the ]—Atari games had previously been programmed in ]—which had positive and negative consequences. The language was easier to program, but was less efficient; the game operates at a slower speed of 30&nbsp;] instead of the normal 60&nbsp;Hz frequency of arcade games at the time. Cerny decided to use a trackball system (marketed by Atari as Trak-Ball) to give the game a unique control system. He initially chose a motorized trackball for faster spinning and braking when the in-game ball traveled downhill and uphill. As it was building the prototypes, Atari's design department informed Cerny that a motorized trackball's design had a inherent flaw—one of the four supports used has poor contact with the ball—and a regular trackball would be more feasible. Cerny had anticipated the use of powerful custom chips that would allow ]-based ] to be animated by the ] (CPU). However, the available hardware was a less-advanced system which uses ]-based, static sprites.<ref name="Retro"/>
]


The development toolkit for the Motorola CPU included a ] for the ], which the two programmers were familiar with. After Atari had conducted performance evaluations, it approved usage of the language.<ref name="RG-67"/> Cerny and Flanagan's decision to program ''Marble Madness'' in the C language had positive and negative consequences. Atari games had previously been programmed in ]. The C language was easier to program, but was less efficient, so the game operates at the slower speed of {{Nowrap|30 ]}} instead of the normal {{Nowrap|60 Hz}} frequency of arcade games at the time. Cerny decided to use a trackball system (marketed by Atari as Trak-Ball) to give the game a unique control system, and he chose a motorized trackball for faster spinning and braking when the in-game ball traveled downhill and uphill, respectively. As it was building the prototypes, Atari's design department informed Cerny that the motorized trackball's design had an inherent flaw—one of the four supports had poor contact with the ball—and the use of a regular trackball was more feasible. Additionally, Cerny had anticipated the use of powerful custom chips that would allow ]-based ] to be animated by the CPU, but the available hardware was a less advanced system using ]-based static sprites.<ref name="Retro"/>
The technical limitations forced Cerny to simplify the overall designs. Inspired by ], he designed abstract landscapes for the courses. In retrospect, Cerny partly attributes the designs to his limited artistic skills. Instead of drawing the courses on the ] level, he created a ] program that generated the courses for him. The program generated the course graphics by tracing the path of light through an image plane based on a ] (in this case a ] used to store elevation data). This format allowed him to create shadows and use ] to provide the graphics with a softer appearance. Cerny's course generator also allowed him more time to experiment with the level designs. When deciding what elements to include in a course, practicality was a big factor; elements that would not work or appear as intended were omitted, such as an elastic barricade or a teeter-totter scale.<ref name="Retro"/>


]
Cerny's personal interests changed throughout the project, which led to the inclusion of new ideas that were not in the original design documents. The game's enemies were designed by Cerny and Sam Comstock, who also animated them. Enemies had to be small in size due to technical limitations. Cerny and Comstock purposely omitted faces to give them unique designs and create a minimalistic appearance similar to the courses. As ''Marble Madness'' neared completion, Atari's in-house ] exhibited positive feedback. In retrospect, Cerny wished he included more courses to give the game greater longevity. Extra courses would have required more time and increased hardware costs. However, Atari was experiencing severe financial troubles at the time and could not extend the game's development time as it would have left their production factory idle.<ref name="Retro"/>


These technical limitations forced Cerny to simplify the overall designs. Inspired by ], he designed abstract landscapes for the courses. In retrospect, Cerny partly attributed the designs to his limited artistic skills.<ref name="Retro"/> He was a fan of the ] used in '']'' and '']'', but felt that the visuals lacked definition and wanted to create a game with "solid and clean" 3D graphics.<ref name="GDC2011"/> Unlike most other arcade games of the time, the course images were not drawn on the ] level. Instead, Cerny defined the elevation of every point in the course and stored this information in a ] array. The course graphics were then created by a ] program that traced the path of light rays, using the heightmap to determine the appearance of the course on screen. This format also allowed Cerny to create shadows and use ], a technique that provided the graphics with a smoother appearance. Cerny's course generator allowed him more time to experiment with the level designs. When deciding what elements to include in a course, practicality was a big factor; elements that would not work or would not appear as intended were omitted, such as an elastic barricade or a teeter-totter scale.<ref name="Retro"/> Other ideas dropped from the designs were breakable glass supports, black hole traps, and bumps and obstacles built into the course that chased the marble.<ref name="GDC2011"/>
''Marble Madness'' uses the ] hardware, an interchangeable system of circuit boards, control panels, and artwork.<ref name="PriceGuide-1">{{cite book| title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games| first = David| last = Ellis| pages = p. 11| chapter = A Brief History of Video Games| publisher = ]| isbn = 0375720383| year = 2004}}</ref> The game features ] on an 19&nbsp;inch ] G07 model ], and uses a ] CPU with a ] subsystem to control the audio and coin operations.<ref name="klov">{{cite web| url = http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8618| title = Marble Madness| publisher = ]| accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref> ''Marble Madness'' was Atari's first game to use an ] ] produced by ], which is similar to a ] ] and creates the music in real time.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="ArtOfGameWorlds">{{cite book| title = The Art of Game Worlds| first = Dave| last = Morris| pages = p. 168| chapter = Funky Town| publisher = ]| isbn = 0060724307| year = 2004}}</ref> The game's music was composed by Brad Fuller and Hal Canon who spent a few of months inspecting the capabilities of the sound chip.<ref name="Retro"/>


