Digital Pinball is doing well at the moment, with Zen Studio doing a great job with preserving classic Bally-Williams pinball tables in Pinball FX 3. These tables have been given excellent treatment in their transition to Zen’s digital platform and now a new table joins the collection. Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure is the latest addition to the Bally-Williams lineup on Pinball FX 3 and stands out as a high-profile licensed release.
The table was designed by prolific designer Mark Ritchie (brother of Steve Ritchie), who also designed Fish Tales, the table that comes as a free sample of what the Bally Williams tables have to offer. Indiana Jones The Pinball Adventure was released in 1993 as part of Williams’ SuperPin series and was the first game to use the DCS sound system. The table had voice clips from the original trilogy and even had John Rhys-Davies record new lines for the experience.
One word of warning before playing is that this is not an easy table to get into but feels very rewarding once you have enough skill to do well. The game has a number of features including a mini-playfield for a roll-down game called Path of Adventure and 12 modes based on scenes from the first three films. These modes contain missions like defeating Nazis to collect items and earn extra balls from Raiders of the Lost Ark, escaping in a minecart and steering through tunnels from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, as well as re-enacting the famous “Choose Wisely” segment from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade just to give some examples.
Multiball has four different modes in this table, such as Regular Multiball, which is the standard Multiball Williams used at the time. There is also Quick Multiball, which is a 2-ball option that requires quick movement to activate. In this mode, players must hit the captive ball to get new rewards within a short time, as well as Well of Souls and Eternal Life which are 6-ball modes, the latter of which has the objective to hit all the targets on the playfield as well as the Path of Adventure mini-playfield while having at least two balls in play with the goal of scoring a 1 Billion point bonus.
As mentioned, the table has a higher level of skill required, but there is enjoyment to be had in learning the mechanics. A deeper barrier to entry is the high price of the table, as it costs fifteen dollars, making it the most expensive single table so far. This is not being charged out of greed, however, but rather because of the costs involved with obtaining the licensing permission, especially since Disney is now involved.
So is the table worth it? It depends on your level of skill and willingness to learn and put up with the high difficulty. While this is an expensive table, it is also extremely fun, and while I am not an expert pinball player by any means, I have been able to play nonstop for hours because of how addictive and enjoyable this is. Yes, this is one of the harder tables to learn, but putting in the time felt worth it, and pinball enthusiasts will definitely enjoy this one. That said, there are a lot of cheaper tables that Pinball FX 3 has on offer that may be of more interest,
All the usual bonus touches Zen puts into their digital tables are here, including animations, score bonuses and so on. The classic table is also here, along with leaderboards to give yourself a goal to aim for. This is a brilliant recreation of a classic table, and one I see myself playing for a long time to come.
To sum up, if you are a pinball fanatic or want to challenge yourself and learn, then this is indeed for you. Otherwise, there are other tables worth playing that are cheaper and easier to get into.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided