Pinball FX

Genre: Compilation / Pinball

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Alternating), Online Leaderboards

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Review:

Pinball FX, while not bearing any number, is actually the sequel to 2017’s Pinball FX3, though you’d be forgiven for thinking this is just a re-release of that game. As with its predecessor, Pinball FX is a free-to-play app to play Pinball using various tables you can purchase via paid DLC. It was released on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2023.

When Pinball FX3 released on Nintendo Switch, it featured a glaring omission – it lacked the Marvel tables that other platforms had available via paid DLC. This time around, Nintendo once again seems to be getting a bit of a raw deal – not only is this game not backwards-compatible with the DLC tables from prior releases in the series, but the overwhelming majority of those tables aren’t present here in any form whatsoever. And while it’s debatable whether this is better or worse than having to re-buy all your tables again (as is apparently the case on other platforms), it’s undeniable that this is highly disappointing.

On the bright side, the Nintendo Switch version comes with three free tables right from the start – it includes both of the free tables that were packed-in with Pinball FX3 (Sorcerer’s Lair and Fish Tales) as well as the Wild West Rampage table from Pinball FX2. Of the three, I still think Sorcerer’s Lair is the best of the lot, but it’s nice to have three tables to choose from without spending a cent.

For those who do want to spend money, you’ll find both some fun new tables and classic tables available for purchase here, from the great classic Addams Family table, to a new Crypt of the Necrodancer-themed table.

As with the prior game, the presentation in this Compilation is excellent, with highly-detailed 3D visuals and sounds that do a good job of capturing the actual real-life Pinball tables. I don’t know that I can sense any significant difference from Pinball FX3, but at the very least this game is on par with its predecessor as the best-looking of the free-to-play Pinball Compilations. Once again, 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. However, while there’s technically more included in this package right from the start, I can’t help but feel like this is a less-impressive release than the prior game. Could they not just release the new tables on the software we already have? No? Then could they have brought the old tables to the new software? No again? Okay, I guess…

tl;dr – Pinball FX, like its predecessor Pinball FX3, is a free-to-play Compilation, this time including three free Pinball tables: Sorcerer’s Lair, Fish Tales, and Wild West Rampage. It’s a solid, polished game and it’s nice to get three tables at no cost, but the lack of compatibility with past DLC is disappointing, and otherwise this seems like little more than a rehash. If you enjoy Pinball, it’s still worth getting because there’s some great gameplay here at no cost, but it’s still hard not to be at least a bit disappointed.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2023 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Laziest Copycat

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