Cerny's personal interests changed throughout the project, leading to the inclusion of new ideas absent from the original design documents. The game's enemy characters were designed by Cerny and Sam Comstock, who also animated them. Enemies had to be small in size due to technical limitations. Cerny and Comstock purposely omitted faces to give them unique designs and create a minimalistic appearance similar to the courses.<ref name="Retro"/> Atari's management, however, suggested that the marble should have a smiley face to create an identified character, similar to ]. As a compromise, the cabinet's artwork depicts traces of a smiley face on the marbles.<ref name="GDC2011"/> Flanagan programmed a three-dimensional ] to dictate the marble's motions and an ] script for enemy behavior.<ref name="RG-67"/> As ''Marble Madness'' neared completion, the feedback from Atari's in-house ] was positive. In retrospect, Cerny wished he had included more courses to give the game greater longevity, but extra courses would have required more time and increased hardware costs. Atari was experiencing severe financial troubles at the time and could not extend the game's development period as it would have left their production factory idle.<ref name="Retro"/>
==Reception and legacy==
''Marble Madness'' was met with commercial success following its release and has received a positive reception from critics.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="BetaBlues">{{Cite web| url = http://retro.ign.com/articles/871/871646p2.html| title = Beta Blues, Vol. 1| publisher = ]| first = Travis| last = Fahs| date = 2008-05-05| accessdate = 2008-10-11}}</ref> Several thousand cabinets were shipped, and it became the highest-earning game in arcades. However, the game consistently fell from this ranking during its seventh week in arcades. Cerny attributes this to players losing interest in the game after completing it and moving on to other games.<ref name="Retro"/> The arcade cabinets have since become moderately rare.<ref>{{cite book| title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games| first = David| last = Ellis| chapter = Arcade Classics| pages = p. 391| publisher = ]| isbn = 0375720383| year = 2004}}</ref> Many reviewers felt that the difficulty of the game was part of its appeal.<ref name="GameTrailers"/><ref name="Dream"/> In 2008, Levi Buchanan of ] listed ''Marble Madness'' as one of several titles in his "dream arcade", citing the game's difficulty and the fond memories he had playing it.<ref name="Dream"/> Video game author John Sellers commented that the difficulty was a major factor in attracting players. Other factors included the graphics, visual design, and soundtrack.<ref name="Fever"/> A common complaint of the arcade cabinet was the frequency of the track ball controls breaking from repeated use.<ref name="Dream">{{cite web| url = http://retro.ign.com/articles/910/910219p1.html| title = Dream Arcades| first = Levi| last = Buchanan| publisher = ]| date = 2008-09-15| accessdate = 2008-10-11}}</ref><ref name="20AtariGames"/> Craig Grannell of '']'' referred to the game as one of the most distinctive arcade games ever made, and praised its visuals calling them "pure and timeless".<ref name="Retro"/> ''Marble Madness'' was one of the first games to use true ] and have a recognizable musical score.<ref name="GameTrailers"/><ref name="ArtOfGameWorlds"/> British composer ] commented that the music is characterful and helped give the game a unique identity.<ref name="ArtOfGameWorlds"/>


==Release==
Beginning in 1986, the game was ] to numerous platforms with different companies handling the conversions. Several home versions were published by ].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.mobygames.com/search/quick/p,-1/q,marble%20madness/showOnly,9/| publisher = ]| title = MobyGames Quick Search: Marble Madness| accessdate = 2008-10-19}}</ref> ] released handheld and tabletop ] versions of the game.<ref name="PriceGuide-2">{{cite book| title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games| first = David| last = Ellis| pages = p. 243| chapter = Classic Handheld and Tabletop Games| publisher = ]| isbn = 0375720383| year = 2004}}</ref> The game was ported to the ] by ] and published by ].<ref name="MM-NES">{{Cite web| url = http://www.gamespot.com/nes/action/marblemadness/tech_info.html| title = Marble Madness Tech Info| publisher = ]| accessdate = 2008-10-14}}</ref> Early versions featured simplified graphics, and the different ports were met with mixed reception. Thomas Hanley of ] commented that most of the home versions were not as enjoyable without a track ball.<ref name="GameTrailers"/> Grannell echoed similar statements about the controls and added that many had poor visuals and ]. He listed the ], ], and ] ports as the better conversions, and the ], ], and ] versions among the worst.<ref name="Retro"/> John Harris of ] commented the arcade's popularity fueled the sales of the home versions.<ref name="20AtariGames"/> In 2003, the game was also included in the multi-platform title '']'', a compilation of classic games developed by ], ] and Atari Games.<ref>{{Cite web| url = http://ps2.ign.com/articles/433/433090p1.html| title = Midway Arcade Treasures| first = Craig| last = Harris| date = 2003-08-11| publisher = ]| accessdate = 2008-10-21}}</ref>
]
The game was originally released in arcades in December 1984.<ref name="GDC2011"/> Beginning in 1986, ''Marble Madness'' was released for multiple platforms with different companies handling the conversions; several home versions were published by ],<ref name="MG-Search"/> ] released handheld and tabletop ] versions of the game,<ref name="PriceGuide-2"/> and was ported to the ] by ] to the ] in Japan by ], and to the ] by ].<ref name="MM-NES-MD-GEN"/> The Commodore 64 and Apple IIe versions have a secret level not present in other versions.<ref name="ardai198705">{{cite news|author=Ardai, Charles|url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_37/page/n27/mode/2up|title=Titans of the Computer Gaming World / Part II of V: Ardai on Electronic Arts|date=May 1987|magazine=]|issue=37|pages=28}}</ref><ref name="IIeSecret">{{cite AV media | title="Marble Madness (Apple II) secret level (Water Maze)" | publisher=YouTube | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zigmkMV7YIY | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/zigmkMV7YIY | archive-date=2021-11-14 | url-status=live | date=June 2, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


