Forum > Gaming Discussion > Max and the Magic Marker - Watch the video!
Max and the Magic Marker - Watch the video!
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Thu, 21 May 2009 14:44:23
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Further proof that WiiWare is really becoming THE source to get some of the most amazing and bizarre games around.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pIaHsE5iwM

This game looks to be a traditional 2-d platformer with a health dose of charming weirdness (particularly the music).  The big gimmick of the game is that as you control your player (Max) around the level there will be obstacles in his way.  Fortunately by using the Magic Marker (aka the Wiimote) you can create bridges, hooks, platforms, and many other things to help him get by.  I suppose it's a little like a cross between Drawn to Life and Lost Winds.

There's something about that video though that makes it seem like more than just either of those games.  Maybe it's the music or just the odd level design, but it has a strong World of Goo vibe to it.

You can read more of the details here at NintendoLife.

Edited: Thu, 21 May 2009 14:47:15
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Thu, 21 May 2009 18:29:00
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That looks really cool. Somehow reminds me of a french game. I love being able to break the 4th wall and interact as a helper with the pen. 

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Thu, 21 May 2009 18:38:57
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gamingeek said:
That looks really cool. Somehow reminds me of a french game. I love being able to break the 4th wall and interact as a helper with the pen.

or belgian ... that's not Max, that's Tintin! WinkWink

i love it.  and for some strange reason in reminded me of Gumshoe and how i wish they would release that on the VC with IR controls

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Thu, 21 May 2009 18:54:25
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bugsonglass said:

gamingeek said:
That looks really cool. Somehow reminds me of a french game. I love being able to break the 4th wall and interact as a helper with the pen.

or belgian ... that's not Max, that's Tintin! WinkWink

 Belgium in not a country. It's a big vague border between the Netherlands and France. 

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Fri, 22 May 2009 02:34:58
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I'm always concerned with these kinds of games how far the developer can actually push the idea and not get very repetitive.  At any rate, I'm pretty much sold on this one Grinning

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Fri, 22 May 2009 02:55:28
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As long as that isn't the whole soudntrack, it looks awesome! 

Love flash games like that, so I assume this should be even better. Nyaa

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Fri, 22 May 2009 02:59:14
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Foolz said:

As long as that isn't the whole soudntrack, it looks awesome!

Love flash games like that, so I assume this should be even better. Nyaa

How can you not love that music?  That was Balkin hip-hop man.

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Fri, 22 May 2009 08:38:49
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No. No. No. Sorry. Nope. No game with Magic Marker in the title.

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Fri, 22 May 2009 10:03:23
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robio said:

Foolz said:

As long as that isn't the whole soudntrack, it looks awesome!

Love flash games like that, so I assume this should be even better. Nyaa

How can you not love that music?  That was Balkin hip-hop man.

 At first I thought "this is awesome" then it got way, way too repetative. Reminded me a tad of Ska, actually.

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Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:13:41
wiisplash1

01 02

03 04

05 06

Click to enlarge!

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Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:03:26
Is he jumping across large chunks of tasty chees?

GOTY.

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Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:22:20

Foolz said:
Is he jumping across large chunks of tasty chees?

GOTY.

Looks more like Cheez-Its

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Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:39:48
and it looks like his marker actually emits a spray of cheetoe dust.  Totally GOTY.   At least downloadable GOTY.
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Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:21:23

http://www.nintendo-okie.com/2009/09/max-and-magic-marker-hands-on.html

I recently had a chance to sit down with Max and the Magic Marker and get some hands on time with the game. I played through a version of the game that featured five levels that highlighting some of the action early on in the game.

The first thing that I saw when I booted up the game was the overall colorfulness of the presentation and the theme song that would be stuck in my head, even now a few days after playing it. The world is presented through the imagination of the main character Max, and his drawings. Because of that you get a feel very quickly that you might be in for a very interesting journey through the imagination of a child. Each level begins with a very quick drawing of the level in magic marker before being presented with the very beautiful rendering of Max’s world.

The basic premise of the game is that Max’s drawings come to life and one drawing in particular, that of a purple egg plant type monster with a vacuum cleaner is causing havoc. It’s up to Max to use his orange magic marker to traverse the different levels of the game and stop his nemesis. The magic marker can be used to create platforms to reach high places, or draw bridges to get across large gaps. You also have to use this magic marker to create objects that will remove the enemy gobos from the world. If you feel like you are getting rushed you can pause the action draw the object you want and then resume play. This gives you the chance to think things out a little bit without being in danger of dieing.

