Review: Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force

Growing up, I often found myself wandering aimlessly around our local arcade trying to decide what to play. Inevitably I’d find myself in the back corner playing one of the three pinball machines, feeding quarter after quarter into its waiting maw. I shudder to think about the money I spent playing pinball, but I wouldn’t change one second of it. Arcades faded away and pinball machines became more and more scarce. Enter Zen Studios in 2007 with the release of Pinball FX, a modest entry into the Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace.

Since 2007, Zen Studios has been upping the ante with every new table release. With its latest release, Zen seeks to raise the stakes yet again with the new Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force table pack. Three separate tables focusing on various elements of the Star Wars Universe. In this latest table pack, you will find “Starfighter Assault”, “Star Wars Episode VI“, and of course “Darth Vader”.

“Starfighter Assault” puts you in the shoes of either a Rebel Fighter Pilot or an Empire Pilot. The table is divided down the middle; right from the start you have to decide which side you will fight for. Challenge-wise, this is a fairly easy table on the surface, however, when you get to the nuts and bolts and start to tackle the missions, it becomes a very precise shot table.  When you make the decision to start the actual mission, the screen quickly becomes filled with cannon fire, X-Wings and Tie Fighters, all the while demanding those precise shots. An awesome inclusion for this table one of the missions takes you to a separate playfield and recreates the classic Galaga, but with a Star Wars twist. Overall, this is a fun, fast paced, hectic table.

The “Episode VI” table is a wonderful homage to the movie that is its inspiration. Visually, the table is absolutely stunning – and in my opinion the best looking of the three.  If you are a fan of hitting ramps, and working on combos then this is a table you will fall in love with. Two of the shots on this table are tricky, the far left and far right lanes. These will most likely cause some frustration for people until they learn the small window for a successful shot.  Much like the “Starfighter Assault” table, this one has a mission that occurs on a separate playfield as well – and it’s one that will make Star Wars fans grin from ear to ear. That would be a land speeder mission chasing a Stormtrooper trying to get away. Before you get all giddy and excited, be warned, it’s not an easy mission. Fans of the movie will see many nods towards the classic, including little Ewok noises which made this table even more special to me.

“Darth Vader” is arguably one of the most iconic villains of our generation. When I first heard there would be a Vader table I was both excited and a little apprehensive. However, after playing around on the table all my apprehension faded away and was replaced by sheer joy. Zen nailed the essence of Darth Vader perfectly, from becoming Vader to listening to Emperor Palpatine and going after Luke.  Surprisingly, this is probably, in my opinion, the easiest table to learn and to score big scores on. Like the other two tables, this one has a separate playfield mission as well. It shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s a trench run going after an X-Wing, which leads to some hair-raising moments when you need to dodge pillars and shoot the X-Wings.  Visually, I would have liked to see a little more variation in color and tone. I get the black and red theme and it works, but loses some appeal when playing the table for a longer period of time. This is another fairly easy table to score on, especially if you can find the rhythm bouncing between ramps and getting combos.

Overall, this is an excellent three pack of tables; Zen Studios once again proves why it’s the king of the digital pinball world. Difficulty-wise, this table pack is not nearly as difficult as the previous Star Wars pack with Boba Fett, Clone Wars and Episode IV tables. It’s much more forgiving and allows new players to learn techniques, while still challenging existing players with precision shots and strategies. Just a fun set of tables that I can easily see myself returning to time and time again.

Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force is out now on Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Android devices, with tables on Kindle and iOS available shortly. If you have ever been interested in pinball or are a Star Wars fan, this is a pack you should certainly consider.