Beginning with the 1998 title '']'', ''Marble Madness'' has been included in several arcade game compilations.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=PlayStation Previews: Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2|magazine=] |publisher=Ziff Davis |issue=103 |date=February 1998 |page=72}}</ref> In 2003, it was included in the multi-platform '']'', a compilation of games developed by ], ] and Atari.<ref name="IGN-MAT"/> ''Marble Madness'' was also included in the 2012 '']'' collections.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/14/midway-arcade-origins-review | first = Samuel | last = Claiborn | title = Squeezing 30 fridge-sized games onto a disc proves difficult | website = IGN | publisher = IGN Entertainment, Inc. | date = November 13, 2012 | access-date = July 20, 2014}}</ref> ] released a Java port in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=E3 2004: Marble Madness |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/05/15/e3-2004-marble-madness |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=29 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040603023407/http://wireless.ign.com/articles/516/516123p1.html |archive-date=3 June 2004 |date=15 May 2004 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Marble Madness |url=http://www.thqwireless.com/minisite.asp?ProdID=162 |publisher=] |access-date=29 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050404111708/http://www.thqwireless.com/minisite.asp?ProdID=162 |archive-date=4 April 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Electronic Arts released a ] port in 2010 that includes additional levels with different themes and new items that augment the gameplay.<ref name="EA-MM"/><ref name="CNET-Mobile"/> An ] port was in development,<ref>{{Cite tweet |last=Boon |first=Ed |author-link=Ed Boon |user=noobde |number=1042221676 |date=6 December 2008 |title=Totally excited by how Marble Madness is turning out on the iPhone. PERFECT use of the accelerometer!! |access-date=5 July 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705034710/https://twitter.com/noobde/status/1042221676 |archive-date=5 July 2022}}</ref> but was never released.
''Marble Madness'' inspired other games which feature similar gameplay based on navigating a ball through progressively difficult courses; such games are often described in terms relating to ''Marble Madness''.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="20AtariGames">{{cite web| url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3679/game_design_essentials_20_atari_.php?page=12| title = Game Design Essentials: 20 Atari Games| publisher = ]| first = John| last = Harris| date = 2008-05-30| accessdate = 2008-10-19}}</ref> ] '']'' and ]'s '']'' were the first such games, both which met with moderate receptions.<ref name="Retro"/><ref>{{cite journal| first = Alison| last = Hjul| journal = ]| issue = 1| pages = p. 38| title = Screen Shots: Gyroscope| publisher = ]| month = January| year = 1986| url = http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/gyroscope.htm| accessdate = 2008-11-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| first = Phil| last = South| journal = ]| issue = 7| pages = pp. 60–61| title = Screen Shots: Spindizzy| publisher = ]| month = July| year = 1986| url = http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/spindizzy.htm| accessdate = 2008-11-16}}</ref> In 1990, Rare released '']'' which also features elements similar to ''Marble Madness''.<ref name="RareHistory">{{cite web| url = http://www.edge-online.com/features/a-short-history-rare| title = A Short History of Rare| author = Edge Staff| date = 2006-08-29| publisher = '']''| accessdate = 2008-10-14}}</ref> Other games include '']'' and '']''. The ''Monkey Ball'' series features similar gameplay based on rolling a ball, but includes other features; minigames and monkey characters for example.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="20AtariGames"/>


==Reception==
An arcade sequel titled ''Marble Man: Marble Madness II'' was planned for release in 1991, though Cerny was not involved in the development.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="BetaBlues"/> Development was headed by Bob Flanagan who designed the game based on what he felt made ''Marble Madness'' a success in the home console market. Because the market's demographic was a younger audience, Flanagan wanted to make the sequel more accessible and introduced a superhero-type main character. ''Marble Man'' expanded on the gameplay of the original game by featuring new abilities for the marble such as invisibility and flight, included pinball ] between sets of levels, and allowed up to three players to traverse isometric courses. Flanagan intended to address the short length of the first game and, with the help of Mike Hally, developed seventeen courses.<ref name="Retro-55">{{cite journal| title = Whatever happened to... Marble Madness II: Marble Man| journal = ]| month = October| year = 2008| publisher = ]| first = Kim| last = Wild| issue = 55| pages = pp. 64–65}}</ref> Atari created prototypes for location testing, but the game did not fare well against more popular titles at the time like '']''. Atari assumed the track balls resulted in the poor reception and commissioned a second model with joystick controls. Because the new models were met with the same reception, production was halted and focus shifted to ''Guardians in the Hood'', a ] ] game.<ref name="BetaBlues"/><ref name="MM2">{{cite web| url = http://cheats.ign.com/objects/142/14245889.html| title = Marble Man: Marble Madness II| publisher = ]| accessdate = 2008-10-11}}</ref> The prototypes that were produced have since become collector items due partially to their rarity.<ref name="PriceGuide-3">{{cite book| title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games| first = David| last = Ellis| pages = p. 355| chapter = Arcade Classics| publisher = ]| isbn = 0375720383| year = 2004}}</ref>
''Marble Madness'' was commercially successful following its December 1984 release and was positively received by critics.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="GDC2011"/><ref name="BetaBlues"/> Around {{nowrap|4,000 cabinets}} were sold, and it soon became the highest-earning game in arcades. However, the game consistently fell from this ranking during its seventh week in arcades where Atari tracked the game's success.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="GDC2011"/> Cerny attributed the six-week arcade life to ''Marble Madness''{{'}}s short gameplay length.<ref name="GDC2011"/> He believed that players lost interest after mastering it and moved on to other games.<ref name="Retro"/> In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Marble Madness'' on their May 1, 1985 issue as being the second most-successful upright/cockpit arcade unit of the month.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)|magazine=]|issue=259|publisher=]|date=May 1, 1985|page=21|lang=ja}}</ref>