The platforming in the game is very solid and I found it very easy to get from one place to another. The jumps all feel very natural. There wasn’t much Mega Man level difficulty, at least not in the playthrough I had. If there are gaps that are too high to reach simply draw a set of stairs, or make a see saw that can be used to fling Max high in the air. There was no limit to the creativity I could have other than the amount of ink in the marker. Each level started me out with little to no ink, but there were orange orbs scattered throughout the level that could be used to refill Max’s ink supply. Each drawing would use a small amount of ink, but could be erased and used to refill the marker once that obstacle was passed. The more ink that was used the heaver the object would be. There were some puzzles that took this into account and if it was solved I was awarded a black orb. The black orbs, I’m told are scattered in various places throughout the levels and if you find them all they will unlock a secret. Some of them are out in the open, but some will be achieved by solving different puzzles in the game. Along with the black secret orbs, and the orange ink orbs there are gold orbs that can be collected that I can only imagine are used to unlock even more things, though I don’t know for sure yet what they do.

The fun came not so much in the platforming itself, but finding different ways to solve the various puzzles in the game. The ink drawings can all be interacted with, both by Max and the gobos. There were times I found I would create an obstacle to keep a gobo from getting to me and they would shove the drawing back at me. I spent a lot of time with the game just trying to find different ways to dispatch the baddies. Some of the different things I tried were drawing a box around them and then pushing the box into a lake or creating a platform above them and when they pushed one of the supports out of the way the platform would fall of them and squash them. I imagine there is no limit to the different ways that can be created to eliminate them, other than your imagination.

Another thing the developer says they’ve witnessed is that bystanders can’t help but get involved as well. They’ve seen numerous times where someone watching would offer a suggestion on how to defeat an enemy or reach a platform. They also have seen that the game could be good for what has been referred to as “father-daughter” mode where one player controls Max and the other player handles the drawing.

Max and the Magic Marker is another in what is shaping up to be a long line of player created interactive games, but it could be the most memorable one that comes out this year. The bright visuals, insanely catchy music done by Analogik and simply engaging creative aspects of the game are coming together for a very unique experience that everyone will be able to enjoy later this year. Take notice, people, Press Play, is looking to make a splash with their first WiiWare title

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Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:16:16

gamingeek said:

Click to enlarge!

I clicked, and my penis is still the same size! Thanks for your false advertising, asshole.

Love the game. <3<3<3

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Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:33:50

SteelAttack said:

gamingeek said:

Click to enlarge!

I clicked, and my penis is still the same size! Thanks for your false advertising, asshole.

Love the game. <3<3<3

 He meant lick. WinkWink

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Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:56:45
Max & The Magic Marker (Wii) Gamecentral review

Games can be predictably selective about how you interact with them.

Controlling a given character like a virtual marionette is the obvious and sensible way for the majority of games, but there are alternatives.

This takes a very obvious leaf from Drawn To Life and Scribblenauts' book, as you draw on and deface the fourth wall in your attempt to save the day.

As the title suggests you play Max, a child who is unexpectedly delivered a magic pen. At first he doesn't realise it's magic though, not until after he's drawn a monster and it comes alive.

It's just a good job he wasn't a few years older and didn't end up drawing the same thing as most players are likely to create in their first doodle.

Thankfully the game attempts to provide much more wholesome fun than that.

Despite all the magic marker business this is still a 2D platformer at heart and you control Max in the usual manner using the nunchuk's analogue stick.

The Wii remote stands in for the pen and allows you to scribble directly onto the screen whenever you want.

Impressively you can't just draw a simple line and expect it to work as platform, because it'll just fall to the floor unsupported.

Coloured-in objects prove sturdier than mere outlines and there's an obvious influence from World Of Goo as you try to construct structurally sound platforms with which to get around.

You can't draw a real world object and have it come alive, as instead the puzzles involve much simpler shapes.

But creating seesaws or pulley weights is all still highly engrossing with most puzzles having multiple solutions.

To account for the remote's less than precise accuracy (you do feel the game would work better on the DS) you can pause the game at any time and still keep on drawing.

This comes in particularly handy for roaming bad guys upon on whose heads you must drop heavy objects.

Although generally enemies prove less trouble than the frustratingly limited ink supply of your pen.

The central idea here is an excellent one and far more manageable than Scribblenauts' kitchen sink approach.

There are rather more graphical glitches and collosion detection problems than would be ideal though and various puzzles and concepts do get overused before the end of the game.

But even as a download it's still one of the few games to make any real use of the Wii's unusual controls.

IN SHORT: A clever mix of World Of Goo and Drawn To Life that makes good use of the Wii and your own imagination.

PROS: A great concept, well realised, with some clever puzzles and plenty of opportunities for experimentation.

CONS: It's not the game's fault but the remote is not very precise. Some glitches and repeated puzzles.

SCORE: 8/10 Out: Now (Online)

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