Marble Mountain PAX South Interview

If you ever played a game called Marble Madness you’ve probably broken a fair share of controllers attempting to complete the final stage. Marble Mountain takes the same edifice of that same game, combining platforming adventure and retire gameplay for a enduring adventure. During my time at PAX South I was able to play the game and learn first hand how this wonderful game was created.

First Marble Mountain can be played either using a tradition controller or using VR. Instead of placing the viewing in the eyes of the marble players are given a third-person perspective of the environment. While talking to one of the members of the development team, Lightning Rock, he told me that uses a first-person perspective made the game incredible difficult. Instead the third-person perspective allows the user to survey the landscape by tilting their head. Playing the controller offers a set camera, but both ways are comfortable and don’t subtract from the overall experience.

Controlling the marble is precise. Moving forward, slowing down and stopping are all exact to the touch. While navigating the environment I noticed several collectables that provide more incentive to choose treacherous pathways. When I spoke to one of the team, Chris Hahn, he described the experience as a mixture of Indiana Jones meets Super Monkey Ball and Marble Madness. And while it’s not as difficult as those two titles it definitely reminded me of those two games. Especially since the marble was easily to slow and stop than those two previous games.

Overall I was delighted to play a game that not only tailored itself to retro gamers but offered a unique take on past formulas. Playing a VR game in third-person was unexpected but quickly grew in my favor. You can check out this indie project now on Steam Greenlight.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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