Many reviewers felt that the high level of skill required to play the game was part of its appeal.<ref name="GameTrailers"/><ref name="Dream"/> In 2008, Levi Buchanan of '']'' listed ''Marble Madness'' as one of several titles in his "dream arcade", citing the game's difficulty and the fond memories he had playing it.<ref name="Dream"/> Author John Sellers wrote that difficulty was a major reason that players were attracted. Other engaging factors included the graphics, visual design and the soundtrack.<ref name="Fever"/> '']''{{'}}s Craig Grannell, in referring to the game as one of the most distinctive arcade games ever made, praised its visuals as "pure and timeless".<ref name="Retro"/> In 1995, '']'' rated the game ninety-ninth on its "Top 100 Video Games".<ref>{{Cite journal |date=April 1995 |title=Top 100 Video Games |url=https://archive.org/details/flux-issue-4/page/n31/mode/2up |journal=Flux |issue=4 |pages=32}}</ref> In 1996, '']'' ranked the arcade version of ''Marble Madness'' as 15 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time".<ref name="NG-Top100">{{cite magazine|date=September 1996|title=Top 100 Games of All Time|url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-021/page/n69/mode/2up|magazine=]|publisher=]|issue=21|page=66}}</ref> In 1997 '']'' listed it as the 10th best arcade game of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The 10 Best Arcade Games of All Time |magazine=]|issue=100 |publisher=] |date=November 1997|page=130}}</ref> In 2003, ''Marble Madness'' was inducted into '']''{{'}}s list of the greatest games of all time.<ref name="Gamespot">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-29.html|title=The Greatest Games of All Time: ''Marble Madness''|website=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709103724/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-29.html| archive-date=July 9, 2007}}</ref> In 2008, '']'' listed it as the number seventy-nine arcade game in technical, creative and cultural impact.<ref name="GWR08"/> ''Marble Madness'' was one of the first games to use true ] and have a recognizable musical score.<ref name="GameTrailers"/><ref name="ArtOfGameWorlds"/> British composer Paul Weir commented that the music had character and helped give the game a unique identity.<ref name="ArtOfGameWorlds"/> A common complaint about the arcade cabinet was that the track ball controls frequently broke from repeated use.<ref name="Dream"/><ref name="20AtariGames"/>

===Home versions===
The different ports were met with mixed reception. John Harris of '']'' thought the arcade's popularity fueled the sales of the home versions, while Thomas Hanley of ] commented that most versions were not as enjoyable without a track ball.<ref name="GameTrailers"/> Grannell echoed similar statements about the controls and added that many had poor visuals and ]. He listed the ], ] and ] ports as the better conversions, and the ], ]s and ] versions among the worst.<ref name="Retro"/> '']'' reviewers rated the Sega Genesis release favorably.<ref name="MegaTech"/> ''Next Generation'' staff also liked the Sega Genesis version, but noted that the experience is better when playing with the original trackball controls.<ref name="NG-Top100"/>

'']'' writers called the Amiga version's graphics and gameplay "arcade-quality".<ref name="bateman198610">{{cite news|author=Bateman, Selby|url=https://archive.org/stream/1986-10-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_077_1986_Oct#page/n19/mode/2up|title=A Great Year For Games|date=October 1986|work=Compute!|access-date=November 9, 2013|issue=77|pages=18}}</ref> Reviewing for '']'', Roy Wagner stated that the Amiga version was superior to the arcade original.<ref name="wagner198611">{{cite news|author=Wagner, Roy|url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_32/page/n37/mode/2up|title=Amiga Preferences|date=November 1986|magazine=Computer Gaming World|issue=32|pages=38}}</ref> ] of '']'' wrote that the graphics of the Amiga version of ''Marble Madness'' in December 1986 "are really amazing". While criticizing the lack of a pause function or a top scores list, he said that it "is definitely worth having if you own an Amiga".<ref name="webster198612">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1986-12/1986_12_BYTE_11-13_Graphics_Algorithms#page/n319/mode/2up | title=Season's Greetings | work=BYTE | date=December 1986 | access-date=May 9, 2015 | author=Webster, Bruce | pages=305}}</ref> ] recalled that the Amiga version was so popular at ] that employees stole the required memory expansion from colleagues' computers to run the game.<ref name="herd20170429">{{Cite web |url=https://np.reddit.com/r/c128/comments/682da4/c128_ama_from_bil_herd/dgx5875/?context=3 |title=C128 AMA from Bil Herd |last=Herd |first=Bil |author-link=Bil Herd |website=/r/c128 |date=29 April 2017 |publisher=Reddit |publication-date=April 29, 2017}}</ref> Benn Dunnington of '']'' gave the Amiga version four-plus stars out of five, describing it as "a totally faithful adaptation", and hoped that a sequel was in development.<ref name="info198701amiga">{{Cite magazine|last1=Dunnington|first1=Benn|last2=Brown|first2=Mark R.|last3=Malcolm|first3=Tom|date=January–February 1987|title=Amiga Gallery|url=https://archive.org/stream/info-magazine-13/Info_Issue_13_1987_Jan-Feb#page/n89/mode/2up|magazine=Info|issue=13|pages=90–95}}</ref> The magazine staff rated the Commodore 64 version a three-plus stars out of five, describing it as "just a shadow of the arcade original and the excellent Amiga version" and inferior to '']''. The magazine liked the graphics but criticized "marbles that handle like intoxicated turtles".<ref name="info198701">{{Cite magazine|last1=Dunnington|first1=Benn|last2=Brown|first2=Mark R.|last3=Malcolm|first3=Tom|date=January–February 1987|title=64/128 Gallery|url=https://archive.org/stream/info-magazine-13/Info_Issue_13_1987_Jan-Feb#page/n13/mode/2up|magazine=Info|issue=13|pages=14–21}}</ref> '']''{{'}}s three reviewers—Hartley, Patricia and Kirk Lesser—praised the ] port, calling it a "must have" title for arcade fans.<ref name="Dragon131"/> It received a '']'' Megagame award.<ref>Your Sinclair magazine, Reviews section, issue 12, page 47</ref>

==Legacy==
''Marble Madness'' inspired other games that involve navigating a ball through progressively more difficult courses.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="GWR08"/><ref name="20AtariGames"/> ] '']'' and ]'s '']'' were the first such games; both met with a good reception.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="YS-1"/><ref name="YS-7"/> In 1990, Rare released '']'', which incorporated elements similar to ''Marble Madness''.<ref name="RareHistory"/> The '']'' series uses similar gameplay based on rolling a ball, but adds other features such as ]s and monkey characters.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="20AtariGames"/>

