Hungary-based developer Zen Studios, arguably the kings of pinball videogames for over a decade now, have just earlier this year launched the brand new Pinball FX across multiple platforms, after a fairly long early access window only on PC. Basically, it’s the franchise’s next multi-year pinball experience, updated with new tables, tournaments and more for years to come. Yet, a standalone and predominantly horror-themed game is in our hands, called Pinball M – which, for some reason, is a month too late to hit the Halloween craze. Let’s unravel this (pin)ballin’ mystery in our review for Pinball M for Xbox Series X!
Murderball
Once again, an article of mine opens up with a bit of a story – I’ll keep it brief this time! As abundantly eviscerated in our review for Pinball FX (which, for clarity’s sake, we’ll keep on calling Pinball FX (2023)), Zen Studios from Budapest have throughout the years launched multiple increasingly content-packed and ambitious pinball “services” in the form of videogames, with new insanely high quality virtual pinball machines added in all the time. A highly user-friendly pricing model even allowed players to carry over virtually all their tables (aside the ones with expired licenses, such as multiple Marvel-themed ones) from one game to another, making this developer one of the most applauded ones when it comes to monetizing the so-called “GaaS” (Game-as-a-service) videogames. And while it was technically and mechanically excellent, on top of introducing various cool new game modes, this year’s Pinball FX did run into multiple controversies: a long-lasting Epic Games Store exclusivity on PC that only ended recently, tables could not be imported from older games anymore with their prices also getting upped, with a subscription model going for up to 15 Euros per month to access some, not even all of the available tables – with even additional cosmetic items to buy with real money on top. Possibly to avoid rating shenanigans or the continued backlash of the aforementioned changes, Zen Studios ends 2023 by releasing a separate, entirely standalone pinball experience called Pinball M – this one focusing on horror-themed and generally mature-rated tables. Hence, the M in the name. No, there isn’t X-rated content, thank you very much.
So, let’s say you’ve never, ever played a Pinball FX game, or at least a somewhat recent one. What can you expect from a pinball table in terms of content and features in a game like this? Well, frankly, just about everything that can be reasonably expected. As of Pinball FX (2023), that’s basically the following and then some. Highly detailed graphics with even raytracing options. An incredibly polished physics engine, refined through almost two decades of analyzing real world machines and tweaking the virtual ones accordingly. Local and online multiplayer alike, with cross-play to boot. Leaderboards also shared across all platforms. All kinds of game modes such as free play, modes with power-ups such as slowing down time or boosting points for certain actions. Challenges, such as trying to get the highest score with a single ball, a certain amount of flipper movements or within a time limit. All with individually customizeable camera angles and controls, large guides and manuals for each table, with the ones based on real-life counterparts sharing tons of cool info about their history. But wait, there’s more: since Pinball M is a brand new standalone game, it introduces its share of new elements. Let’s see some of them.
Blood on the table
For starters, in what is a franchise first, each of the 5 tables currently available to play has a so-called campaign mode. While this may sound like a surprising venture into the world of storybuilding, it really isn’t: it’s merely a sequence of specific challenges to complete on the table with the usual one to three star ratings to unlock based on the scores we achieve. These predominantly mimic other existing modes, with other more unique variations such as one mode where the points bleed more and more as you go, with the player having to survive without reaching 0 as long as possible. With only generic tweet-long story explanations, it’s a good way to explore the quirks of each table in new ways but it’s hardly an essential or revolutionary experience. Much more positive is the fact that these missions unlock various cool cosmetics to customize our pinball experience.
