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Soooooooo....
Honestly wasn't really planning to be in this situation, and certainly not before a 1.0 release of the game, but here we are...
The keen-eyed amongst you may have noticed that there hasn't been an update for a few months, and that's because I have been very hard(ish) at work on a shiny new level editor for Lost Marbles! I will go into much of the details here; what's available, and what's still to come, so buckle in and let me take you through it... :)
First off, I have to give a massive shout out to one of my favourite game series of all time, the Trials games (Big up Trials Fusion). The editor that I have created for Lost Marbles is heavily inspired by the editor in those game, and if I'm honest, my time editing on Trials is almost 100% responsible for my ability to pick up Unreal Engine and start working on this game.
The second thing to note is that the editor is very much a work in progress... I will cover a list of things that are currently unavailable but that will be coming in this post, but for now, just know that this is very much just the start.
Lets Begin...
So the editor update is split into two main segments:
The editor - This is where you create your levels. Spawn objects, modify parameters, and create paths of logic to bring your level to life.
The level database - This serves as a place to upload your own creations, or download levels made by other member of the community. Think of this like the Steam Workshop, except its all done from within the game, and allows for the potential of cross-platform sharing, should I decide to go down that route some day.
From the main menu, you can access the Workshop, and here you will find access to the editor, plus a list of curated search options for the other users levels uploaded to the database.
So what exactly is available now?
Well, the bulk of the work on the editor side of things is done, with mostly just clean-up left. This is what you will have access to in todays update, so expect a be able to create and test your own creations. The selection of objects is still a little limited, but this will be expanding over the coming weeks.
What is still to come?
The ability to share and play other users levels is currently not available. The reasons for this is that I need to make sure that I am 100% happy with everything in the editor (most specifically the data structure of the level saves) before I allow map sharing. This should prevent unplayable maps should anything major change during the final stages of the editor development.
Releasing this early 'beta' should help with this massively, as I'm hoping more eyes messing around in the editor will result in more bugs being found in a shorter space of time. The more I can iron out, the less likely anything is to become a problem down the line.
Some Caveats:
The editor is currently only playable with a controller - As a controller player, this is how I have been testing. Functionality for keyboard and mouse is definitely coming though, but for now, dust off an old controller and give it a try.
The editor isn't 100% finished, so whilst I definitely encourage people to dive into is and start building their first masterpiece, just be cautious that future updates may modify some objects that you have placed, and may need to be corrected by yourself. This may happen if any default properties are changed on any of the current objects etc.
The object selection is limited, but will be expanding over the coming weeks. Please if you have any suggestions for objects, drop them in the Lost Marbles Discord server.
Its been a little while now since out last update, and for good reason... I have been (somewhat) hard at work improving some core system in the game, as well as continuing the work of producing new levels for you guys to hopefully enjoy. :)
With that little intro out of the way, lets discuss each of the new updates!
The first update comes in for the Level Rush game mode. The concept has not changed, but the ability to re-order the playlist has been added, as well as the ability to play the levels in a random order. I hope this will add a little more strategy to scoring on the mode, especially on the playlists with a larger number of levels. The playlist order can be set from the Level Rush playlist select screen.
Also relating to Level Rush, the "Learning the Ropes" playlist is now playable, and an additional playlist, "Micro Classics", has been added to the bonus playlists.
Its been something I have wanted to do for a while now, and it has now finally been done... The introduction of the level shop cleans up a number of stray bonus levels that were previously found at the bottom of the Time Trial level list. This bonus section has now been retired, and all future "bonus" levels will now either be placed directly into the shop, or as unlockable remix levels.
The currency has been active in game now for well over a year, and now you guys finally have a place to spend it. The levels you purchase will be found in the Remix section, which is now essentially acting as an "all bonus levels" section. These levels will contribute towards the global remix score, so get to buyin'!