===Unreleased sequel===
An arcade sequel titled ''Marble Man: Marble Madness II'' was planned for release in 1991, though Cerny was not involved in its development.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="BetaBlues"/> Development was led by Bob Flanagan who designed the game based on what he felt made ''Marble Madness'' a success in the home console market. Because the market's demographic was a younger audience, Flanagan wanted to make the sequel more accessible and introduced a superhero-type main character. ''Marble Man'' expanded on the gameplay of the original game with new abilities for the marble such as invisibility and flight, added pinball minigames between sets of levels, and allowed up to three players to traverse isometric courses. Flanagan intended to address the short length of the first game and, with the help of Mike Hally, developed seventeen courses.<ref name="Retro-55"/>

Atari created prototypes for location testing, but the game did not fare well against more popular titles at the time such as '']''. Atari assumed the trackballs accounted for the poor reception and commissioned a second model with joystick controls. Because the new models were met with the same poor reception, production was halted and the focus shifted to '']'', a ] game.<ref name="BetaBlues"/><ref name="MM2"/> ]s for the sequel were rumored to have been destroyed to clear inventory for tax purposes in 1996, but Cerny has called the destruction an urban legend, indicating that at most 12 prototypes' boards were produced.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=February 1997|title=Williams 'Cements' Reputation as Ball Breaker|url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-26/page/n43/mode/2up|magazine=]|publisher=]|issue=26|page=43}}</ref> These prototypes have since become ].<ref name="PriceGuide-3"/> In 2022, a prototype of the joystick-controlled version of ''Marble Madness II'' was leaked online.<ref>{{cite web|last=Orland|first=Kyle|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/05/after-30-years-the-world-can-now-play-the-lost-marble-madness-ii/|title=After 30 years, the world can now play the lost Marble Madness II|work=]|publisher=]|date=May 26, 2022|access-date=2022-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526173831/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/05/after-30-years-the-world-can-now-play-the-lost-marble-madness-ii/|archive-date=2022-05-26|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Video games|1980s}}
* '']'', a marble game for ], ] and Windows, released in 2003
* '']'', a marble game for ], released in 2004
* '']'', a game that is similar to ''Marble Madness'', released for ] in 2004
* '']'', a marble game for Windows and consoles, released in 2007


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|2}} {{reflist|refs=
<ref name="Fever">{{cite book| title = Arcade Fever: The Fan's Guide to The Golden Age of Video Games| first = John| last = Sellers| pages = 142–143| publisher = ]|date=August 2001| isbn = 0-7624-0937-1}}</ref>
<ref name="Retro">{{cite journal| title = The Making of Marble Madness| journal = ]|date=August 2008| publisher = ]| first = Craig| last = Grannell| issue = 53| pages = 82–87}}</ref>
<ref name="GameTrailers">{{cite web| url = http://www.gametrailers.com/video/video-game-screwattack/23633| title = Video Game Vault: Marble Madness| work = ]| first = Thomas| last = Hanley| publisher = ]| date = August 16, 2007| access-date = October 14, 2008}}</ref>
<ref name="NP-1989">{{cite magazine| title = Marble Madness| magazine = ]| publisher = ]| pages = 56–59|date=January–February 1989}}</ref>
<ref name="RG-67">{{cite journal| journal = ]| publisher = ]| title = Desert Island Disks: Bob Flanagan| issue = 67| pages = 81–84| year = 2009| first = Paul| last = Drury}}</ref>
<ref name="PriceGuide-1">{{cite book| title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games| first = David| last = Ellis| page = | chapter = A Brief History of Video Games| publisher = ]| isbn = 0-375-72038-3| year = 2004| chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/11}}</ref>
<ref name="klov">{{cite web| url = http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8618| title = Marble Madness| publisher = ]| access-date = October 9, 2008}}</ref>
<ref name="ArtOfGameWorlds">{{cite book| title = The Art of Game Worlds| first = Dave| last = Morris| page = 168| chapter = Funky Town| publisher = ]| isbn = 0-06-072430-7| year = 2004}}</ref>
<ref name="GDC2011">{{cite web| url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/33375/gdc_2011_mark_cerny_discusses_.php| title = GDC 2011: Mark Cerny Discusses Marble Madness' Turbulent Development| first = Kyle| last = Orland| website = Gamasutra| date = March 4, 2011| access-date = March 8, 2011}}</ref>
<ref name="BetaBlues">{{cite web| url = http://retro.ign.com/articles/871/871646p2.html| title = Beta Blues, Vol. 1| website = IGN| first = Travis| last = Fahs| date = May 5, 2008| access-date = October 11, 2008}}</ref>
<ref name="GWR08">{{cite book| editor= Craig Glenday| title= Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008| series= ]| date= March 11, 2008| publisher= Guinness| isbn= 978-1-904994-21-3| page= | chapter= Top 100 Arcade Games: Top 100–51| chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/231}}</ref>
<ref name="Dream">{{cite web| url = http://retro.ign.com/articles/910/910219p1.html| title = Dream Arcades| first = Levi| last = Buchanan| website = IGN| date = September 15, 2008| access-date = October 11, 2008}}</ref>
<ref name="MG-Search">{{cite web| url = http://www.mobygames.com/search/quick/p,-1/q,marble%20madness/showOnly,9/| publisher = ]| title = MobyGames Quick Search: Marble Madness| access-date = October 19, 2008| archive-date = March 8, 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210308055105/https://www.mobygames.com/search/quick/p,-1/q,marble%20madness/showOnly,9/| url-status = dead}}</ref>
<ref name="PriceGuide-2">{{cite book| title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games| first = David| last = Ellis| page = | chapter = Classic Handheld and Tabletop Games| publisher = ]| isbn = 0-375-72038-3| year = 2004| chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/243}}</ref>
<ref name="MM-NES-MD-GEN">{{cite web| url = https://www.mobygames.com/game/466/marble-madness/releases/| title = Marble Madness - Releases| website = ]| access-date = February 20, 2024}}</ref>
<ref name="20AtariGames">{{cite web| url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3679/game_design_essentials_20_atari_.php?page=12| title = Game Design Essentials: 20 Atari Games| website = ]| first = John| last = Harris| date = May 30, 2008| access-date = October 19, 2008}}</ref>
<ref name="Dragon131">{{cite journal| title=The Role of Computers|last1=Lesser|last2=Lesser|last3=Lesser|first1=Hartley|first2=Patricia|first3=Kirk | journal=]| publisher=]| issue=131|date=March 1988|page=84}}</ref>
<ref name="IGN-MAT">{{cite web| url = http://ps2.ign.com/articles/433/433090p1.html| title = Midway Arcade Treasures| first = Craig| last = Harris| date = August 11, 2003| website = IGN| access-date = October 21, 2008}}</ref>
<ref name="EA-MM">{{cite web| url = http://www.eamobile.com/mobile-games/marble-madness| title = EA Mobile Marble Madness| publisher = ]| access-date = December 2, 2009| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091122163218/http://www.eamobile.com/mobile-games/marble-madness| archive-date = November 22, 2009}}</ref>
<ref name="CNET-Mobile">{{cite web| url = http://download.cnet.com/Marble-Madness/3010-2095_4-75219948.html?tag=contentBody;sideBar| title = Marble Madness specifications| website = CNET| access-date = December 22, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
<ref name="YS-1">{{cite journal|first=Alison |last=Hjul |journal=] |issue=1 |page=38 |title=Screen Shots: Gyroscope |publisher=] |date=January 1986 |url=http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/gyroscope.htm |access-date=November 16, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006080428/http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/gyroscope.htm |archive-date=October 6, 2008}}</ref>
<ref name="YS-7">{{cite journal| first = Phil| last = South| journal = ]| issue = 7| pages = 60–61| title = Screen Shots: Spindizzy| publisher = ]| date = July 1986| url = http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/spindizzy.htm| access-date = November 16, 2008| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090123031953/http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/spindizzy.htm| archive-date = January 23, 2009}}</ref>
<ref name="RareHistory">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/short-history-rare |title=A Short History of Rare |author=Edge Staff |date=August 29, 2006 |magazine=] |access-date=October 14, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714155905/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/short-history-rare/ |archive-date=July 14, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="Retro-55">{{cite journal| title = Whatever happened to... Marble Madness II: Marble Man| journal = ]|date=October 2008| publisher = ]| first = Kim| last = Wild| issue = 55| pages = 64–65}}</ref>
<ref name="MM2">{{cite web| url = http://cheats.ign.com/objects/142/14245889.html| title = Marble Man: Marble Madness II| website = IGN| access-date = October 11, 2008}}</ref>
<ref name="MegaTech">{{cite journal| journal = ]| publisher = ]| title = Review| issue = 6| page = 79|date=June 1992| author = Staff}}</ref>
<ref name="PriceGuide-3">{{cite book| title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games| first = David| last = Ellis| page = | chapter = Arcade Classics| publisher = ]| isbn = 0-375-72038-3| year = 2004| chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/355}}</ref>
}}


