Review: Pinball
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:There's no way to save a game in progress or even record your high scores in the long term. Games from this era didn't have this sort of feature yet. To pause the game, press START on your controller. Time needed per session:Some pinball games are easier than others, but it seems like this one won't last five minutes. Give yourself maybe fifteen minutes for a few quick rounds.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | No - this is a great game for Christians There's not enough going on in this game for there to be anything offensive. |
Screenshots
These screenshots were captured using video from an actual console.
Game Overview
Early game consoles typically marketed themselves on their ability to bring the thrills and action of the arcades into people's homes, which makes it no surprise that most of them offered at least one pinball game. In this case, it was even one of the first games to be released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and since it was made by Nintendo, there's even a minigame featuring Mario and Pauline.
Most of what you'd expect from a pinball machine appears here. You have rollover targets, bumpers, a number of switches and even a ball ejector on the top screen. The bottom screen features a lot of these too, plus a set of rollovers that can generate safety bumpers to keep your ball from going in the gutter. The lower screen also features the hole that will take the ball to the minigame with Mario and Pauline, but it's surprisingly tricky to hit.
The problem is, that's just the bare basics of your average pinball machine. There is no music, few sound effects, and no special events like a multiball or challenge shot. Pinball machines are loud, flashy, clunky things, so this feels very hollow and empty by comparison.
To be fair to Pinball, it came out very early on in the system's lifecycle, alongside other simple games like Duck Hunt. It was likely a technological masterpiece, but technology has moved on considerably since then, and it's been left behind.
If you've never played it before, you won't be missing much by passing on this title. There are plenty of better pinball simulators out there.
Most of what you'd expect from a pinball machine appears here. You have rollover targets, bumpers, a number of switches and even a ball ejector on the top screen. The bottom screen features a lot of these too, plus a set of rollovers that can generate safety bumpers to keep your ball from going in the gutter. The lower screen also features the hole that will take the ball to the minigame with Mario and Pauline, but it's surprisingly tricky to hit.
The problem is, that's just the bare basics of your average pinball machine. There is no music, few sound effects, and no special events like a multiball or challenge shot. Pinball machines are loud, flashy, clunky things, so this feels very hollow and empty by comparison.
To be fair to Pinball, it came out very early on in the system's lifecycle, alongside other simple games like Duck Hunt. It was likely a technological masterpiece, but technology has moved on considerably since then, and it's been left behind.
If you've never played it before, you won't be missing much by passing on this title. There are plenty of better pinball simulators out there.
Points of Interest
Mario and Pauline cameo
There are two holes on the playfield: the one on the top screen just tosses the ball away at an angle, while the one on the bottom screen takes you to a minigame. In this minigame, Mario is attempting to free Pauline from the area at the top of the screen.
To free her, you'll need to maneuver the ball so that an entire column of numbers is lit up properly. This shrinks a piece of the walkway, eventually letting Pauline fall through. Catch her when she falls and guide her to an exit for extra points!
To free her, you'll need to maneuver the ball so that an entire column of numbers is lit up properly. This shrinks a piece of the walkway, eventually letting Pauline fall through. Catch her when she falls and guide her to an exit for extra points!
No music, few sounds
If there's one thing that defines pinball games, it's that they are flashy and loud. This game is neither, which feels extremely wrong and dull.
Concerns and Issues
None
One benefit about simple games is that there isn't usually enough content for them to include anything offensive.