Marko's Magic Football

n/a

PAL NTSC-U Game Gear
Marko's Magic Football
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Game Gear, Sega Mega-CD
Publisher: Domark
Developer: The Cartoon Mavericks Interactive Studios
Distributor: Time Warner Interactive (US)
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Official in-game languages: English Deutsch Français Español
Release Date RRP Code US 1994-09 $59.9559.95 T-88086 EU 1994 T-88086-50 PT 1994 UK 1994-07 £44.9944.99 T-88086-50 SE (Rental) 199x AU 1994 $129.95129.95 FMAR04SMC BR 199x 046630 EU 1994 T-88025-50 UK 1994 T-88025-50 EU 1994 T-88078-50 UK 1994 £29.9929.99 T-88078-50
Non-Sega versions Super NES

Marko's Magic Football, known simply as Marko in North America, is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Domark for the Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD, and Sega Game Gear.

The Mega-CD and Game Gear versions were released exclusively in Europe (though a US release was at one point planned for December 1994). The Mega-CD port would later be unofficially brought to the US via Good Deal Games who started selling unlicensed reproductions sometime in the 2000s.

Story

The evil mastermind Colonel Brown, owner of Sterling Toys, has enlisted the aid of a mad scientist to create mutant sludge monsters out of innocent animals. He intends to use an army of these creatures to take over the town of North Sterlington.

The young boy Marko was playing with his football when he came across the Colonel's lackeys pouring sludge into the sewers. His football came in contact with the toxic sludge and absorbed magical properties from it. With this magical football, Marko can put a stop to the Colonel's sinister plans.

Gameplay

Mega Drive and Mega-CD versions

The game is a platformer played as Marko, a football player with a magical football. It is similar to Soccer Kid and Hurricanes, two other platformers released around the same time that also involve using a soccer ball. Marko can use his football in a variety of ways. The game has a mode where the player can practice Marko's moves in his "backyard," a training stage filled with harmless targets instead of enemies.

Marko moves with and and ducks with . He jumps with and jumps longer if the button is held for longer. In the Mega Drive version, Marko runs by holding while walking. He can jump much farther and higher from a running start. In the Mega-CD version, Marko starts running after walking a short distance. His acceleration physics affect his jump too, so his jump speed increases after clearing a certain distance (which has the effect of making him jump higher when he jumps farther).

Marko's football appears in front of him, and he dribbles it while he walks or runs. He breaks contact with it when he jumps, but he dribbles it again if he walks or runs next to it. He kicks the ball with and kicks it farther if the button is held for longer. He can kick while moving. Marko can affect the trajectory of the ball by holding to kick it, the pressing or . So Marko chips the ball in a high arc with HOLD , kicks it about head-level by holding , kicks it in a low arc by tapping , and rolls it along the ground with HOLD . Enemies are defeated by hitting them with the ball. Many enemies require more than one hit to defeat. The ball rolls and bounces off objects and surfaces realistically. Marko catches the ball when it bounces or rolls back to him and can kick it again right after. Whenever the ball is away from Marko, he can make it magically reappear in front of him with . Marko can also use his football to bounce higher by jumping and pressing when he lands on the ball, allowing him to reach higher platforms.

Marko can juggle the ball with his foot with HOLD in the Mega Drive version or in the Mega-CD version. While juggling, he can perform a bicycle kick with , which kicks the ball behind him at high speed, dealing more damage than a regular kick. Tapping kicks it high, while holding kicks it low. While Marko is juggling the ball with his foot, he can switch to juggling it on his head with HOLD again in the Mega Drive version or again in the Mega-CD version. If he jumps while head juggling, he knocks the ball upward, which is useful for taking out enemies above him. In the Mega-CD version, he can also headbutt the ball with (which can be angled with or ). Marko can switch back to juggling the ball with his foot with HOLD in the Mega Drive version or again in the Mega-CD version (and then the same buttons again to stop juggling and place the ball back in front of Marko).

Marko has a health bar with five segments. He loses a health segment if he takes damage from an enemy or a hazard such as fire. Touching an enemy harms him, and many enemies have projectile attacks as well. He loses a life if he loses all of his health. Hazards such as water or slime pits also cost a life if he falls into them. The game ends if the player runs out of lives. There is a password system for continuing.

