Max & the Magic Marker

He draws a monster, Mustacho, but suddenly the character comes to life and disappears into Max' drawings.

Max chases after him and needs to travel through different worlds to halt the villain.

Max is able to run around, jump, push and pull objects, and climb up or slide down.

At the same time, the player controls a large marker on the screen.

To use it, it needs to be filled with ink, which is collected through bubbles scattered around the level.

At certain passages, Mustacho often appears to vacuum all the ink out of the marker.

Using the orange marker, the player can draw lines and shapes into the environment to form objects.

The possibilities are determined based on the amount of ink available and quick swipes use less ink compared to drawing slowly.

Using the marker, the player can draw steps, bridges and platforms to help out Max.

More complex shapes are also possible, including shields, objects to drop down on enemies or weights to use for seesaw mechanics, offering different possibilities to solve puzzles.

Different objects can exist next to each other and independent lines can be connected to form complex shapes.

At any time, the used ink can be reclaimed to start over.

When the objects are out of view, the marker can be shaken to retrieve all of it.

There are different worlds to explore, each with a unique theme, and every world consists of multiple levels with checkpoints.

At any time, the player can swap between Max' imagination and the original drawings.

In the original drawing mode, the graphics change and time is halted.

The latter is also used as a game mechanism to pause the game and draw objects without time constraints.

Next to the ink, each level also holds a

Max & the Magic Marker for Nintendo DS is currently worth €9.98 loose, €7.43 complete in box, and €14.00 factory sealed. Prices are based on real sales and update regularly on Gamevaro.

Max & the Magic Marker has only a handful of tracked market sales, suggesting relative scarcity compared to more common Nintendo DS titles.

Loose means cartridge or disc only, CIB (complete in box) includes the original box and manual, and sealed means factory-sealed and never opened. For Max & the Magic Marker, loose is €9.98 and CIB is €7.43 — CIB commands a premium because original boxes and manuals are fragile and often don't survive.

The PAL version of Max & the Magic Marker is currently worth €9.98 loose, versus €8.76 for NTSC-U. Regional price differences usually come down to print run size and regional collector demand.