==External links== ==External links==
* {{KLOV game|id=8618|name=Marble Madness}}
* , owner of all Atari Games properties.<!-- midway rather than atari (aka hasbro) intentionally, see Atari article -->
* {{KLOV game|id=8619|name=Marble Madness 2: Marble Man}} * {{KLOV game|id=8619|name=Marble Man: Marble Madness 2}}
* at Arcade History
* at Arcade History
* {{moby game|id=/marble-madness|name=''Marble Madness''}}
* ] can be played for free in the browser at the ]

{{Atari Games}}


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Latest revision as of 21:17, 22 December 2024

1984 video game

1984 video game
Marble Madness
Artwork of a vertical rectangular advertisement flyer. Pictured is an image of an arcade cabinet in front of an image of red, blue, and silver marbles on a gridded plane. The top left corner displays the Atari logo, while the top right corner reads "System I". Below the logo reads "Marble Madness".North American arcade flyer
Developer(s)Atari Games Inc.
Publisher(s)Atari Games, Inc.
Designer(s)Mark Cerny
Programmer(s)Bob Flanagan
Artist(s)Mark Cerny
Sam Comstock
Composer(s)Brad Fuller
Hal Canon
Platform(s)Arcade, Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Game Gear, Java ME, Master System, NES, IBM PC, Sega Genesis, X68000, ZX Spectrum
Release
  • NA: December 1984
Genre(s)Platform, racing
Mode(s)Up to 2 players simultaneously
Arcade systemAtari System 1

Marble Madness is an arcade video game designed by Mark Cerny and published by Atari Games in 1984. It is a platform game in which the player must guide a marble through six courses, populated with obstacles and enemies, within a time limit. The player controls the marble by using a trackball. Marble Madness is known for using innovative game technologies: it was Atari's first to use the Atari System 1 hardware, the first to be programmed in the C programming language, and one of the first to use true stereo sound (previous games used either monaural sound or simulated stereo).

In designing the game, Cerny drew inspiration from miniature golf, racing games, and artwork by M. C. Escher. He aimed to create a game that offered a distinct experience with a unique control system. Cerny applied a minimalist approach in designing the appearance of the game's courses and enemies. Throughout development, he was frequently impeded by limitations in technology and had to forgo several design ideas.

Upon its release in arcades, Marble Madness was commercially successful and profitable. Critics praised the game's difficulty, unique visual design, and stereo soundtrack. The game was ported to numerous platforms and inspired the development of other games. A sequel was developed and planned for release in 1991, but it was canceled when location testing showed the game could not succeed in competition with other titles.

Gameplay

Horizontal rectangular video game screenshot of the arcade version that is a digital representation of a grided plane with ramps and spikes. A blue marble is near the center of the screen, with moving green tubes below it.
The blue, player-controlled marble (center left) traverses an isometric course. Scores and available time are tracked at the top of the screen.

