Apart from a couple of wacky titles like Donkey Kong, most video games of the early ‘90s had self-describing, one-word labels. Golf, Tennis, Constipation, and in this case, Pinball, which is exactly what you would expect it to be. For some strange reason, though, and like with the aforementioned titles, the simplicity isn’t actually a flaw here, but part of its charm. Read on as Cubed3 continues its series of short but nostalgic retrospectives on the history of Mario. Oh, yeah, there’s a neat Mario cameo here, alright.
Pinball is… well, pinball. If you don’t know what that is, then you are more out of touch than el Capitán Americano from the MCU. The important bit, though, is whether this is a good pinball game, rather than just one more pinball game – if it’s fun to play, and if there is a reason to replay it again and again. Well, the first part is easy. Pinball is definitely fun, despite the fact that there’s nothing special about it. There are, however, a couple of small touches that turn this otherwise simple affair into something quite addictive.
The “machine” is divided between a top and a bottom half. Both have a set of paddles that are handled with the left and right sides of the gamepad (arrows and buttons). What separates the two halves is their different layout… and of course the fact that when you lose a ball in the bottom half you completely lose it, so whenever you reach “level 1” the tension rises a bit.
By the way, there’s a third section, which is basically a “secret” one (not that hard to reach, mind you), where Pinball turns into a slight variation of Breakout/Arkanoid, and where a neat Mario and Pauline cameo can be seen, with Mario carrying the paddle around, while Pauline is in a “cage” of sorts, which can be broke open, letting the girl fall on the paddle, and then to safety… which is actually harder than the actual game, for some strange reason.
Yes, this is all quite fun and has that strange, relaxing vibe of the Atari era. Just a sec…where are those darn arthritis pills? Anyways. The goal remains the same: get the highest possible score – and this is where things get tricky. Pinball has no additional levels. This is basically a game of survival, where players try to keep on playing in the same exact stage. It’s possible to gain an extra ball after 50,000 points, but after 100,000 the flippers become invisible!
It’s no surprise that this changes the game significantly. What is an even bigger surprise is that this never becomes as annoying as anyone would expect, because after 100,000 points you are basically “in the zone” and can read the screen, imagining the paddle instead of seeing it. Yes, it makes things harder, but it’s mostly a psychological trick, rather than a real obstacle; it’s something that makes you anxious to reach 150,000 points, making the paddles return to view. A simple but effective mechanic.
Oh, sure, it’s a bit of a shame that there’s nothing else to do. Those who need more content won’t find it here. Pinball remains the same from the first to the 365th day of play, with the only reason to go back to it being how enjoyable it is – and thankfully, it’s quite so. A second reason is watching Pauline’s cute fall… and Mario’s cold, dead stare when he fails to catch her.
one of the first video games i ever played