The initial line up consists of mostly old bonus levels as mentioned, but I will be adding some smaller levels to this list as time goes on. Below is a list of the current levels available to buy, and the price of each:
Level
Price
One Small Roll
2,000
Risk Analysis
3,000
Smol Hitbox
3,000
Spires
3,000
Gettin' Rinky
4,500
Danger Ahead
4,500
Splitting The Atom
5,000
Climbing Frame
6,500
Edgy
9,000
Xedron's Tower
10,500
Salah's Nightmare
14,500
The prices are a work in progress, and I'm experimenting with an algorithm to suggest pricing based on a number of level factors. I do want to stress that I respect the time you put into the game, and so if I ever reduce the price of a level, I will be refunding currency for the levels in question, meaning you can buy with confidence knowing that if I ever switch up the pricing, you will be reimbursed.
The level shop can be found in the games "Extras" section from the main menu.
Originally intended as a way to potentially uncap the FPS, I completely rewrote the replay system in C++ (it was originally done entirely in UE blueprints). Unfortunately, after testing the uncapped fps, I was getting very inconsistent physics results, and so I have made the decision to stick with the 60fps cap going forward. I know this isn't the ideal outcome, but it is what it is...
Now some people may say I was stupid for rewriting the entire replay system before testing the uncapped FPS, and honestly, they may be correct, but ultimately, the game now has a far more efficient system, meaning lower-end systems should have less trouble running the game.
Ultimately, this update really wont be visible to you guys as the end user, assuming I didn't mess anything up, but its definitely still a note-worthy update to include in this post.
There's a few new levels this time around for you guys to check out. We have 3 new time trial levels,
Taking Flight (3)
Time Attack
A fairly easy level revolving around use of the Feather Fall powerup. Hop from island to island, collecting each gem along the way.
A Razors Edge (10)
Time Attack
A fairly straight forward linear Expert level, so long as you can keep your balance on the long thin stretches. The beams were initially thinner, but I decided to show a little merch. Perhaps il release the original version as a Remix in the next update... >:)
Circuit Breaker (11)
Time Attack
Smol Hitbox (2)
Time Attack, Remix
Get the perfect catch on the gem and then rush to the finish line... :)
Smol Hitbox V2 (4)
Time Attack, Remix
Same as above, except slightly more annoying due to the additiona of ice... >:)
No Fly Zone (2)
Time Attack, Remix
Micro Classics (5)
Level Rush
As well as the new levels, due to the shop update, some of the levels that I didn't want to add to the shop are being temporarily stored in the vaulted levels section, to avoid having to keep a small number of levels in "bonus". If you don't have vaulted levels enabled in the settings, you can do this to find them. Additionally, a number of other levels have has changes to either their difficulty, or location.
As with all recent updates, this one brings a bunch of new achievements relating to the changes or additions made. The following are now available in game:
Icon
Name
Description
Road Trip
Complete any Level Rush playlist after setting a custom order
Non-Refundable
Purchase your first item from the shop
Big Spender
Spend a total of 50,000 Marbucks (The in-game currency)
Destination Unknown
Complete any Level Rush playlist with the order set to random
No Balls
Complete the expert playlist "A Rush of Blood" with the Invisiball skin equipped
*Note: This achievement is currently unavailable to unlock
Ballin'
Earn a lifetime total of 100,000 Marbucks (The in-game currency)
Hey everyone,
I just wanted to let everyone know that on Sunday 1st February, the Lost Marbles servers will being undergoing some essential maintenance which will affect some services on the game, including posting scores to the leaderboards / viewing leaderboards.
The game will remain mostly operational, but if you are someone who cares about online scores etc, then if you have trouble connecting, it may be worth waiting until the servers are back up.
There is no set time for the maintenance, and also no set length of time that it will take, though I will do my best to try to keep the down-time to a minimum.
That's all for this one, Thanks everyone! <3
Just like last year, I want to thank everyone who has supported Lost Marbles this past year; from all of the old timers, so any new players that picked up the game in 2025. It really does mean a lot that you guys have chosen to spend your time and hard earned money on my game!
