Marble: roll it home

A chrome marble, glowing courses high above a neon city, and a ring of light at the end of each one. Marble is the first 3D game on Zamborin: forty levels across five districts of the city, each course longer and harder than the one before. From level 2 a puzzle square stands before every finish, and its way out stays shut until you work it out.

How to play

Put a finger anywhere on the course and drag. The marble rolls the way you drag, and the further you drag, the harder it rolls.

Steer: drag on a phone, or drag with the mouse or use the arrow keys on a computer.
Save your place: roll through a blue ring and it turns green. That is where you start again.
Fall off: the marble flies back to the last green ring, and the fall is counted.
Finish: roll through the orange ring at the end of the course.
Puzzle squares: from level 2 the finish stands past a walled square whose way out is shut. As you roll up to it the camera rises to show the whole square: look before you move. Stuck? Roll over the reset pad beside the road in, and the square goes back as it was.
Keys: roll over a key to take it. You carry one at a time, so taking another leaves the one you held in its place. A gate opens for the key of its colour and shape, and keeps it, so count your keys before you open a gate.
Switches: a switch flips every gate with its letter, shut to open and open to shut, so it can shut the way you came. Roll over it again to flip them back.
Crates and plates: a plate holds its gates open while something heavy is on it. Roll into a crate to push it one cell. A crate can't be pulled and never goes through a gate.
Turning bridges: a lever turns every bridge with its letter a quarter turn clockwise. A bridge is open only where its lit road meets the side; railings close the rest.
Charge: a bolt pad charges the marble and a ground pad empties it. Lightning gates let only a charged marble through, and floors marked with plus signs push a charged marble away, the way like charges do.
Light: a lamp shines a beam across the square, over the walls. Roll under a mirror to turn it. A gate of light is open only while the beam reaches the crystal.
Stars: each level has a star time, shown beside the star at the bottom of the screen. Finish under it to win the level's star.
Obstacles: neon bollards, road-works barriers and cargo crates stand in rows across some roads, with one gap in each row. They're solid: steer through the gaps. A hard knock near the edge can throw the marble off the road.
Traffic: flying cars cross some roads. Wait at the line for the green light, then roll across. A car knocks the marble off the road.
Power switches: a dark road cannot be crossed. A line of lamps leads from it down a side road to a switch. Roll over the switch and the road lights up.
Moving pads: pads with a blue grid carry you across gaps. Wait for one to stop at your end, roll on, and roll off when it stops at the other.
Wormholes: a swirling ring of light on the road takes the marble to the crystal canyon, a valley of glowing yellow and red crystals at night. Its green crystal road is slippery, so the marble slides: brake early. In the canyon, crystals grow up out of the road, fire jets flare in a rhythm, fireballs roll across, and crystal bridges crack under you and fall away, so never stop on them. A wormhole at the canyon's far end brings you back to the city, on the far side of a gap nothing else can cross.
Forks: where the road splits, the narrow way is quicker and the wide way is safer. Both lead on.
Loop-de-loops: roll over the yellow arrows before a loop, and it carries the marble all the way round. Too slow, and the marble rolls back to try again.
Maglev strips: cyan arrows on the road pull the marble toward the edge they point to. Steer the other way to stay on.
The sky train: it stops at stations. Roll onto the deck on its roof, hold on as it pulls away (the marble rolls back as it speeds up), and roll off at the next station.
Hologram bridges: see-through bridges switch off and on. Cross while they are lit. They flicker just before they go dark.
Speed strips and jump pads: yellow arrows speed the marble up, and yellow rings throw it into the air, over the gap ahead.
Colour locks: a lime or violet wall lets through only a marble of its own colour. The road forks first into a lime lane and a violet lane, and each colours the marble that rolls through it. Look at the wall, then pick the lane.
Roundabouts: a ring road turns round a glowing island and carries the marble round with it. Roads leave it on three sides, and only one leads on; the others stop short at a red bar. Roll off onto the one that leads on.
Wind between the towers: gusts blow out of the gap between two towers and push the marble across the road, even in the air. Streaks of light and a rising whoosh come just before each gust.
Scanner lasers: a red scanner bar sweeps across the road, and touching it sends the marble back to the last ring. Roll down one side just after the bar has left it. Where two bars sweep, go down the middle just after they cross.
Glass tubes: roll into the mouth of a clear tube, and it carries the marble up, round a coil high over the city, and down onto the road ahead. Nothing to steer: enjoy the ride.

Your level is saved, so you always pick up where you left off.

Tips

Short drags steer gently. Save the long drags for the straights.
A moving pad waits at each end of its run. Roll on while it waits, and stay in the middle while it moves.
Wait at the edge of a dark bridge. The moment it lights, go, and keep going.
After a speed strip, ease off before the next turn.
On the train, move to the middle of the deck before it leaves.
In the crystal canyon, let go well before a turn. The marble keeps sliding.
Took the wrong lane at a colour lock? Go back up the other one: it changes your colour.
On a maglev strip, start steering against the arrows as you roll on, not after the marble has moved.
Wind comes in gusts. Wait for one to pass, then cross, or lean into the streaks as they come.
On a roundabout, aim for the road out and start rolling toward it a little before it comes round.
At a scanner, wait at the red line and watch the bar go by once before you roll.
Among obstacles, line up with each gap before you reach it and roll through it straight.
At a puzzle square, stop at the door and look before you roll: what does each gate need, and where is it?
Every pad works each time you roll onto it: a switch flips again, a mirror turns again.
Wedged a crate in a corner? The reset pad by the road in puts every crate back.
Chasing a star? Take the narrow way at forks, and keep your speed on the straights.

Frequently asked questions

Is Marble free? Yes, completely free to play, with no account or download, in any modern browser on phone, tablet or desktop.

Does it work on mobile? Yes. Marble is built for touch first.

How many levels are there? Forty, in five districts of the city. Downtown has turns, narrow paths, ramps, neon bollards, road barriers, traffic crossings, power switches and forks in the road. Transit adds cargo crates, pads that move, wormholes to the crystal canyon, the sky train and maglev strips. The Holograms district adds bridges that switch off and on, roundabouts, colour locks and wind between the towers. Boost adds speed strips, jump pads, loop-de-loops, glass tubes and scanner lasers. The Express puts all of them together on the longest courses. From level 2 every course ends in a puzzle square: keys from level 2, switches from 9, crates from 14, turning bridges from 18, charge from 24 and light from 30, and the last levels mix them. Every level also has a star time: finish under it for the level's star.

Stuck in a square? Read the Marble strategy guide

Prefer something slower? Try Bloom or Kaleido, or browse all Zamborin games.