A Classic Trio of Tables for Pinball FX
The gift that keeps on giving, Pinball FX, has seen its latest content drop in the form of Williams Pinball Volume 9. The trio of classic tables further expands the ever impressive library that spans an extensive roster of familiar franchises and lesser known icons.
For those unfamiliar, Pinball FX is the free to play base game which comes bundled with three tables to get you going. It’s then up to you as to which you would like to purchase, with many differing opinions on which ones to go for from well over one hundred to choose from. If you are really struggling, there’s usually a free trial to give you a taster.
Pinball FX faithfully recreates many wonderful tables that you would have found down the arcade back in the day, right in your living room. Complete with accurate table design, sound effects and flashing lights, even the dot matrix display from the cabinets themselves are done justice here.
From PIN-BOT to Private Eyes
Williams Pinball Volume 9 consists of three tables: PIN-BOT, TAXI and WHOdunnit.
Originally released in the 1980s, PIN-BOT takes you on a journey through the solar system planet by planet, with the eventual aim of reaching the sun itself.
It’s a fairly simple table, your ball having the opportunity to roll down the funnel after launching, before being spat out into the main play area. You won’t see the “shoot again” light on too often, but there is a stud in between the flippers which gives you a second chance of scooping up your ball before it disappears down the drain.
Your main aim is to unlock PIN-BOT’s visor, represented by rows of flashing coloured squares. When timed correctly, you can shoot the source of the light and open it up, before firing the balls into the open sockets. When done correctly, multiball will activate, giving you a chance to bag the big points. There’s one big loop around the top of the table, along with the planets slot up in the top left.
Once I figured out what I was doing, I enjoyed PIN-BOT a lot. Visually it’s an attractive table to look at, but not too busy so it’s easy to track the ball. The animations are used sparingly but work well, especially as you get into the multiball phase.
A Taxi Ride to Terror
Next up is TAXI, which is a little bit more out there. There’s a wee bit more going on here, but play time wise I found it similar to PIN-BOT. As you may have guessed, you’ll need to pick up various passengers and it’s quite the line up of customers you’ve got waiting. When I say out there, Gorbachev (look him up kids), Dracula, Santa and even PIN-BOT are all needing a ride.
I guess the main difference with TAXI is that it’s fast. It didn’t take me long to lose my balls at first, needing to time my flipper exactly right depending on where the ball was dropping down from, otherwise it went straight through the gap. There are a couple of loops here, as well as two express lanes and a handy spinout loop that you can access after launching your pinball.
It’s not a bad table by any means, but I enjoyed TAXI the least. It may just be my distinct lack of pinball skills, but I found it to be the least forgiving of the lot. It also didn’t quite catch my eye like the other two, feeling a little more dim and lacking those exciting animations which are usually added in Pinball FX.
Last, but by no means least, we have WHOdunnit. This table is a take on the classic murder mystery genre (and not far off a familiar boardgame), complete with a 1930s noir setting and an impressive amount of narrative for a pinball table. This is because you’ll be playing detective, trying to crack the case and find out who “WHOdunnit”.
Flippers and Fun
There’s an awful lot going on with this table, from loops to ball locks and spinners, as well as a roulette table and slot machine. You can choose the novice or regular options, the first giving you a guaranteed two minutes of play and the latter setting you up with the standard three balls.
The first thing you’ll notice is the points are multiplied by many times compared to the other tables, so we are talking big numbers. The jackpot is easier to hit, and multiball events will occur frequently. All the while you’ll discover equipment and rule out suspects to crack the case. It’s absolutely bonkers but also tremendous fun. I love the theme too, the sound effects and the thrill of breaking the one billion point mark fairly easily.
Classic and Realistic
As ever, there are various ways to play each table in Williams Pinball Volume 9. One key choice is going for normal or realistic ball physics, the latter feeling like the undiluted pinball experience. Otherwise, if “Classic” mode sounds a bit vanilla, you can dial it up in arcade mode with different game modifiers such as slo-mo and double points.
You can get friends involved locally by playing “Hot Seat”. This requires you to play nice and take it in turns to battle for the high scores. Even when going solo, each table is fully supported across all modes with online leaderboards to ensure you can rank your progress.
As you earn XP for table mastery and level up, you’ll earn all sorts of items to be displayed in your virtual game room. Before long it’ll be looking more like a museum, as you decide which piece to display where and show off your pinballing achievements.
If you’re anything like me, and just whack the pinballs around and hope for the best, you may benefit from the table guide which walks you through how to access each area of the table and ultimately achieve those high scores. You can also adjust your camera to suit, as well as push up on the thumbstick to check out the top half of the cabinet.
There’s a brand new questline which spans the three tables in Williams Pinball Volume 9 too, mixing the play conditions up a little. You’ll be challenged to earn a maximum of three bumpers per challenge, and the more you win the more rewards you’ll earn to display in your museum room.
You’ll find yourself faced with scenarios such as making the most of a single ball, scoring points against the clock and being limited on how many times you can use the flippers. Perhaps it was the tables, but I found earning two or three bumpers in this questline much easier than previous ones. Perhaps I’m finally honing my pinball skills a little.
A Solid Compilation Elevated by WHOdunnit
All in all this is a solid trio of tables, but WHOdunnit really elevates the offering. Personally I think it’s head and shoulders above the other two, and pretty much every table I’ve played in Pinball FX so far. It’s complex but accessible, hectic but enjoyable and loads of little details tie the theme together perfectly.
Williams Pinball Volume 9 will set you back £12.49, which isn’t too bad given the replatability on offer here. Each table is a lot of fun, but WHOdunnit will keep your attention for much longer, and coming back time and time again.
Pinball FX – Williams Pinball Volume 9 is a compilation made truly great by WHOdunnit, returning with three new tables that have all the usual bells and whistles.
Important Links
Drive, Solve Crime and Soar Through Space in Williams Pinball Volume 9 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/drive-solve-crime-and-soar-through-space-in-williams-pinball-volume-9/
Buy Williams Pinball Volume 9 for Pinball FX – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/pinball-fx-williams-pinball-volume-9/9p2d6p8c791r
Superb ! Where is Williams Black Knight 1 ?