Marble Madness is an isometric platform game in which the player manipulates an onscreen marble from a third-person perspective. In the arcade version, a player controls the marble's movements with a trackball; most home versions use game controllers with directional pads. The player's goal is to complete six maze-like isometric race courses before a set amount of time expires. With the exception of the first race, any time left on the clock at the end of a race is carried over to the next one, and the player is granted a set amount of additional time as well. The game allows two players to compete against each other, awarding bonus points and extra time to the winner of each race; both players have separate clocks.

Courses are populated with various objects and enemies, designed to obstruct the player, as well as track surfaces that make control of the marble more difficult. As the game progresses, the courses become increasingly difficult and introduce more enemies and obstacles. Each course has a distinct visual theme. For example, the first race (titled "Practice") is a simple course that is much shorter than the others, while the fifth race (named "Silly") features polka-dot patterns and is oriented in a direction opposite that of the other courses.

Development

Marble Madness was developed by Atari Games, with Mark Cerny as the lead designer and Bob Flanagan as the software engineer. Both Cerny and Flanagan handled programming the game. It uses the Atari System 1 hardware, which was an interchangeable system of circuit boards, control panels, and artwork. The game features pixel graphics on a 19-inch Electrohome G07 model CRT monitor and uses a Motorola 68010 central processing unit (CPU) with a MOS Technology 6502 subsystem to control the audio and coin operations. Marble Madness was the very first arcade game to use an FM sound chip produced by Yamaha, similar to a Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, which created the music in real time so that it was in synchronization with the game's on-screen action. The game's music was composed by Brad Fuller and Hal Canon who spent a few months becoming familiar with the sound chip's capabilities.

Cerny and Flanagan first collaborated on a video game based on Michael Jackson's Thriller. The project was canceled and the two began working on an idea of Cerny's that eventually became Marble Madness. Development lasted 10 months. Following the video game crash of 1983, game development within Atari focused on providing a distinctive experience through the use of a unique control system and by emphasizing a simultaneous two-player mode. Cerny designed Marble Madness in accordance with these company goals. He was first inspired by miniature golf and captivated by the idea that a playfield's contours influenced a ball's path. Cerny began testing various ideas using Atari's digital art system. After deciding to use an isometric grid, Cerny began developing the game's concept. His initial idea involved hitting a ball in a way similar to miniature golf, but Atari was unenthusiastic. Cerny next thought of racing games and planned for races on long tracks against an opponent. Technology limitations at the time were unable to handle the in-game physics necessary for the idea, and Cerny switched the game's objective to a race against time.

The development toolkit for the Motorola CPU included a compiler for the C programming language, which the two programmers were familiar with. After Atari had conducted performance evaluations, it approved usage of the language. Cerny and Flanagan's decision to program Marble Madness in the C language had positive and negative consequences. Atari games had previously been programmed in assembly language. The C language was easier to program, but was less efficient, so the game operates at the slower speed of 30 Hz instead of the normal 60 Hz frequency of arcade games at the time. Cerny decided to use a trackball system (marketed by Atari as Trak-Ball) to give the game a unique control system, and he chose a motorized trackball for faster spinning and braking when the in-game ball traveled downhill and uphill, respectively. As it was building the prototypes, Atari's design department informed Cerny that the motorized trackball's design had an inherent flaw—one of the four supports had poor contact with the ball—and the use of a regular trackball was more feasible. Additionally, Cerny had anticipated the use of powerful custom chips that would allow RAM-based sprites to be animated by the CPU, but the available hardware was a less advanced system using ROM-based static sprites.

A group of four boxes with a hand-drawn diagram and text description in each box.
Concepts for Marble Madness were outlined in an extensive design document. The document contains a number of ideas, like the tilting ramp and see-saw scale above, that were not used in the final product.

These technical limitations forced Cerny to simplify the overall designs. Inspired by M. C. Escher, he designed abstract landscapes for the courses. In retrospect, Cerny partly attributed the designs to his limited artistic skills. He was a fan of the 3D graphics used in Battlezone and I, Robot, but felt that the visuals lacked definition and wanted to create a game with "solid and clean" 3D graphics. Unlike most other arcade games of the time, the course images were not drawn on the pixel level. Instead, Cerny defined the elevation of every point in the course and stored this information in a heightmap array. The course graphics were then created by a ray tracing program that traced the path of light rays, using the heightmap to determine the appearance of the course on screen. This format also allowed Cerny to create shadows and use spatial anti-aliasing, a technique that provided the graphics with a smoother appearance. Cerny's course generator allowed him more time to experiment with the level designs. When deciding what elements to include in a course, practicality was a big factor; elements that would not work or would not appear as intended were omitted, such as an elastic barricade or a teeter-totter scale. Other ideas dropped from the designs were breakable glass supports, black hole traps, and bumps and obstacles built into the course that chased the marble.

Cerny's personal interests changed throughout the project, leading to the inclusion of new ideas absent from the original design documents. The game's enemy characters were designed by Cerny and Sam Comstock, who also animated them. Enemies had to be small in size due to technical limitations. Cerny and Comstock purposely omitted faces to give them unique designs and create a minimalistic appearance similar to the courses. Atari's management, however, suggested that the marble should have a smiley face to create an identified character, similar to Pac-Man. As a compromise, the cabinet's artwork depicts traces of a smiley face on the marbles. Flanagan programmed a three-dimensional physics model to dictate the marble's motions and an interpreted script for enemy behavior. As Marble Madness neared completion, the feedback from Atari's in-house focus testing was positive. In retrospect, Cerny wished he had included more courses to give the game greater longevity, but extra courses would have required more time and increased hardware costs. Atari was experiencing severe financial troubles at the time and could not extend the game's development period as it would have left their production factory idle.

