Customer Reviews

Kororinpa: Marble Mania

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kororinpa Marble Mania is in essence Super Monkey Ball without the monkeys. Taking its cue from the classic Labyrinth game, you guide the maze in 3D and the marble acts with basic physics responses.

First, the premise. You have a series of themed maps that involve three dimensions of track. As you twist and turn the Wii remote, the track moves to match. As you give a tilt to the board, the marble rolls down the tilt. This is of course the basics - but soon there are ramps, sliding doors, sliding platforms, rotating pieces and other tricky objects involved in your path.

There are of course crystals to collect - what would a game be without collecting crystals! There is also a bonus green item on each level which is rather tricky to achieve, but unlocks new items. This gives you incentive to go back and re-play levels repeatedly.

Each level has its own theme. There are nature themes with leafy objects, a sugar-high theme with candies and cookies, an industrial theme with concrete, a cardboardy paper-Mario style theme, and so on. There are also background theme songs to unlock, and a variety of balls. Some make cute little noises, like the pink pig or the mrowling cat.

My first reaction was - do we really need another Super Monkey Ball game? Super Monkey Ball has a ton of great mini-games, great levels, and all around fun. Kororinpa is lacking a lot of that. All you have is mazes. The multi-player is just map racing.

It is challenging in a brain-train sort of way to figure out the solution to each puzzle, thinking in three dimensions. So from that point of view, I suppose you can consider this "Monkey Ball 1A" - not really better than Monkey Ball, but it gives you a new set of puzzles to figure out. Again, though, it lacks a lot of the features that Monkey Ball has, so I would start with the Monkey Ball series, and then move on to this one once you've figured all the Monkey Ball puzzles out.

The only real complaint I have about the core game is that the game treats the balls too delicately. There were many times where we were done with the first half of a map, and did a 'leap' to get to the second half. We landed nicely, plainly on the map, and it made us die. These are marbles! They're not eggs! If they land on a surface, they don't explode in a million pieces :)

I do have to give kudos here to the Wii remote. When I remember back to playing these types of games on a regular remote, it was always a little challenging to get the board tilt just right with the stick or buttons. With the Wii remote, it is very simple and obvious. You tilt the remote - the board tilts. No thought, no translation - it simply does what you do.

Recommended!

The first time I sat down to play this game, I played for a couple hours before realizing how much time had passed. It is extremely simple to pick up, for gamers and non-gamers alike. There is no concept of "lives", so you can never really lose if you keep trying - you just keep starting back at the beginning of the level you are on, and you get to keep all the crystals you have collected. You can earn gold, silver, and bronze trophies by completing the course quickly, and you can also collect special objects which unlock secret levels, new music, etc. The game is easy to learn, but difficult to master - getting gold trophies is HARD!

I imagine the game probably isn't as much fun once you have gotten all the way through it and received however many trophies you are willing to put the effort into getting, but in the meantime I'm having lots of fun with it!

Unlike the other reviews I see here already, I have not played Super Monkey Ball on the Wii; I found the previous Monkey Ball game I tried on the GameCube repetitive and boring after about half an hour, so take that into account when you read this review.

This is a fun and addictive game, and it really shows-off just how precice the wiimote is to the most sensitive movements. Great control combined with good software physics give the game a very realistic feel of momentum, gravity, etc. I actually like that the orientation of the camera remains fixed (doesn't follow behind the marble), however it would be nice if the camera would pull back a bit when when the marble heads towards it, such that you could see what is up ahead better. Thankfully I think the designers created the levels in such a way that the "coming towards camera" portions are rarely an issue. The 2 player gameplay was also entertaining.

Being a fan of the old NES game Marble Madness, I've kind of always been waiting for another game like it. Something unique, fun, and difficult. Kororinpa: Marble Mania fills the gap.

Many people will compare this game to Super Monkey Ball, and its really an unfair comparison. Sure, all "balance" games will be compared to the most popular series, but this one is definitely unique. Super Monkey ball feels more frantic, whereas Kororinpa overall feels more relaxed. You are timed for completing the levels, but you are not time-limited unless you want to earn prizes and gold/silver/bronze cups. So, if you want to take your time, go ahead. The game retains a good level of tension even when you're just cruising since it's more about balance than racing...which I found very enjoyable.

If you need to compare this game to a similar "balance" game, then think more along the lines of the old wooden Labyrinth game with the metal ball. Much like that old board-game, you will find yourself open to different interpretations of how to complete levels and get that ball to the other side. The later levels encourage some experimentation as well.

Overall, this game is very fun for "balance" game lovers, and it stands in it's own category of the genre...and it's only $30, so you can't lose!

I only own three Wii games - Resident Evil 4, Mario Strikers Charged, and Kororinpa. Thankfully Gamespot allows you to buy used Wii games and return them in 7 days for a full refund if you don't like them. It beats the heck out of renting from Blockbuster's limited Wii selection, and I've bought enough used Wii games to know that Kororinpa is one of the best out there right now. On my budget, I have to really love a game before deciding to buy for keeps.

