I’ve just discovered Zaccaria Pinball’s ‘story mode’ and I love it. Drawn back to Magic Pixel’s stunning sphere slapping sim by an unexpected announcement (yesterday, after a lull of over two years, the Hungarian devs released an update that included thirteen free ‘retro’ tables) I noticed a play option I’d not tried before. Would ‘story mode’ lace me into the battered sneakers of an awkward Seventies teenager bent on dethroning the thuggish local pinball wizard? I had to find out.
It turns out story mode is actually story-free. Disappointingly (?) there are no cut-scenes, no heroes and villains, no love interest or leather jackets. What there is is a simple yet effective rule set and a massive seamless mission sequence so colourful, exciting, and varied, boredom and frustration don’t get a look-in.
Each mission features a different table and different victory conditions, but the same time limit: 99 seconds. On one table you might be asked to hit three drop targets, on the next spin a spinner twenty times or extinguish a dozen rollover lamps. Spend too long achieving the goal, and your score starts ticking down (125 points and an extra ball are awarded for mission success). Allow too many balls to disappear down the drain, and eventually your initial supply of ten is exhausted and it’s Game Over.
The tight objectives and quick table changes are great if you fancy a break from hi-score chasing, and find the idea of a pacy chronological tour of Zaccaria’s amazing oeuvre appealing. A feast for the senses, the mode has introduced me to tables I’d previously overlooked, and reminded me that it’s been far too long since I gave favourites like Supersonic, Nautilus, and Aerobatics the attention they richly deserve.
I love a good pinball game, I’ve owned a Twilight Zone two times, need to get one again.
Pinball Dreams/Fantasies is still a high point and i really enjoyed Yoku’s Island Express (Which was a surprise) when it was on Games Pass.
I have noticed that many Pinball games do have a habit of putting in auto-drain shots when you miss a common shot which really should be removed via playtesting, they often stop me playing them.
Not played Zaccaria for years, i’ll check it out.