Objects

	Boxing Glove
	Springs Marko high into the air if he jumps on it, usually to reach bonus items. Each glove can only be used one time.
	Sludge Can
	Harms Marko if he touches it. Some stages require destroying all of the Sludge Cans to complete.
	Tourist
	Takes Marko's picture when he comes close. If he loses a life, he is revived at the last Tourist he reached.
	Recycling Machine
	Found at the end of most stages. Touch to end the stage.

Items

In addition to these items, there are many hidden spots in stages that award 2,000 bonus points when Marko jumps in them.

	Cola Can
	Awards 100 bonus points. At the end of each stage, the player is awarded an additional 500 points per can collected. Some cans are found suspended from balloons. Touching or shooting down the balloon drops the can.
	Star
	Collect 100 stars to earn an extra life. Also awards 100 bonus points.
	Big Star
	Worth 8 stars. Also awards 10,000 bonus points.
	Heart
	Restores one segment of Marko's health bar.
	Trainers
	Makes a large, glowing football appear, which explodes after a moment, destroying any enemies and collecting any items on the screen. Trainers are collected by ducking over them with .
	Blue Trainers
	Replaces Marko's football with a machine gun for a duration. The machine gun shoots straight ahead with and straight upward + in the Mega Drive version or in the Mega-CD version. Marko can only fire the gun while standing, not while ducking or jumping. Trainers are collected by ducking over them with .
	Green Trainers
	Grants Marko temporary invincibility for as long as he is flashing. Trainers are collected by ducking over them with .
	Plasma Ball
	Gives the player an extra life.
	UFO
	Awards 10,000 bonus points.
	Giant Hamburger
	Awards 10,000 bonus points.

Stages

	Suburbia
	The Cellars
	Password: HAUNTING
	Suburbia
	Password: BSTOKE
	The Sewers
	Password: GUNGETNK
	The Sewers
	Password: ECTOPLSM
	The Sewers
	Password: JAWS
	Industrial Zone
	Password: GARAGE
	Suburbia
	Password: TRAFFIC
	The Forest
	Password: ELF
	The Circus
	Password: KRUSTY
	The Circus
	Password: BARREL
	The Forest
	Password: CRABTREE
	The Toy Factory
	Password: WINDUP

History

Development

Marko's Magic Football was the idea of Domark's Mark Strachan (the "Mark" in "Domark") where it was tentatively titled Mark's Football Game. Development was handled internally by Domark's development group, The Kremlin.

Much of the artwork was sketched out, then digitised on an Amiga 2000 running Deluxe Paint IV.

A Sega Master System version was reportedly in development at some stage too, although was cancelled.

In North America, the game was originally set to be called Marko and His Magic Soccer Ball before the name was shortened.

Comic adaptation

Sonic the Comic included "Marko's Magic Football" comics strips. The single story arc was ruunning from issue #41 to issue #46. It's one of the few comic strips in Sonic the Comic that is based off 3rd party game.

Versions

Localised names

Also known as

Language	Localised Name	English Translation
English	Marko's Magic Football	Marko's Magic Football
English (US)	Marko	Marko

Production credits

Mega Drive version

• Programming: Warren Mills, Michael A Carr
• Additional Programming: Chris West, Paul Margrave
• Game Engine: Warren Mills
• Animation: Jolyon Myers
• Backgrounds: Tony West
• Additional Backgrounds: Jolyon Myers, Matt Hicks
• Music Score: Jolyon Myers
• Sound Effects: Mike Ash, Jolyon Myers
• Music Conversion: Mike Ash
• Original Idea: Mark Strachan
• Game Design: Warren Mills, Michael A Carr, Jolyon Myers, Tony West, Jason Orbaum, Jaid Mindang
• Game Gear Team: Steve Pearce, Andy Taylor, Mike Adams, Jason Cunningham
• Utilities: Colin Carter, Paul Margrave, Warren Mills
• Marko Character Design: Tony West
• Character Designs: Jolyon Myers, Jaid Mindang
• QA Supervisors: Ken Jordan, Simon Huggins
• Quality Testers: Gary Patino, Tim Mawson, Steven Frazer
• Producers: Warren Mills, Jolyon Myers, Darren Anderson, Gary Patino
• PR: Anna Macario
• PR Porter: Jolyon Myers
• Marketing and Advertising: Brynn Gilmore, John Hendrick, Anna Macario, Tammy Williamson
• Management: Russel Ferrier, Jim Tripp, Matthew Timms, Brynn Gilmore
• Special Friends: Stefan Myers, Kate Jones, Paul Walker, Martin Oliver, Andy Walker, Julie and Nina, Andrea Taylor, Mark Walker, Warren Ragg, John Fermor, Nemisses, Sharon Winship, Sue and Chriss Brooks, Sean Doyle, Terrie and Mathew Ayling, Justine Chany, Barry Fermor, Dink and Ann, Andrew Selfrigde Soggy, Simon Lindsel, Sue and Chris Brooks, Ed Gien, Mr Zoot
• Special Thanks to: George Benson, Paul Daniels