So, last year I said that 2025 was the year that we would be leaving Steam Early Access, and well... clearly this wasn't the case... In fact, looking at the list of to-dos from last years post, it actually remains essentially the same... With that being said, I do genuinely believe this time, that 2026 will actually be the year we leave Early Access! Despite the to-do list staying basically the same, a lot of progress has been made on level creation, which is by far the biggest time spend on the list.
So lets do a little bit of a run-down on what still needs to be done.
The original plan for this was to release 60 Time Trial levels and 10 to 10 Gem Arenas. I think now though, its looking to be closer to 70 Time Trials, as I want to make sure each difficulty has roughly the same number of levels, and at the moment, the easy section is pretty full (and I still have ideas for new easier levels).
Pretty good progress was made towards new level in the latter half of 2025, with approximately 3-5 levels dropping each month. If I am able to keep up this pace, I should be able to complete the level set comfortably before the end of 2026.
As mentioned in last years post, I do still need to rework the code for this mode. Its not an essential change, as the mode is fully playable right now, but I do have some ideas that I would like to implement to make the mode a lot nicer to play.
It was briefly mentioned in last years post when the currently had been recently introduced, but I do still intend to create a shop within the game. This will be for in-game currency only, and wont include any extra paid content.
The implementation is fairly easy, but I'm struggling to decide if I want the shop to be completely offline, or tied to the servers. On one hand, the server-side store prevents cheating, and allows store changes immediately without the need to update the game. On the other, I'm kind of in favour of trying to keep as many things offline as possible, as server stability is never guaranteed, and with the store containing levels, It would be nice for these to be playable (and unlockable) offline
The first iteration of the store will likely contain only levels, but this will likely be extended to skins in the future (likely once out of early access). I have slowly been shifting bonus levels into the remix category, and once the in-game store is implemented many of the non-derivative levels will likely end up in the up-coming store.
The final essential content required to leave early access is the completion of various "info" pages, such as the "How to play" section and the game statistics. On top of this, various parts of the game need a little polish, such as sound and visual effects, and UI elements.
That pretty much sums it up for my requirements for leaving Early Access, and my goals for 2026. Thanks for reading, and an even bigger thanks for sticking with me! <3
Along side the message above, I will be dropping a small game update, mostly consisting of bug fixes and difficulty changes. The update does include one level though, from one of our Lost Marbles veterans, Booster, so more info on that below.
I wasn't planning a level with todays update, but with Booster showing some interest in designing levels, I wanted to take the time to try and include one here today. If anyone else is interested in submitting levels for the game, please don't hesitate to reach out to be on Discord! <3
Edgy
As mentioned, the layout for this level has been brought to you by community member "Booster", who was kind enough to take an interest in designing some levels for the game. This is the first of those levels, and I'm hopeful it wont be the last.
The level its self is short but fairly difficult, coming in at a 10 rating in the extreme category. It can currently be found in the bonus section of the standard time trials levels, though as mentioned in my 2026 plans, this will eventually find its way into the store upon its release.
There has been a number of difficulty changes made, as I have felt for a while some have been under/overrated, and with the final levels being made to the standard set of time trials, I need a more accurate representation of where the gaps lie in difficulty so I can create levels specifically to fill them. The changes made in this update are as follows:
Divided: 4 -> 3 (Intermediate -> Easy)
River of Ice: 3 -> 4 (Easy -> Intermediate)
Space Race: 3 -> 4 (Easy -> Intermediate)
Flow State: 5 -> 4 (Intermediate)
Constant Motion: 4 -> 5 (Intermediate)
Island Hopping: 5 -> 6 (Intermediate)
No Sine Of Life: 9 -> 10 (Hard -> Extreme)
Checkmate: 11 -> 10 (Extreme)
More changes will likely come in the very near future, and if you feel any levels are underrated or overrated, please do let me know, because this is something I have honestly really been struggling to hone in correctly.
