Poly and the Marble Maze, a Windows 10 game of balance and patience

Poly and the Marble Maze is a sharp looking puzzle game that is available for Windows 10 Mobile and PC. The game tasks you with guiding a marble across tricky platform levels to gather gems and ultimately reach the exit flag. Platform levels require a bit of patience and a soft touch, or you'll find your marble falling to meet its fate.

The free gaming title can be a little frustrating, but in a challenging sense with plenty of gameplay twists to keep you on your toes. Poly and the Marble Maze is also available for Windows Phone 8.1, which includes low-memory devices.

Poly and the Marble Maze opens up with a colorful main menu that includes options to jump into gameplay, access the game's settings and upgrade to the premium version of the game that removes the ad support and gives your gem count a boost. Having a higher gem count gives you early access to all the gaming levels. The premium version is currently free and there is no indication how long this promotion will last.

Poly and the Marble Maze

Settings for Poly and the Marble Maze includes options to adjust the sound effects, to adjust the music levels and adjust the graphic quality.

Poly and the Marble Maze includes sixty gaming levels spread out across three worlds. The first few gaming levels are tutorial in nature, detailing key gaming features. Moving your marble drag and hold anywhere on the screen to move your marble in any direction. Lift your touch on the screen to hit the brakes and stop your marble. Tap the screen to make your marble jump. While jumping on the move, if you lift your movement finger the marble will stop and fall immediately.

If you are playing Poly and the Marble Maze from a non-touch device, the game supports keyboard and mouse controls. Directional arrows control your movement and the spacebar activates the jump feature. Using a mouse, left-click and move the mouse in the direction you want your marble to move and right-click to jump.

When I first picked up Poly and the Marble Maze, I expected the game to utilize the Windows Phone's accelerometer for movement, but not every Windows 10 device has that feature, so touch movement offers consistency with gameplay. The physics of movement makes the touch controls just as challenging. Your marble does not stop on a dime and you need to be careful not to let the marble's momentum carry you over the edge.

Poly and the Marble Maze

The goal of each level of play with Poly and the Marble Maze isn't terribly complicated. You begin at the starting point, work your way around the raised platform level collecting gems and eventually reaching the exit flag. You do not have to collect any gems to advance to the next gaming level, but you do have to collect a number of gems to unlock the next gaming world (a moot point if you pick up the premium version).

Poly and the Marble Maze

Gaming levels are a challenging mix of turns, jumps, ramps, moving sections of the platform and portals. It takes a delicate touch to move around the platform and avoid from falling off the edges. There is also the challenge of handling the multi-touch controls to time jumps just right. Even though there is a game clock present (never really impacts your score), Poly and the Marble Maze is a game of patience to avoid overshooting a turn or miss-time a jump and collect gems.

Poly and the Marble Maze is a free gaming title that is available for Windows 10 Mobile and PC, as well as Windows Phone 8.1.

Poly and the Marble Maze

Overall, Poly and the Marble Maze is an entertaining and challenging Windows 10 gaming title. The platform levels have plenty of twists, turns and surprises to navigate across. Graphics are colorful with plenty of eye-appeal. My only nit with Poly and the Marble Maze is that every now and then tapping the screen to have your marble jump didn't always register. More times than not this would send your marble off the platform and to its fate.

Otherwise, Poly and the Marble Maze is a fun title to have in your gaming library.

Download Poly and the Marble Maze for Windows 10 Mobile and PC

QR: Poly and the Marble Maze

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George Ponder

George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.