I previously reviewed Bethesda Pinball on PS4, and now it has come to Switch. While I normally just do small comparisons for reviews like this, My views on the game have changed significantly since last I played. I will repeat that I have always been a pinball fan since I was a kid and loved pinball video games like NES Pinball and Alien Crush. When Zen Studios made new board for Zen Pinball based on Bethesda games, I was thrilled and loved what I played. these were not just Bethesda themed pinball boards, but rather were the actual games given faithful adaptations as pinball games, complete with game mechanics and identity.
In my original review I stated that Fallout Pinball was the weak link for me, which I believed was due to my unfamiliarity with some of the Bethesda entries in the franchise. Playing it again on Switch however, I appreciate it much more and actually spent more time on this table than the others. It still too a little while to adjust to, but that was only an issue for a short time. It is definitely the most compact of the tables, but that actually works to its advantage due to less complications and distractions. The quests are easier to complete while still having a challenge to them, and the environmental interactions make a lot of sense without causing unnecessary disruptions.
Skyrim Pinball is still amazing, even though I do have an issue with the table here. It retells the story of Skyrim through pinball and stays true to the game, even having the iconic music, leveling up and boss battles like and RP. You have to watch your health and stamina at all times., while you go through dungeons, pick loot and sort through and inventory and even craft items. There is an insane amount of detail put into the game, and it is clearly the star attraction.. My issue was that when played on the TV the game had some issues. This was also true with the other two tables, but not to this extent, as the controls lagged at times and the framerate stuttered. This was not an issue in handheld mode at all, so playing the game in that mode was fine. The only other issue I encountered was a strange slowdown that occurred at random in all three boards but this did not happen too often.
DOOM Pinball is still like getting hit with sensory overload in the best way possible. Great music, great visuals, good enemies and fights, it just works beautifully. This table follows the basic storyline of the new game and incorporates several elements from it, all done in the best way possible to keep the feeling despite the different format. Doom Pinball truly feels more like a sequel to Alien Crush Pinball than the actual sequel for the Wii did .
Aside from the issues I had, I truly loved this game and ended up losing several hours to it on Switch. I would definitely give this a look if you have any interest in Bethesda games or Pinball games in general. These are very much worth playing indeed.