Fixed various typos in text areas
Vaulted levels have been moved into "Remix" from "Time Trials"
"Hole in Two" has been renamed to "Risk Assessment" and is now part of the standard level set (Easy)
Vaulted levels now load correctly in Liveplay
Vaulted levels now contain remix modifier icons (any vaulted level with a legacy icon is not required for the two legacy achievements)
The update should be dropping some time today (Sunday 4th January), so keep your eyes peeled for that Steam update and go show some love to Boosters new level! Thanks for reading! <3
First off, its let me wish all of you a very merry Christmas, or a happy holidays to those of you who don't do Christmas! <3
The plan was to drop a bunch of new levels with this update, but if you read my previous update posting, you will know that I ended up dropping a bunch of levels early due to a game breaking bug that I rush patched. Because of that, you can consider this update part 2 of the Christmas level drop! :)
Additionally, the Christmas 2025 marble is available to unlock now, so simply open the game and it will automatically claim. This skin will be available until the new year, so you still have plenty of time to grab it.
This level drop brings you two new levels, a remade legacy level, and two new Remix levels.
Astral Ruins
Consider this level the "Gem collection" level of the intermediate section of the game. The level is split into segmented areas, and traversal between these areas can be done with the help of the conveniently placed bounce pads around the map. There are 10 gems in total to collect, so get to it!
Flow State
This level actually originates from a very old powerup tutorial map dating back to way before the game launched in 2022. Naturally tweaks have been made to bring this in line with the games design philosophy, but the general layout remains the same.
This also happens to be the first Time Trial map to use the "Mega Marble" powerup... Guess that means I have to make a few more levels that utilise it so that its not a weird outlier... :)
The Heist
Not to be confused with the original "The Heist" level, this is a brand new remake, with a few slight tweaks. For those of you still looking for that retro feel however, the original Heist level can now be found in the hidden level section (Must be enabled in settings to see hidden levels)
10 Second Rush
Another old level here, brought back by extreme popular demand (definitely not just 1 person asking for it). Technically this is a Gem Arena map, but there are no random (or fixed) seeds, and all gems spawn at once. The goal is to generate the highest score you can in the 10 seconds given...
This level can be unlocked by completing any level in less than 10 seconds.
Stuck In The Past
This remix level is based on the Time Trial "Back Through Time", but we ditch the rewind powerup for a more simple back and fourth path built on the lower portion of the original level. A simple premise, but how fast can you do it?
This level can be unlocked by finding the hidden gem on "Back Through Time", though finding it may be the easy part...
Along side these new levels, the following levels have now been moved from "Bonus" to "Remix", and have been given a set of appropriate unlock descriptions.
Path of Power - Can be unlocked by finding the gem on "Power Play"
Marble Skies - Can be unlocked by completing the Riddle on "Sky Run"
Who's Fault - Technically an old remix level, but can now be unlocked by earning a gold medal score on "Minueture" with the "Trippy" visual post process active (*)
*Note: There is currently a bug unlocking this which requires exactly a gold medal, and nothing higher or lower. This will be fixed in the next update.
In this update we have one new achievement and then two additional achievements that can now be unlocked.
Icon
Name
Description
Larger Than Life
I decided to add this achievement to showcase the large tile options, as some people prefer this visually, and with so many settings, its very easy to overlook. Simply beat 10 levels with this large tile setting enabled to snag this achievement.
On The Rebuild
An old achievement, but previously unobtainable due to there not being enough remix levels to unlock. This can now be obtained by permanently unlocking 25 Remix levels.
Ultimate Challenger
Similar to the above achievement, this achievement can also now be unlocked, and can be done so by achieving a platinum medal on 25 Remix levels.
I was getting pretty sick of looking at the achievement screen on previous versions of the game, So this page has been given a much nicer layout to see your game achievement progress. Improvements are still being made to this, so you may spot some slight changes throughout future updates.
Also, expect other outdated screens to get this similar treatment!
You can ow advance frames during a replay using Shift-Left and Shift-Right on your keyboard (when the replay is paused)
Fixed an issue with some character encoding on the server that was causing some usernames with special characters to break - You may still see some broken names, as the fix also requires users with such names to load the game again to update their name in the database.
An appropriate popup has been added when collecting marble shards to give some indication of what they actually are, as a lot of new players thought they were gems, which lead to confusion.
The rival button on the in-level leaderboards has been fixed and can now be used to load a new rival during gameplay - It will spawn the next time you do a non-checkpoint reset.
Going to be honest... I wasn't actually planning an update until sometime in December, but a pretty serious bug was discovered with score attack and level rush. Big shout out to "C_Simpson" for indirectly brining this to my attention by showing up on the leaderboard with 70 million xp and exposing the problem... :D Unfortunately I cant let you keep the xp, but I do appreciate it... ;)
The issue is now fixed, and because it was a bit of a rush job due to the seriousness of the bug, I decided to just leave all of the new stuff I had added so far in the game, and make a small update out out if.
So along side the fix, You are getting two new levels, plus a few additional levels are moving from the bonus section to the main time trial list. We also have two new seasonal skins to look forward to (Anniversary and Christmas), so lets get into it!
*Just as a side note, as this update was a little rushed out, some elements of the new content may be slightly unfinished, so bare with me on that one... :)
Not all levels listed below are NEW new, but I'll include them anyway, as all of these levels are now found in the main Time Trials level list.
Stepping Stones
This is the final "new" tutorial level for the game, and as the name suggests, is centred around various different platforms found through out the game.
The Scenic Route
The scenic route is an easy level designed to bridge the gap between the tutorial levels, and the starting "Easy" levels. The level is by all accounts VERY easy, so I guess if you enjoy a little more difficulty, try for that Lost medal ;)
Bouncy Castle
Not to be confused with the original "Bouncy Castle" legacy level. This is an extended version of the original legacy level, adding a little more to what was once a very short level. Because of this extension, the level can now be found in in the "Hard" section of the main Time Trial levels.
As a side note, the original level can now be found in the "Remix" levels, and can be unlocked by finding the hidden gem within the new level.
Ramping Up
Formally known as "Ramperino", Ramping up has had a little bit of a makeover, and can now be found in the "Easy" section of the main Time Trial levels.
High Jump
Similar to "Ramping Up", this level can now be found in the "Intermediate" levels in the main Time Trial list, moving from its original place as a bonus legacy level.
On the topic of levels, three levels have been hidden from the main Time Trial level list, and can now be accessed by enabling hidden levels in the gameplay settings menu. There's a number of reasons for this, depending on the level in question, but the bottom line is I do not feel they represent the game as I would like, and so hiding them from new players seems like the smart move. Naturally these can still be played once you enable the setting, and all leaderboards etc, are still operational...
A couple of new achievement are also available in this update, listed below.
Icon
Name
Description
Knowledge
With the addition of the final tutorial level, you can now unlock this achievement. Simply find and read all of the tutorial hints in the game... Or just find them, if reading ain't your thing...
Rock Hard
I figure there is now enough Hard levels in the game to allow this achievement to be unlocked, so if you have already completed all hard time attack levels, this should unlock on your next Time Trial completion, and if not, well... Get to work! >:)
Psychoactive
There was a bug in the previous update when this achievement dropped, making it impossible to unlock through the intended means (although you could still unlock it). This has now been fixed and should unlock as intended... once you figure out how...
If anyone is interested in collecting the seasonal skins, the 3 year anniversary skin is available right now, but you must hurry, as its going to be gone on the 30th November. As for the Christmas skin, this will run from 11th December until the 5th January, so plenty of time to snag that one when the time comes...
As is usually the case, the skins aren't currently in the game right now, but rest assured once they drop, you will find them in your cosmetics assuming you logged into the game during the time period.
A few additional notes specific to the demo... Demo players will now have access to the new tutorial level "Stepping Stones". "Gem Hunt" and "Fractured Ice" have been removed from the demo, leaving only "Space Race" a non-tutorial demo level.
