The Jolly Gamesman Vol. 21

The Jolly Gamesman and His Many Toys
Marble Mixer for the iPad

With a 9.7″ display that can be viewed from 170°, there is no doubt that the iPad is meant to be enjoyed by more than one person at a time. Herein lies where developers are creating a new gaming experience that cannot be found on other portable gaming devices. Marble Mixer is one of the latest games to take full advantage of the portable group gaming experience.

Marble Mixer gives the children’s game of marbles a new coat of paint and three new modes of play. Up to four players, either human or CPU controlled, can compete in three game modes for a point scoring roll-fest that only the iPad can deliver.

The first game mode offered is titled Table Tactics. Each player gets a corner of the iPad and 10 marbles each, to try to land themselves closest to the middle of a rotating centre piece, split into three ringed scoring circles. In the middle of the game table is a black hole that can serve as a final point free resting place for your marbles, or a score fest if you manage to knock an opponent’s marble into it. Each player takes their turn to try their best at positioning their marbles as close to the black hole in the middle, in order to score the most amounts of points per round. Once a player has won a round, they are rewarded with a chip, and three of these chips to one player will signal victory.

In Space Mania, you remove the turn-based rules from Table Tactics and replace them with a timer, unlimited marbles, and a Technicolor Tron-esque graphic theme. What you are left with is a balls-out roll fest to see who can land the most points around the ring, while knocking your opponent into the middle for 60 seconds.

Last, but not least, you can play the Monster Picnic mode. Similar to the previous modes, except this time your goal is to roll your marbles into the mouth of a giant rotating monster head in the middle of the playing field. Think of it as Hungry Hungry Hippos in reverse. Faster and faster the monster head spins during the 60 seconds you are given to defeat your opponent. The player with the most amount of their marbles in the mouth wins a chip, and just like the other modes, three chips equals a complete victory.

All three modes use incredibly bright colours and sharp images, and are accompanied by some fun sound effects and light background music to complete the gaming experience.

I was able to find enjoyment from all three modes of play, depending on the gaming mood I was in, and the company I was keeping at the time. While the Table Tactics does require a steady hand and a bit of patience, it does feel to me to be the most satisfying of victories, as the other two modes can get frantic very quickly.

With challenging multiplayer and A.I. controlled opponents, three similar but unique game modes and a simple learning curve, Marble Mixer guarantees hours of entertainment, as you find yourself saying to the other players “One more round?”

~The Fine Print~
Price: $1.99