Märchen Maze/Gameplay

Controls

 * Joystick: Use the 8-way joystick to direct Alice across the platforms; the player cannot force her over the edge of any platform using just this control.
 * Firing Button: Use this button to make Alice blow bubbles at the enemies. Pushing it lightly makes her blow a small bubble; holding it down charges the blower, and upon releasing the button Alice will blow a much bigger bubble. However, if you hold it down for too long the bubble will explode and Alice will start blowing a new one - however, this won't happen if she's collected a Blue Crystal given that she can automatically blow bigger bubbles.
 * Jump Button: Use this button to make Alice jump up; unlike with the joystick, the player can theoretically force her over the edges using this control.
 * 1 or 2 Player Buttons: Push these buttons to begin a 1 or 2 player game.

Alice (アリス)
The protagonist of the game. Having woken up in the middle of the night and being dragged through her bedroom mirror by the Tokei Usagi, she must now make her way through nine different isometric worlds, blowing bubbles at the enemies inhabiting them to knock them off the platforms, and collecting various powerups along the way; if she is hit by anything that has been fired at her by an enemy, she will be temporarily stunned by it, and rendered unable to blow bubbles for a few seconds, but can still jump. The only enemy in this game which possesses the ability to immediately force her off the edge of a platform on contact is the Jikangire Monster - and even if she has collected a Balloon when he does so, its presence will be invalidated.

Tokei Usagi (時計うさぎ)
The game's equivalent of the White Rabbit, who appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen at 30-second intervals on each round to inform the player of how much time is remaining; once it is down to 45 seconds, he will stay on the screen until the time has completely run out and the Jikangire Monster has appeared, at which point he will jump back off that right side of the screen much like he did on all five previous occasions.

Boxes (ボックシズ)
When Alice blows a bubble at one of these rotating cubes to break it open, it'll leave a powerup behind. Here is a list of them and what they do:
 * [[File:MM Red Crystal.gif]] Red Crystal (赤い水晶): This will give Alice a random amount of extra points, from 1000 to 7650; its Kanji/Hiragana text reads as akai suishō.
 * [[File:MM Blue Crystal.gif]] Blue Crystal (青い水晶): This will allow Alice to blow enormous bubbles for a short period of time; its Kanji/Hiragana text reads as aoi suishō.
 * [[File:MM Green Crystal.gif]] Green Crystal (緑の水晶): This will allow Alice to blow bubbles in three directions for a while; that Kanji/Hiragana text reads midori no suishō.
 * [[File:MM Balloon.gif]] Balloon (風船): This will inflate when Alice is knocked off the edge of the platforms, and fly her back up to where she was just before she had been knocked off; however, if she gets forced off any edges by that Jikangire Monster, its presence will be invalidated. Its Kanji text reads as fūsen.
 * [[File:MM Usagi No Nuigurumi.gif]] Usagi No Nuigurumi (うさぎのぬいぐるみ): This miniature rabbit will cause a rotating barrier of orbs which protects Alice against the enemies' attacks to appear around her for a short period of time; but again, if the Jikangire Monster forces her off a platform edge, its presence is invalidated.
 * [[File:MM Mini Watch.gif]] Mini Watch (ミニ時計): This will give Alice forty-five extra seconds to finish that current world in; its two Kanji characters are again read as tokei.
 * [[File:MM Boots.gif]] Boots (ブーツ): These will allow Alice to jump much higher than she normally can, for a short period of time; it is still not advisable to jump while she is standing on any moving platform, however, given that it most likely will no longer be beneath her when the force of gravity takes effect again.
 * [[File:MM Yellow Crystal.gif]] Yellow Crystal (黄色い水晶): This will cause the enemies to stop moving for a short period of time; however, it won't be effective against that Jikangire Monster if you run out of time, but it may lessen the chance of being forced back into him. Its Kanji/Hiragana text reads as kīroi no suishō.
 * [[File:MM Purple Crystal.gif]] Purple Crystal (紫の水晶): This last one will allow Alice to walk much faster for a while; the Kanji/Hiragana text reads as murasaki no suishō.

Bacura (バキュラ)
These tumbling airborne mirrors are present in the first, third, fourth, sixth eighth and ninth rounds of the game, and they are worth 50 points.

This enemy was originally seen in Xevious. Namco tends to re-use elements from other games they have developed.

Tamagocchi (タマゴッチ)
These egg-like creatures, who are a precursor to the Penguins, appear on the first and ninth rounds of the game, and they are worth 100 points.

Bombs (ボンブズ)
These bouncing explosive devices appear upon the first, second, third, seventh, eighth and ninth rounds of the game, and are worth 100 points if shot; however, they'll send five marbles rolling towards Alice as she does so, and will also explode automatically if she gets too close to them.

Mushrooms (マシュルームズ)
These sunglasses-wearing, cigarette-smoking, yellow-spotted vegetables only appear on that first round of the game, and are worth 100 points.