Source:

In-game credits

Mega-CD version

• Programming: Warren Mills, Michael A Carr
• Additional Programming: Chris West, Paul Margrave
• Game Engine: Warren Mills
• CD Conversion: Andrew Oliver, Kev Brady
• Animation: Jolyon Myers
• Backgrounds: Tony West
• Additional Backgrounds: Jolyon Myers, Matt Hicks
• Music Score: Jolyon Myers
• Sound Effects: Mike Ash, Jolyon Myers
• Music Conversion: Mike Ash
• Original Idea: Mark Strachan
• Game Design: Warren Mills, Michael A Carr, Jolyon Myers, Tony West, Jason Orbaum, Jaid Mindang
• Game Gear Team: Steve Pearce, Andy Taylor, Mike Adams, Jason Cunningham
• Utilities: Colin Carter, Paul Margrave, Warren Mills
• Marko Character Design: Tony West
• Character Designs: Jolyon Myers, Jaid Mindang
• QA Supervisors: Ken Jordan, Simon Huggins
• Quality Testers: Gary Patino, Tim Mawson, Steven Frazer
• Producers: Warren Mills, Jolyon Myers, Darren Anderson, Gary Patino
• PR: Anna Macario
• PR Porter: Jolyon Myers
• Marketing and Advertising: Brynn Gilmore, John Hendrick, Anna Macario, Tammy Williamson
• Management: Russel Ferrier, Jim Tripp, Matthew Timms, Brynn Gilmore
• Special Friends: Stefan Myers, Kate Jones, Paul Walker, Martin Oliver, Andy Walker, Julie and Nina, Andrea Taylor, Mark Walker, Warren Ragg, John Fermor, Nemisses, Sharon Winship, Sue and Chriss Brooks, Sean Doyle, Terrie and Mathew Ayling, Justine Chany, Barry Fermor, Dink and Ann, Andrew Selfrigde Soggy, Simon Lindsel, Sue and Chris Brooks, Ed Gien, Mr Zoot
• Special Thanks to: George Benson, Paul Daniels

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Marko's Magic Football/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Mega Drive/Game Gear FR print advert

Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #62: "September 1994" (1994-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #65: "December 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

Print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #150: "May 1994" (1994-04-15)
also published in:

• Mean Machines Sega (UK) #20: "June 1994" (1994-04-30)

Print advert in Consoles + (FR) #42: "Avril 1995" (1995-0x-xx)

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 60 Alaab Alcomputtar (SA) 82 Aktueller Software Markt (DE) 67 Consoles + (FR) 86 Computer & Video Games (UK) 60 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU) 60 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 80 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 75 Gamers (DE) 47 Gamestar (AU) 82 Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL 85 Hyper (AU) 83 Joypad (FR) PAL 86 Mega (UK) PAL 85 Mega Force (FR) 92 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 80 MegaTech (UK) PAL 73 Megazin (SI) 74 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 64 Player One (FR) 83 Play Time (DE) 82 Power Up! (UK) 81 Sega Magazin (DE) 85 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 61 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 58 Sega Power (UK) PAL 82 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 82 Sega Zone (UK) PAL 56 Sega Force (SE) 83 Sega Mega Drive Review (RU) 74 Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL 79 Todo Sega (ES) PAL 74 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 82 Video Games (DE) PAL 79

	75
Based on 34 reviews

Marko's Magic Football

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, PT

Mega Drive, SE rental (SF)
Cover

Mega Drive, AU
Cover
Manual

Mega Drive, AU (Silver)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, BR
Cover

Game Gear version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score Mega Fun (DE) PAL 59 Play Time (DE) 55 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 70 Todo Sega (ES) 71 Top Consoles (FR) 50

	61
Based on 5 reviews

Marko's Magic Football

Game Gear, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega-CD version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score GamePro (US) NTSC-U 73 Mega Force (FR) PAL 75 Player One (FR) 77

	75
Based on 3 reviews

Marko's Magic Football

Mega-CD, EU
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual

Technical information

Main article: Marko's Magic Football/Technical information.