Was starting to feel like it had been a little while since I had dropped a new update, and with Halloween just around the corner, I needed to drop one to update this years festive skin into the game. I decided to include a few of the levels that were ready to go into the mix so that it wasn't just a stealth update for the skin... :)
As mentioned, we have 3 new levels dropping in this update; one easy, one intermediate and one hard:
Back Through Time
As the name suggests, the level aims to be a more friendly intro into using the rewind powerup, as I was seeing a number of players struggling with this powerup the first time they encounter it.
Biased opinion here, but I was having a lot of fun messing around with some speedrunning on this level, so I hope you guys also enjoy it... :)
Island Hopping
This is the intermediate level in the update, and revolves around traversing a number of small platforms, though not too small... Another fun level for speedrunning in my totally non-biased opinion, so I cant wait to see what some of you guys do to break the level.
Pillars
We have something a little different in our hard level this time around. You must attempt to travers a maze of jump pads through large spinning laser pillars. There are three gems to collect, and honestly I don't really mind what order you get them in, though there is an intended linear route, so feel free to sequence break...
*Additionally on the topic of levels, some have has some of their medal times and difficulties balanced.
It's that time of year again, and as usual, we have a new seasonal skin to celebrate. This year, if you play the game between the 21st of October and the 11th November, you will find this new skin added to your customisation page.
It seems to be a running theme now that I add an achievement or two with each new update, and this one is no different. This time around we have the 2 new achievements outlines below.
Icon
Name
Description
Psychoactive
Something feels off... I swear this looked different last time...
Takin' It Back
Lets take it back to the oldschool...
Fixed issue with personal score not showing correct input type when a controller was used
Local level play count is now updated from the server when viewing a levels leaderboards
Fixed an issue with bad lag in the games menu on Steam Deck
Large overhaul of remix level system to integrate it into standard level code. You shouldn't notice any different if all went well... :)
Rewind powerup now retains 90% entry velocity upon finishing. Should make using this powerup far more fluid and enjoyable.
So this one is just going to be a small update. I wasn't planning on releasing anything at the moment, but I finished up a few small features and figured I might as well drop them now. I did also have a new level ready to go, so I included that in todays update also.
As mentioned, just one level this week, but it is a tough one...
On Thin Ice
As the name suggests, this level revolves around well... thin ice... The level is fairly linear, and consists of a number of thin slivers of ice in vary formations, making for quite a challenging level. It currently sits at a 12 difficulty, which is the hardest level in the main game levels so far.
Also on the topic of levels, "Spiders Web" has been moved to a 10 difficulty (from 9), pushing it into the extreme set of levels. A few other levels have also had some minor tweaks when it comes to medal times.
This updates brings a few new additional visual updates to the game. First we have the new gameplay compass, which works as you would expect from any other game with a horizontal scrolling compass. It shows the location of gems and powerups, making it easier for more casual players to play through levels (I'm lookin' at you, Power Up). The compass can be disabled in the settings if you aren't feelin' it.
Another new visual feature is the introduction of post process filters. I didn't spend much time adding these (literally took like an hour), but I feel they are a fun little way for people to spice up their experience. I heard that ps1 style graphical style is pretty popular nowadays after all... There are three new styles to choose from; Black and white, Oldschool and Trippy, and more will be added in the future I'm sure.
One new achievement with this update, and its tied to the new post process filters mentioned above. The description is intentionally vague, as usual, but it's probably fairly easy where I'm going with this one...
Icon
Name
Description
Trippin' Balls
Don't do drugs, kids...
Removed unused hidden gem from "Power up" and "River of Ice"
Fixed issue with audio not playing during gameplay
Navigation compass added to Time Trials gameplay HUD
New level "On Thin Ice"
"Spiders Web" has moved from a 9 to a 10 difficulty
Additional Marble Shards have been added to some of the levels that were missing them
Marble shards now show a green check mark for previously collected points, with a greater visibility range
Shadow quality setting has been removed from the video settings, as the game has no shadows, and the setting did nothing to begin with...