Indeed, the entire progression and unlock system has been largely revamped, with an even bigger focus on customizing your own virtual cabinets’ visuals, with the campaign mode playing a big part in this. Let’s take the Duke Nukem’s Big Shot Pinball for reference, a brand new table based on the iconic Duke Nukem 3D, a classic and ironic 90’s first person shooter (or boomer shooter, as they’ve been called lately) by 3D Realms. Choosing said table, the menu moves to an angle of our play area where this table stands inbetween 90’s style graphics walls with little to no decorations around. As we complete the challenges of the campaign, various of Duke’s weapons are added as ornaments to the wall, a life-size statue of the man is erected next to the table, with even differently coloured lights or alternate sideplates that can be added to the pinball table itself. While these don’t change the gameplay itself, they are certainly a more interesting visual progression than the empty rooms with trophies and posters in Pinball FX (2023). Other than the campaign, it’s all about leveling up and completing challenges: doing so, makes players unlocks coins that can be spent in the game’s own limited and fixed shop (no microtransactions involved), which unlock anything from player backgrounds, alternate skins for the outside of the pinball tables, special lights, profile titles and then some.
Retcon
Pinball M completely moves away from the previous game’s monetization even when it comes to the table availability. No more Pinball Pass, no more tables costing up to 15 Euros (for now, anyway). In its free-to-play base game, it offers the full Director’s Cut, M-rated version of the H.P. Lovecraftian table Elder Gods, of which the safer, less gory version can be found in Pinball FX (2023) as well. The four additional tables currently available, namely Chucky’s Killer Pinball, Dead By Daylight Pinball, Duke Nukem’s Big Shot Pinball and The Thing Pinball, can be bought individually for 5,49EUR each or your regional equivalent – the same price for most of the licensed virtual machines in the previous game. The tables can be bought in a bundle or individually, and each of them unlocks tons of cosmetics to spruce up your player profile and virtual cabinets, with no paid in-game currencies or microtransactions making a comeback. Just how it should be, as far as I’m concerned.
So how are these tables? In short, about what’s expected from Zen Studios at this point: nothing less, but also nothing more. None of them is as deep and complex as classics like Epic Quest, but they stand tall next to just about any table you could find in the latest installment of Pinball FX. The Duke Nukem 3Dtable in particular has some very funny missions, including one inside the iconic cinema from the opening level with a first person shooting gallery. The Dead By Daylight table has pretty good replayability, as various mechanics and bonuses depend on whether the player chooses to be a killer or a survivor, with even multiple of the latter available to use.
Shiny metal balls
On a mere technical level, as largely expected after Pinball FX (2023), the game performs quite well. It has a quality mode with even raytraced lights, but it runs at 30fps which is frankly suboptimal for a fast-paced pinball game. Fret not, because the game looks gorgeous and realistic even without said technology, with HDR and great blacks on my OLED TV really making every virtual cabinet look pretty damn sick.
Concluding all that, Pinball M inherits all the best aspects of what is already the mechanically and technically best pinball game on the market, turning it into a standalone experience focusing only on the mature-themed tables that probably could not be included in the previous games for ESRB/PEGI/etc. ratings getting affected. Zen Studios also decided to move away from the controversial subscription and monetization models of the previous game, offering here a high quality starting table for free and, so far, 4 additional tables available to be bought separately, with each having even more content and unlockables than usual. Aside from some surprisingly gory moments, in Chucky’s table in particular, there isn’t much here that Pinball FX players haven’t already seen many times before, making Pinball M a far from essential buy. Yet, it’s more of the studio’s trademark bloody brilliant (pun intended) pinball mechanics, with a couple cool additions, a better progression system and none of the controversial elements of the previous game. Sure it doesn’t have the crazy list of available tables of the other games, but it’s not meant to replicate that game, just to offer something slightly different as a side dish. And that is reason enough to recommend Pinball M to all fans of the pins and metal balls – provided they’re up for the M-rating of these violent tables!
Pinball M
Played on
Xbox Series X
PROS
- The table quality we expect from Zen Studios
- The usual barrage of game modes and customization, with even some brand new additions
- Technically very satisfying
- No pesky microtransactions or subscriptions this time
CONS
- So-called
- Not many tables thus far
- The M rating mostly only consists of some gore and Duke Nukem swearing, as opposed to more creative solutions
