Each week, we’re diving into Media Molecule’s Dreams and picking our favourite thing we come across, whether that’s a little cube demanding a hug, a song that’s a total bop, or an FPS that’s better than most new things on Steam.
If anyone was at all skeptical about Dreams, I think I’d immediately show them Marbelous: a brilliant little platformer that actually outstrips Media Molecule’s own dalliances in the genre within the game.
After not immediately being sold by it and its basic coin collecting premise, I was expecting to return to my Dream Surfing and find something else to play before too long. However, whether it was down to its Sonic nods, the satisfying feel of its platforming, or the completely surprising amount of depth on offer, Marbelous just kept on hooking me.
Here are a small handful of screens from my time with Marbelous; don’t let these compressed images lead you into thinking it isn’t a vibrant joy.
Gameplay in Marbelous consists of you jumping around as a blue ball (which must be an homage to Sonic, especially with the jumping noise and the first level’s aesthetic) with plenty of precision. The first level is fairly simple and not terribly engaging, that is until you get above the ground floor and discover a new skill that allows you to “glow” and open up a new path and then the next level.
From there, you wander into darkness and repeat a similar process, unlocking checkpoints the higher you go in the level. There’s even room for some smart platforming that sees you jumping on a moving platform and then over a spiked wall before landing safely on the platform on the other side of the wall. As someone who has never even attempted to make something in Dreams for fear of my creations appearing poor by comparison, this kind of ingenuity just back those fears up.
I didn’t play much more of Marbelous beyond the third level (Days Gone is eating up my time this weekend), but if you’re looking for the best Rare-alike that Dreams has to offer, Marbelous may be it.
Search Marbelous or for its creators below within Dreams to access this experience. Dreams is available now in Early Access for PS4.
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