This article has a talk page!This is a sub-page of Prerelease:Marble Blast Gold (Windows, Mac OS, Xbox).
By August 2002, the game was renamed to Marble Blast. The game is completely different than Marble Reaction at this state, and looks similar to the final game. However, there are significant differences. All screenshots were sourced from this page on GarageGames' site and this Eurogamer article.
Early Screenshots#
By the time the game was known as Marble Blast, most of the ideas from Marble Reaction like terrain and checkpoints had been removed. The game is starting to take shape, with a new skybox, marble and art design. However, there are a few significant differences. The screenshot seen to the right seems to be an early version of the level Upward Spiral.
The skybox is similar to the final game, but it does not have the dirt, lake and barn seen in the final skybox. The marble seems to use the unused "blah" texture (which is in the final game), likely as a placeholder. Finally, the textures are completely different. In the final game, the yellow tiles have purple lines and a lighter yellow spiral in the middle while this iteration has yellow lines and no spiral. The white trim is also different compared to the final.
Another screenshot of the level Tube Treasure (first screenshot below) also exists. The Super Jump has a vastly different look compared to the final, and the gem icon on the HUD does not resemble any gem seen in the final game. Oddly, there is a sign reading "Danger: Do Not Enter!" that seems to have been edited in, since it is on top of the timer. Promotional image possibly?
Eurogamer Screenshots#
The article that these screenshots were taken from is dated December 16, 2002. Even though this was three days after the game's release, it is still an earlier build. The marble texture is now finalized, but the green HUD textures remain. The levels seem to be finished, and the gem icon looks similar to the final game.