The Pinball Arcade

Genre: Compilation / Pinball

Players: 1, Online Leaderboards

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Review:

The Pinball Arcade, in some places referred to simple as Pinball Arcade, is a free-to-play app to play Pinball using various tables you can purchase via paid DLC. It was released on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox 360 in 2012, PC in 2013, PlayStation 4 in 2013, Xbox One in 2014, Wii U in 2016, and Nintendo Switch in 2018.

Over the multiple versions and many years that the iterations of this game has been around, many tables have been available for purchase, with many of these tables not making it to the Nintendo Switch version, instead either carried over to this title’s sister game, Stern Pinball Arcade, appropriated by the competing free-to-play Compilation Pinball FX3, or in many cases simply delisted with no way to get it any longer, though many still exist on the Wii U version of the game, at least until the Wii U eShop closes in March 2023 (later this month!). This includes some of the amazing licensed tables that have graced the franchise, such as Terminator 2, The Addams Family, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

For those looking at what’s still on offer in this release currently, players can purchase various packs containing tables from manufacturers Alvin G. & Co., Gottlieb and Stern, as well as a Dr. Who-licensed table. These multi-game packs range from $8-$20 for 2-5 tables, with Doctor Who selling individually for $3.50.

Of course, there is something to play here even if you don’t want to spend any money – the game includes the table Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, based on a critically-panned 1994 Robert De Niro and Kenneth Branagh film, with this version slightly altered from its original release for licensing purposes.The table features some good gameplay physics and a moving Frankenstein’s Monster statuette that flings multiballs onto the table, with songs and sounds derived from or inspired by the film. It’s a fun nostalgia piece, though most who will enjoy that nostalgia these days are those who played the original pinball table rather than the mostly-forgotten film.

The presentation in this Compilation is generally pretty good, with detailed 3D visuals and sounds that do a good job of capturing the actual real-life Pinball tables. In addition, I had to smile when first starting up this game and hearing The Who’s Pinball Wizard playing in the intro and title screen.

In the end, I would say that if you have a Nintendo Switch, you might as well download this game – after all, it is free, and what’s included in the free package is decent. And if you should decide to expand your pinball library, you have some other good choices here as well, though sadly not as many as were previously available.

tl;dr – Pinball Arcade is a free-to-play Compilation that includes one free Pinball table, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, and the ability to buy others via paid DLC. Even if you’re not a big Pinball fan, if you own a Nintendo Switch you might as well get this since it’s free. And if you are a Pinball fan, you still have some other good tables to peruse via paid DLC, though unfortunately not as many as were previously available.

Grade: B-

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