Sparkle
4.2
5
21
21
I really enjoyed this game
This game is everything a marble popping addict could want, on the base level. If you get all the way back to the Dark Vortex and clear that, you have won the game... and that will likely take you a few tries (it took me 2 tries of complete playthroughs and I'm no rookie at these).
From there is where completionists will have trouble... after you win, you can play at the "expert" and "master" levels, and that's where it gets ridiculously difficult to the point of ego destruction.
All in all, this is my favorite marble popper with a lot of replay value at the base level, and I keep going back to it again and again. One of my better purchases.
December 15, 2011
Classic marble popper with fun twists and a lot of challenge
Pros: simple but beautiful graphics, Easter eggs, multiple game modes, two player mode available
Cons: very challenging, boring soundtrack
Welcome to Sparkle, a classic marble popper in which you are trying to clear the darkness threatening to take over Crowberry Woods. The gameplay is Luxor-style, the objective to clear a set number of marble chains so that a progress meter fills up completely and then clear the remaining marbles before they reach the hole in the ground and cause the darkness to engulf everything. However, your marble shooter sits somewhere in the middle of the board Zuma-style and spins in place instead of sliding sideways along the bottom.
The graphics are simple, but visually stunning--jewel toned marbles over elegant monochromatic tracks of varying colors, proving that a game doesn't need the fanciest interface to be easy on the eyes. Even the names of the individual boards are clever and suit the track's shape. However, I did not find the game music to be of similar quality. The soundtrack repeats over and over on about a minute loop and changes only if marbles are close to the hole.
The best thing about Sparkle is the Easter eggs (secrets) to find. Every screen in Sparkle, not just the game board screen, is interactive. Play around with them and see what happens, because there are 12 secrets to uncover by literally exploring everything the game has to offer. Finding the secrets rewards you with powerup amulets that will help you in your marble popping quest. Additional amulets become available as you complete certain game achievements. If you find the amulet of duality, two players will be able to play the game simultaneously with a second mouse plugged into a USB port.
There are three game modes to play in, and the challenge/survival modes will help hone your skills for the adventure mode (plus you'll want to see what secrets you can find). Adventure mode can be played in Normal, Expert, or Master. You read that correctly: There's no such thing as "easy" and the developers are serious about their difficulty levels. If you have played marble poppers before you should still be able to get a fair ways through the game in Normal, but don't be surprised if you have to work a little to finish it. Expert is completeable by good players, but they are most certainly not joking when they said "meet your demise-Master Difficulty!" I also had a hard time figuring out where the level progress meter was for quite a while until I realized that it's on the shooter itself, so check the progress of the little lights if you want to see how much you have left to go on a board. Enjoy, and try not to let the darkness get to you...it's actually fun sometimes to watch the display when you lose a life.
November 21, 2011
Luxor Players Rejoice!!!!
This game is AWESOME!!!! to say the least. very challenging colorful. I love the music(some will stay in your head & you'll find yourself humming them HA!). I got my husband hooked on it & he's not much of a game player. They'll be times when you'll get frustrated,but hang in there & use your amulets. When you see things pop up on the screen shoot at them they help you during gameplay. I love Bigfish because they have awesome games for MAC computers.
February 19, 2012
sparkle
i was surpised when i started playing the game. it took me a second around to get it right. i like when it change to the different levels. the game is interesting. thumbs up.
December 3, 2011
Best Marble Popper ever !
This is my best marble popper game ever which has excellent atmosphere. A little diffcult but worth challenging. Graphic and sound are great, and you'll dive into enchanging world and have fun.
November 11, 2011
great challenge
this is a fun game very challenging always looking forward to the next level.
was hard enough but fun
I recommend this game it is worth your money
November 22, 2011
insanely fun and addictive!
the game takes place in Crowberry Woods which has been blanketed with a mysterious blackness. your job is to prevent colourful orbs from moving along their track and being sucked into black holes. you have an "orb slinger" that shatters the orbs when you match the color of the orb you're slinging to those it lands next to. winning a level is rewarded with an amulet of power and extra life that help you along the way.
storyline: honestly, i have no idea how popping marbles has anything to do with anything, especially crowberry woods, but the game is such addictive fun that i don't much care.
graphics: quite simple, really, but the orbs move very smoothly and quickly with no stutters or pauses.
music: bold, loud, enthusiastic and fun, the music is the perfect fit for this game!
my interaction: one hour demo, but i knew within the first few minutes i was going to purchase it. even though i've got entirely too many video games already.
i have never played a marble popping game before but if all marble poppers are this much fun, i am certain i'll be playing more! this game is insanely and addictively fun to play! and it's totally silly! three thumbs up!
June 1, 2012
This is a really good 3 match
3 Matchers are a dime a dozen but not all of them are fun. This one was. The sounds are nice, the "magic" makes it fun to play and the sounds are enjoyable and nice to listen to. I recommend this one.
November 26, 2011
Love it!
If you're a fan of the marble popper genre, you really need take a look at this. There's a lot to like here - great graphics, good sound effects, and enough like Zuma that you'll be able to use some of those skills to play - but different enough to make it a good, strong challenge. At this point I have not finished this game - it can be quite tough! In Sparkle you win various amulets that you can "wear" to give you extra powers, depending on the amulet. I just noticed that this is available today (4/4/12) as a daily deal. What, are you kidding me? It's a no brainer! Don't just sit there, check it out!
April 4, 2012
Fast action, great graphics ... something truly DIFFERENT
I have played a lot (and I mean A LOT) of 'marble popper' games but this is absolutely one of the best. I have played it again and again (managed, finally, to beat even the highest "insane" level). Absolutely the best ....
April 4, 2012