Release

A Marble Madness arcade cabinet in Shinjuku, Japan

The game was originally released in arcades in December 1984. Beginning in 1986, Marble Madness was released for multiple platforms with different companies handling the conversions; several home versions were published by Electronic Arts, Tiger Electronics released handheld and tabletop LCD versions of the game, and was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System by Rare to the Sega Mega Drive in Japan by Tengen, and to the Sega Genesis by Electronic Arts. The Commodore 64 and Apple IIe versions have a secret level not present in other versions.

Beginning with the 1998 title Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2, Marble Madness has been included in several arcade game compilations. In 2003, it was included in the multi-platform Midway Arcade Treasures, a compilation of games developed by Williams Electronics, Midway Games and Atari. Marble Madness was also included in the 2012 Midway Arcade Origins collections. THQ Wireless released a Java port in 2004. Electronic Arts released a mobile phone port in 2010 that includes additional levels with different themes and new items that augment the gameplay. An iOS port was in development, but was never released.

Reception

Marble Madness was commercially successful following its December 1984 release and was positively received by critics. Around 4,000 cabinets were sold, and it soon became the highest-earning game in arcades. However, the game consistently fell from this ranking during its seventh week in arcades where Atari tracked the game's success. Cerny attributed the six-week arcade life to Marble Madness's short gameplay length. He believed that players lost interest after mastering it and moved on to other games. In Japan, Game Machine listed Marble Madness on their May 1, 1985 issue as being the second most-successful upright/cockpit arcade unit of the month.

Many reviewers felt that the high level of skill required to play the game was part of its appeal. In 2008, Levi Buchanan of IGN listed Marble Madness as one of several titles in his "dream arcade", citing the game's difficulty and the fond memories he had playing it. Author John Sellers wrote that difficulty was a major reason that players were attracted. Other engaging factors included the graphics, visual design and the soundtrack. Retro Gamer's Craig Grannell, in referring to the game as one of the most distinctive arcade games ever made, praised its visuals as "pure and timeless". In 1995, Flux rated the game ninety-ninth on its "Top 100 Video Games". In 1996, Next Generation ranked the arcade version of Marble Madness as 15 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time". In 1997 Electronic Gaming Monthly listed it as the 10th best arcade game of all time. In 2003, Marble Madness was inducted into GameSpot's list of the greatest games of all time. In 2008, Guinness World Records listed it as the number seventy-nine arcade game in technical, creative and cultural impact. Marble Madness was one of the first games to use true stereo sound and have a recognizable musical score. British composer Paul Weir commented that the music had character and helped give the game a unique identity. A common complaint about the arcade cabinet was that the track ball controls frequently broke from repeated use.

Home versions

The different ports were met with mixed reception. John Harris of Gamasutra thought the arcade's popularity fueled the sales of the home versions, while Thomas Hanley of ScrewAttack commented that most versions were not as enjoyable without a track ball. Grannell echoed similar statements about the controls and added that many had poor visuals and collision detection. He listed the Amiga, Game Boy and Sega Genesis ports as the better conversions, and the ZX Spectrum, IBM PC compatibles and Game Boy Advance versions among the worst. MegaTech reviewers rated the Sega Genesis release favorably. Next Generation staff also liked the Sega Genesis version, but noted that the experience is better when playing with the original trackball controls.

Compute! writers called the Amiga version's graphics and gameplay "arcade-quality". Reviewing for Computer Gaming World, Roy Wagner stated that the Amiga version was superior to the arcade original. Bruce Webster of BYTE wrote that the graphics of the Amiga version of Marble Madness in December 1986 "are really amazing". While criticizing the lack of a pause function or a top scores list, he said that it "is definitely worth having if you own an Amiga". Bil Herd recalled that the Amiga version was so popular at Commodore International that employees stole the required memory expansion from colleagues' computers to run the game. Benn Dunnington of Info gave the Amiga version four-plus stars out of five, describing it as "a totally faithful adaptation", and hoped that a sequel was in development. The magazine staff rated the Commodore 64 version a three-plus stars out of five, describing it as "just a shadow of the arcade original and the excellent Amiga version" and inferior to Spindizzy. The magazine liked the graphics but criticized "marbles that handle like intoxicated turtles". Dragon's three reviewers—Hartley, Patricia and Kirk Lesser—praised the Apple IIGS port, calling it a "must have" title for arcade fans. It received a Your Sinclair Megagame award.

Legacy

Marble Madness inspired other games that involve navigating a ball through progressively more difficult courses. Melbourne House's Gyroscope and Electric Dreams Software's Spindizzy were the first such games; both met with a good reception. In 1990, Rare released Snake Rattle 'n' Roll, which incorporated elements similar to Marble Madness. The Super Monkey Ball series uses similar gameplay based on rolling a ball, but adds other features such as minigames and monkey characters.

Unreleased sequel

An arcade sequel titled Marble Man: Marble Madness II was planned for release in 1991, though Cerny was not involved in its development. Development was led by Bob Flanagan who designed the game based on what he felt made Marble Madness a success in the home console market. Because the market's demographic was a younger audience, Flanagan wanted to make the sequel more accessible and introduced a superhero-type main character. Marble Man expanded on the gameplay of the original game with new abilities for the marble such as invisibility and flight, added pinball minigames between sets of levels, and allowed up to three players to traverse isometric courses. Flanagan intended to address the short length of the first game and, with the help of Mike Hally, developed seventeen courses.

Atari created prototypes for location testing, but the game did not fare well against more popular titles at the time such as Street Fighter II. Atari assumed the trackballs accounted for the poor reception and commissioned a second model with joystick controls. Because the new models were met with the same poor reception, production was halted and the focus shifted to Guardians of the 'Hood, a beat 'em up game. Arcade system boards for the sequel were rumored to have been destroyed to clear inventory for tax purposes in 1996, but Cerny has called the destruction an urban legend, indicating that at most 12 prototypes' boards were produced. These prototypes have since become collector items. In 2022, a prototype of the joystick-controlled version of Marble Madness II was leaked online.

See also

References

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