The "Hide found marble shards" setting now works as intended, and can be used to hide the new green check marks if desired. Special shards still appear with this setting on.
Post process filters added to video settings
"Trippin Balls" achievement added to game
Leaderboard rank now visible from level select screen - Complete the level or view the leaderboards to update the number for the first time
This isn't the second half of the tutorial update like I said would be coming in the last update, as I was having a little trouble getting the final missing tutorial level to a standard that I'm happy with. I do have a couple of new levels ready however, and I wanted to get them out to you guys before the Steam Racing Fest started!
We have two new levels for you guys in this update; One easy and one hard, and both inspired by levels from Marble Blast Ultra, but with a Lost Marbles twist of course... The levels both bare the same name as their MBU counterpart for now, but this is likely to change once I come up with more appropriate names. If you have any suggestions, let me know! :)
Platform Party
As the name suggests, this level was inspired by the level "Platform Party" from Marble Blast Ultra. Naturally, I didn't just rip the level completely from that game; I added a few twists to make it my own. Some say it no longer resembled the aforementioned level at all, but I'm not sure I agree...
Hazardous Climb
Like above, this level was inspired by the level "Hazardous Climb" from Marble Blast Ultra. Unlike the above, this level merely resembles the level in the fact that I started with a basic outline of the MBU level, and then changed absolutely everything about it...
Two new achievements this time around. These achievements a of the more generic variety and don't require any specific level to achieve.
Icon
Name
Description
Persistence Is Key
You can't beat the level if you don't keep trying...
This One's My Fave'
Complete any level 100 times
Additionally, The "Curiosity Killed The Cat" achievement from the previous update has been fixed and should now unlock correctly.
"Bouncer" has been moved into the Remix category, and can now be unlocked by finding a hidden white gem on "The Bounce Trials"
Fixed an issue with the remix levels "Rocky Road" and "1/3rd Times The Charm" not loading correctly
More checkpoints have been added to "Space Race" as to make it fit more correctly into the easy difficulty category
Tutorial hints have been added to the black tiles surrounding the tutorial levels, so that new players are no longer confused when they land on one and aren't able to jump
Some new skins / skin variations have been added to the game, but expect these to get locked away as unlockable skins soon. Feel free to use them in the meantime though...
My plan was to drop the entire tutorial update before the Steam Summer Sale, but I have been a little busy preparing for a trip lately, so this is going to be a part 1 of a 2 part tutorial update. Don't let that worry you though, because todays update does still include 3 new levels (2 tutorial, and 1 remake), as well as a number of other fixes and improvements.
Lets start with the new levels...
Some of you may have noticed a short while ago that a number of tutorial levels went missing, and the keen-eyes among you will have noticed that they were either moved to a different difficulty within the main time trial levels, or into the bonus levels. I did this because I felt the levels didn't really fit well as tutorial levels any more due to being so old and the game having evolved to the point that they didn't really cover enough of the content to be useful.
So naturally, new levels were planned to take their place as tutorial levels, and the old ones were moved about. Todays update brings you 2 of the 3 planned new tutorial levels; The powerup tutorial and the hazard tutorial.
The Powers That Be
This level was designed to take the place of the old power tutorial, "Power Up". Whilst I do think the old level teaches the basics of power ups, I noticed that for a lot of people, the format of the level was confusing, and people weren't too sure of the intended route of the level.
The new level takes more or less the same instructions from the previous, but the layout is completely linear, so there should be no more confusion on how or where a powerup is supposed to take you. Additionally, many people struggled with the "Rewind" powerup, so this has been replaced with the more simple "Slam" powerup.
As a bonus, you can unlock the remix level "The Powers That Weren't", which includes the original intended new level before I chose to cut the Rewind power.
Approaching Danger
This level was designed to take the place of the old hazard level, "Danger Ahead". Unlike the power up level, this level was dated in what it introduced to the player. Since its creation, a number of new hazards have been introduced into the game, and I felt that it was important to include some of these in a tutorial about hazards.
The new level teaches about the older hazards, such as bumpers and lasers, but also teaches about newer hazards like space mines and wind fans.