There are quite a few Wii games out at this point, and the sad truth must be told that the majority of them are disappointing. Excite Truck is a fun game, but to me not worth the $50 price tag, while Strikers is easily worth $50 due to its replayability and online play.

At $29.99 now, purchasing Kororinpa should be a no brainer for any serious Wii gamer. It it the only game I've found to be using the Wiimote in such a sensitive manner. Players simply will not believe how accurate the board tilt is based upon tiny, tiny wrist movements here.

So not a game for anyone with shaky hands! This is a perfectionist's game - someone who doesn't mind spending time to continually reduce the amount of time it takes to get the marble from point A to point B.

By the way - in order to get the 5 bonus levels (I've read different things on the internet so wanted to write what I've confirmed here), you must finish these levels in the following times:

Stage 01 - Under 6 seconds
Stage 02 - Under 12 seconds
Stage 03 - Under 10 seconds
Stage 04 - Under 28 seconds
Stage 05 - Under 13 seconds
Stage 06 - Under 15 seconds
Stage 07 - Under 9 seconds
Stage 08 - Under 31 seconds
Stage 09 - Under 14 seconds
Stage 10 - Under 27 seconds
Stage 11 - Under 14 seconds
Stage 12 - Under 20 seconds
Stage 13 - Under 32 seconds
Stage 14 - Under 16 seconds
Stage 15 - Under 22 seconds
etc.

Once you have finished all stages 1 to 24 and received gold cups, all 5 bonus levels are yours.

My husband is hooked on this game and is competing against his daughter for a better score. Now my 6 year old granddaughter is trying to beat him. It is so much fun to watch them play it and see that ball fall just when they think they have got it. My daughter and her friends had played it a while ago and they were complaining that they couldn't find it anymore and she kept asking me to look it up. Well I was looking for games for my grandkids and came across this one and she was so excited. Now they play it at least 3-4 times a week. Thank you for sending it so fast and it arrived in exelent time and condition.
Barbara Bailey
Flint, Michigan

This game reminds me a little of the arcade game-Marble Madness-from the '80s. If you're not old enough to remember that-it bears a little resemblance to Super Monkey Ball (without the irritating, screaming monkeys). It's fairly easy to control with the remote. As another reviewer mentioned, there's no concept of lives so it's easy to say-I'll try this stage one more time & lose track of how long ago that was. There is also the goal of collecting crystals-you must collect them to complete the course-it won't let you bypass that goal even if you complete the course. This is an addictive puzzle game-for under $10-it's a great value.

The point of this game is to navigate your marble through different maze like settings using the wii remote and the movement of your wrist. Along the way you have to collect a certain number of orange jewels in order to successfully complete each level. If you fail to collect all of them, when you reach the end you will be sent back to the beginning. There is also a green jewel hidden in each level that will unlock bonuses if you find it. Each level becomes more elaborate with more challenges.

This game is really fun to play, especially against someone. When playing by yourself it can get a little boring, although it's good practice for when you do play against someone else. Another advantage to playing by yourself is you can take the time to find the green jewels hidden in each level. When playing against an opponent you are both racing to collect all of the orange jewels and reach the end before the other player. The first player to reach the end wins (assuming they have all of the orange jewels).

There are a few downsides to this game. The first downside is that it is extremely addictive. Don't ever stat playing the game when you have somewhere you need to be. When you beat a level, you are so excited to see what the next level will hold you can't help but continue playing. The second downside is that it can make you want to hurl the controller at the TV. Some levels are tricky. It may take you a long time to figure out how to do something or how to get where you need to be. Other levels have impossible situations where you fall off every time. I can't remember which level it is (one of the last ones), but I can't get past a certain point and it drives me insane. I have wanted to break or throw the controller so many times.

The good thing about this game is there are different settings (or worlds) for you to play in. The worlds go like this....park, candyland, day town, toyland, and night town. Each world has a certain number of levels (usually 10). Once you pass all the levels you can move onto the next world.

Some people complain that the levels are too easy but I find each one challenging in its own way. Give this game a try; I'm sure you won't regret it.

Like a lot of others, I found this game very addicting. I also like that it's family friendly. My husband and I both enjoyed it as did our 2 older daughters. The 8 yr. old was able to get through a lot of levels, with patience and determination. The 6 year old enjoyed trying & improved a lot, but was frustrated by the levels with no walls. I think with more time, she would continue to improve, just like she has with other games, but we have to return it now.
The only downside is that I don't know how long it would continue to be fun. I made it through all the levels, with trophies, & I don't know that I would continue to replay the same ones over & over.

Good for adults and kids, Marble Mania is a challenging yet addictive little game.
The music is ridiculous, but that's a small complaint. There are really no buttons
to press, just balance the Wiimote. I really enjoy games like this and I think,
(once you get the hang of the subtle movements necessary) you will enjoy it, too.

I like it enough to have pre-ordered the next installment.