Hyper Marbles

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Hyper Marbles

Developer: Sega R&D 9

Genre: Action

Number of players: 1-2

Release	Date	RRP	Code
JP ▼ (Game Toshokan)	1991-03-27^[1]	SUBsub

Hyper Marbles (ハイパー・マーブルズ) is an action game for the Sega Mega Drive, released exclusively in Japan via the Sega Game Toshokan service.

Gameplay

In Hyper Marbles, the player controls a futuristic robotic "marble" and tries to ram enemy marbles into the electrified barriers that form the perimeter of the arena. Enemy marbles try to do the same to the player's marble. Arenas are a single screen with no scrolling.

There is a single-player mode with twenty rounds where the player has a limited number of lives and must destroy all of the enemy marbles. Rounds progressively introduce new enemies with different sizes and behaviors and various hazards such as bumpers, oil slicks, and moving barriers. The player gets an extra life every 3,000 points earned. There is also a two-player mode with ten rounds where the players try to eliminate each other. Enemy marbles are still present in two-player matches, and players take turns picking the next stage until every round has been played, with the winner being whichever player wins the most rounds. Matches are timed; if time runs out, the player loses a life in the one-player game or the players draw in a two-player game.

The marble can be moved in any direction using the D-Pad. Marbles bounce off each other and off walls upon collision. The marble can activate its "turbo boost" with , , or while moving, which propels it in the direction that it is facing. Tapping the button boosts a short distance, but holding the button continues boosting. While boosting, the marble has increased movement speed and knocks enemy marbles farther back when they are hit. Larger marbles require more force to displace and can survive longer in the electric barriers before being destroyed. Boosting is limited by a meter that fills as it is used but drains when it is not used.