Marble Saga Kororinpa

by Konami

Product Features

• The Sequel to the popular puzzle adventure game, KORORINPA: MARBLE MANIA
• More than 150 all new levels in 7 different areas of the world
• With 3 different difficulty levels, no stage is the same
• Designed for the Wii: Balance board support, Miis, Wi-Fi, and intuitive controls
• Play with three other people on the same map as you race to the finish line

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001KRPU4S
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches ; 8.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: March 17, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,246 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #20 in Video Games > Wii > Puzzle
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Anthony's quest for the Golden Sunflower! Set out upon an adventure with Anthony the Ant on his quest for the Golden Sunflower. Help guide Anthony¿s marble around the Ant World to gather essential items along the way in the ultimate goal to reach the Golden Sunflower and save his colony. Face treacherous mazes, use awesome gadgets and balance the world (literally) with fun and intuitive controls only available on Wii. Customization: 1. Design your ball: Use upgrades to help you navigate through stages, place your Mii inside of the marble and watch him or her roll, or select preset fun avatars including rolling UFOs complete with shrieking Aliens in them. 2. Can¿t get enough of the game? Edit Mode allows you to design your own unique stage. Design it any way you would like and play it over and over. Wi-Fi: 1. Wii Connect 24: After you are done creating and playing your own stages, share them with your friends through Wii Connect 24. 2. The Story Lives On: Receive extra stages from Hudson after launch via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. 3. Wi-Fi Leaderboards: Compete online against other players over who can navigate throughout the world the fastest. Wii Balance Board: Be the Ball using the Balance Board. Widgets and More Widgets: 40 different widgets to help guide your marble including magnets, cannon vaults, shrinking machines, acceleration tubes, movable bridges, and much more. Four Person Multiplayer: Play with three other people on the same map as you race to the finish line.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenominal. Marble Saga is the type of game for which the Wii is truly intended., April 4, 2009

By 

rgoo242 (Florida) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Marble Saga Kororinpa (Video Game)

Marble Saga is a GREAT game. It's 2006 predecessor (Kororinpa:Marble Mania) was the best and most underrated game of the Wii's first year, along with RE4 & Zelda:Twilight Princess. This is the sort of game for which the Wii is truly intended: It's a game every man, woman, child, and grandparent can enjoy, and it makes great use of the Wii Remote and hardware.

Marble Saga is everything Kororinpa:Marble Mania was and more. Marble Saga is pick up and play, but challenging as well. The first Kororinpa had 45 levels, Marble Saga has 180 (150 Wii Remote, 30 Balance board. For those complaining about balance board support, this game's balance board support is 2/3 of the entire original game for $20 less than the $50 original).

Marble Saga is a modern re-imaging of old hand-held "labyrinth" marble games. However, instead of tilting a board to have a marble navigate a maze, the player tilts the Wii controller, leaning the game's entire 3-D environment in order to navigate various obstacle courses. For example, when you tilt the controller forward, the course tilts that direction, and what was previously a level surface becomes an incline that the ball rolls down until it either hits an obstacle or the controller is tilted a different direction. The balance board levels you use your body to complete the levels, similar to the mini game in Wii Fit, however these Balance Board levels here are long and well thought out. I would compare Marble Saga to Super Monkey Ball, but it really is the Super Monkey Ball killer. Once you play this, you could never go back. Farewell to the frantic race to get to the end, and welcome to the mind bending challenge and completely unique control that Marble Saga offers.

The most fulfilling puzzles involve quickly rotating the game board onto its side so that walls become floors. It's a simple game mechanic that makes incredibly full use of the Wii Remote and Balance boards unique control via motion. In fact, the controls are responsive and tight without ever becoming too frustratingly sensitive.

Also challenging you will be cannons, sliding panels, ice, sticky floors, tubes, piball bumpers, and more. Marble Saga boasts 180 levels, (30 Balance board levels, and 150 Wii Remote levels) and a handful of special courses. This is a lot compared to Kororinpa:Marble Mania which had a total of 45 (and then let you play mirrored versions of the 45). Each course will take the average gamer a minute or two in the earliest levels, and more than 10 to 15 minutes on the more advanced levels. The last 75 to 80 levels provide a significant challenge.

There are a number of unlockable levels and marbles. Early on, the slow marbles are the best choice for simply completing the courses, while the fast and heavy ones are more dangerous, but reward the skilled player with a better time. Some marbles are lightweight, quick, and darting; others are heavy, slow, and unwieldy.

The 4 player multiplayer provides longevity to the experience, though your competitors appear as ghost marbles only, maybe next time you will be able to bump them off the mazes.

Like the original Kororinpa:Marble Mania, Marble Saga remains one of the best uses of the Wii's unique controller I've experienced. It offers some very fun gameplay as only available on the Wii remote and Wii balance board. 5 out of 5 stars.

Buy this game now, the first game is VERY hard to find and often sells used for more than $50. There's a reason for this... this is the type of game the Wii was made for, get this one now before it become a rarity as well....

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great game!, March 17, 2009

By 

Nicole A. Jackson "Nicole" (Surprise,AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Marble Saga Kororinpa (Video Game)

I played marble mania and enjoyed the game. Looking for that game I discovered it is not available anymore and this marble saga was the sequal to marble mania. I found the game locally, got it home and played it and loved it... This was not super hard even for the wii player that is not a "gamer". There seems to be many levels of the game and it got harder has you went through. It says you can use the balance board as well. I haven't tried it yet. You can change the orientation of the wii mote to play the game in options (horizontally or vertically)...nice option. I would recommend this game to anyone at any level. I'm glad I got this game since I couldn't find marble mania at a reasonable used game price.

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good game UNLESS you want to use it with balance board., March 20, 2009

By 

e. - See all my reviews

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Marble Saga Kororinpa (Video Game)

This game was heavily advertised as a balance board game, (I've been reading reviews for months) but no where I ever saw stated "but you can only play CERTAIN levels with the Wii board." (until the reviewer right before me. should have checked Amazon right before I bought it.)

The graphics are nice, and the controls are very intuitive and fluid. If you enjoyed the first one you'll probably enjoy this one, just note that despite the fact that the set up for the balance board is there (shown in the fact that you CAN play a handful of levels with it), it is not really a balance board game. Why the company did not make it an option for all the levels when they already created the programing for a few levels, (and not the story line levels) I would really like to know.

For me, the fact that SOME levels can be played with a balance board but not all, really alters my opinion of the design of the game. It should be either none or all.