To go with the new tutorial levels, we also have a newly revised version of "Rocky Road".
Windswept
"Rocky Road" was one of the few levels left in the main game that had not yet received a visual upgrade, and so it was time to change that. With the introduction of the new fan hazard in "Approaching Danger", this new level had the perfect layout to introduce this hazard into the wild...
The level layout is more or less identical to "Rocky Road", but fans have been added throughout to add some additional challenge. The level is still in the easy category however, so don't except too much resistance from the changes.
For those longing for the original level again, "Rocky Road" can be unlocked as a Remix level, but I will let you figure out how...
Now, I did mention a few new Remix levels above, so that sounds like a good Segway into some of the other changes coming to the Remix mode.
As mentioned, there is a brand new Remix level, a long with the movement of an old level into the remix category, so lets take a brief moment to lay those down first...
The Powers That Weren't
As briefly mentioned above, this level was the initial concept for the new power up tutorial before making the decision to remove the Rewind powerup. It follows the exact same layout as "The Powers That Be", with an added section containing a gem.
Rocky Road
It's simple, If you have played the old Rocky Road level, then you will feel right at home here... because well.. its the exact same level... Don't think I need to say more, do I?
Now with that out of the way, lets discuss some new changes to Remix. The remix levels now have icons in their level info panel outlining the modifications that are present in the level. Levels can contain more than one modifier, and hovering over the modifier icon will give you more information about what it means.
A long side this change, I am slowly beginning to move all "Bonus" levels into the remix section, and once moved, these levels can be unlocked in various ways, such as in-level pickups, currency store and stat goals. As all of the levels in bonus are the old legacy levels, you will notice they contain the "Legacy" modifier icon.
Below is a full list of the current modifiers, with more to come down the line whenever I think of them
Modifier
Description
Legacy Level
As mentioned above, levels that were once considered "Legacy" (and later "Bonus") will be marked with a Legacy icon. Levels marked with this icon will now be considered when completing the two achievements relating to legacy levels.
Homage Level
This tag is given to levels that are based on levels from other marble games.
Community Design
This tag is given to levels which have been designed by members of the community. Their name will be included in the level description once this is shown on the level info panel.
Reduced Gems
This tag is given to levels that have less gems than the level it is based on.
Increased Gems
This tag is given to levels that have more gems than the level it is based on.
No Gems
This tag is given to levels where all gems hav10e been removed from the level it is based on.
Altered Physics
This tag is given when the players ball uses different parameters from the default marble. This includes things like removing the ability to jump / charge, etc.
Mode Swap
This tag is given when a level previously used as time attack or gem arena now uses the alternate game mode.
Altered Route
This tag is given to levels when the start and or end point of the level differs from the level it was original based on.
Map Modifications
This tag is given to levels that have received heavy modifications on top of a base level.
Level Mashup
This tag is given to levels that use elements of multiple level combined to make a new level.
A few more achievements are now available to unlock, as well as a few having their images and descriptions altered slightly. As usual, some of the descriptions are a little cryptic, so have fun trying to work it out!
Icon
Name
Description
Honor Code
I trust that you will do the right thing
Suicidal Tendencies
Please, Don't do it...
Curiosity Killed The Cat
Yes... They do hurt...
Ooohh, Friend!
Quick! Try to act cool... or, you know... just equip their skin...
Amped Up
Unleash a cumulative total of 2,500 charges
That pretty much sums up todays update, and once I get back from my trip, I will finalise the last level for the tutorial overhaul. This will include one additional achievement also, but ill talk more on that in the post when it happens.
About
This page aggregates Steam news feeds, patch notes, and developer announcements for Lost Marbles, sourced from official Steam community posts.
Major updates, balance changes, and seasonal events often correlate with player-count spikes — cross-reference announcements here with the live charts on the main Lost Marbles statistics page.
Articles link back to Steam for full changelogs. SteamScope refreshes news entries as new posts are published to the game's Steam hub.