Roll Halls (ロールホールズ)
These trap doors are built into some of the platforms you will find on the first, third and sixth rounds of the game, and are worth 250 points.

Miyasha (ミヤーシャ)
This enormous purple-cloaked witch is a boss of the first round; she attacks by firing miniaturized versions of herself at Alice, and is worth 10000 points.

Ball Halls (ボールホールズ)
These manholes are also built into some of the platforms on the second, third, fourth and seventh rounds of the game, and are worth 250 points.

Penguins (ペングインズ)
These wind-up Arctic birds are only present on the second round of the game, come in two colours (blue and pink), and are worth 100 points.

Naniwa (ナニワ)
These Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum lookalikes appear upon the second, fourth, sixth, and ninth rounds of the game, come in two colours (blue and red), and are worth 100 points; they've also lent their name to a stadium in Super World Stadium '99, the last title in the World Stadium series.

Pawns, Knights and Kings (ポーンズ, ナイトス & キングズ)
These chess pieces (which are neither black or white, but red) only appear on the second round of the game, and are worth 50 points.

Dead Rooster (デッドルースター)
This enormous mechanical chicken is a boss of the second round; he attacks by rolling round the platform and firing marbles, and is worth 10000 points.

Daruma (ダルマ)
These hollow Japanese dolls are only present on the third round of the game, have four body sections below their heads, and are worth 100 points.

Dice (ダイス)
These large throwable objects (the "one" dot is red) appear on the third, seventh, and eighth rounds of the game, and are worth 500 points.

Tanbura (タンブラー)
This enormous six-sectioned totem pole is the boss for the third round; he attacks by splitting up while firing marbles at Alice, and is worth 20000 points.

Skulls (スケルズ)
These gray skeletal heads with red eye/nose holes are present upon the fourth, eighth, and ninth rounds of the game, and are worth 250 points.

Robots (ロボットス)
These wind-up automatons, looking like 16-bit versions of Toy Pop's, only appear upon the fourth round of this game, and are worth 100 points.

Arumeikon (アールメイコン)
This enormous blue robot is the boss for the fourth round; he attacks by hovering around the platform while firing marbles from his cannon, and is worth 20000 points. The Tokei Usagi is also speaking the Hiragana/Kanji text Nokori 2 byō (のこり2秒) in the screenshot, which means "2 seconds remaining".

Ei (エイ)
These blue flatfish, which do not swim but fly (due to the lack of water), only appear upon the fifth round of this game, and are worth 100 points.

Tombows (トンボズ)
These dragonflies, which fly round in circles over platforms, appear on the fifth, seventh, and ninth rounds of the game, and are worth 50 points.

Reidokku (レイドック)
This enormous mechanical swordfish is the boss of the fifth round; he attacks by firing marbles at Alice while charging at her, and is worth 20000 points.

Nazo No Uchi (ナゾの牛)
These cow-like creatures, who attack by bursting out of their Boxes, appear on the sixth and ninth rounds of the game, and are worth 50 points.

Big Tortoise (ビッグトータス)
This enormous Mexican reptile is the boss for the sixth round; he attacks by jumping into the air while firing marbles at Alice, and is worth 20000 points.

Slimes (スライムズ)
These blobs, which come in three different colours, are present on the seventh and ninth rounds of the game, and are worth 100 points.

Ohm (オーム)
These woodlice, whose spots change colour when hit, appear upon the seventh and ninth rounds of this game, and are worth 1500 points.

Imo (イモ)
These caterpillars, whose bodies change colour when hit, appear on the seventh and ninth rounds of the game and are worth 3000 points.

Kuwa (クワ)
These cockroaches, who will fire marbles from their pincers, appear upon the seventh and ninth rounds of this game, and are worth 100 points.

Aratizu (アラティーズ)
These giant grinning spheres are the bosses of the seventh round; the second one you kill will leave the portal behind, and they are worth 30000 points.

Spades (スペイドズ)
These small black playing cards, who are named after their suit, appear upon the eighth and ninth rounds of the game and are worth 100 points.

Dia (ディア)
These larger red playing cards (their name is short for "Diamond"), only appear on the eighth round of this game, and are worth 150 points.

Triple Head (トリプルヘッド)
This enormous nineteenth-century Phrenological Head is the boss of the eighth round; he attacks by spitting marbles at Alice, and is worth 50000 points.

Yami No Jooda (闇の女王だ)
This game's equivalent of the Queen of Hearts is the boss for that ninth round; she attacks by generating groups of Spades, and is worth 100000 points.

Jikangire Monster (時間切れモンスター)
When the 3-minute time limit has run out for the current round, this flaming orange version of the Aratizu will appear and automatically force Alice off the edge of the platforms if he touches her; he cannot be destroyed, for he is impervious to Alice's bubbles, and even if Alice has a Balloon in her possession when he forces her off the edge of the platforms, its effect will be invalidated. However, it is possible to jump over him and walk behind him for the rest of the round - but if Alice should get hit by anything that is fired at her, she will be forced back into him.