Marble Duel Review (Xbox Series S)

by Jim Smale · January 28, 2021

Magic duels are the way to solve any dispute in a kingdom conquered by a cruel witch. Every monster will challenge you, but magic will help you destroy the enemy. Master the destructive power of the spheres and become the most fearsome mage ever.

Pros:

Nice cartoon graphics.
580.5MB download size.
1000 Gamerscore.
Match 3 battle gameplay.
Two modes- story mode and player vs player.
Cutscenes played out via pictures.
Story narration.
Levels have a 3 star ranking based off performance.
Zuma inspired gameplay.
Opening tutorial section in story mode.
Game-string of colored orbs will go across the screen, players take turns firing colored balls into the string of orbs and match them up to score points.
Points do damage to the enemy and to you.
You win by depleting your enemies health bar.
Can replay levels.
Clever mix up of genres.
Combos can trigger with orbs disappearing as you clear them causing a chain combo.
Puzzle element to it.
World map level select.
Green balls will give health when cleared.
Fast loading times.
Blue balls will grant a shield.
You have a rather generous guideline for aiming shots.
Earn gems from playing and use these to upgrade your stats.
Stats you can upgrade are-life, attack, healing, and defense at first with two more to unlock.
Can reverse an upgrade and get your gems back whenever you want without cost.
Bonus levels-it will be a ring that is rotating and you need to clear it before it hits the crystal.
Depending on how many red balls you clear in one go determines how much damage you do.
Purple balls-charge up your attacks even more.

Marble Duel Review (Xbox Series S)

Cons:

Generic soundtrack that is not that great.
No online play.
Few weak story acting parts.
No difficultly settings.
Feels luck-based most of the time.

Marble Duel Review (Xbox Series S)

7/10

Graphics - 7/10
6/10

Sound - 6/10
7/10

Accessibility - 7/10
7/10

Length - 7/10
7/10

Fun Factor - 7/10

6.8/10

Summary

I went in expecting a clone of the classic games Zuma and Luxar but it really isn’t. It uses the principles of matching colored balls to clear them but this time it’s in a one on one fight. You take turns to clear balls and depending on the ball cleared depends on the result. Results can be health, attack, charge up your next attack or shields. It really is a clever game as it is like a puzzle battler because you need to plan every ball drop as you don’t want to set up your opponent. Earn coins from games and use them to level up the effectiveness of abilities like health, shields, and health base stats. The game will introduce the various attacks over time so you can familiarise yourself with them before moving on. Little changes gameplay-wise, the only exception being bonus mini-games but they are self-contained. Whilst it might not come across as a game worth your time visually, it is a very solid and fun game. I swear the game relies on luck more than skill and it does a cheeky thing of making opponents better by giving them better balls (oo-er) than you. Aside from any niggles I do really enjoy and will continue to enjoy Marble Duel.