Xboxaddict.com Article
Pinball FX3 - Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure
by Adam Dileva
I’m glad to have grown up when I did, as I played outside as a kid until it got dark, didn’t have to worry about always being connect via cellphones and the internet, and most importantly, got to have the experience of going to an actual Arcade to play videogames. That’s right, back in the day not everything came out for your home console, you had to go get a pocket full of quarters and plunk one in each time you wanted to play. Back then, it seemed many were either drawn towards the stand-up arcade units or stuck with the classical Pinball machines, usually in their own wing or corner of the local Arcade.
I was always drawn towards pinball machines, as there was simply a different feeling about them, something more tactile pressing that plunger and buttons to have your flippers snap back and forth to maneuver the ball on the playfield under that glass. While Arcades don’t exist anymore aside from maybe the odd specialty location here and there, it’s a shame, as I can’t remember the last time I even saw an actual pinball machine in real life. Given this dilemma, Zen Studios has carved a niche for themselves, providing a way to enjoy classic pinballs machines you may have grown up with, but in digital form on your preferred devices.
Pinball FX3, a free download, is essentially their platform and engine for their pinball games, coming with a free table or two to try out. Of course to be successful they then provide dozens of extra tables, some individual and some bundles, based on classic pinball games or popular franchises like Star Wars, Bethesda games and more, for a cost. It’s been a long time coming, but one of the holy grails of pinball machines have finally been remade for its first time digitally.
Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure is widely regarded as not only one of the better pinball machines in existence, but doing some research, I was shocked to find out how rare and expensive the actual machines are to purchase. This table in real life is extremely rare and sought after, so unless you happened to play it way back in the day, I’m betting this will be your only chance to play this iconic table.
Out now for Pinball FX3, Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure is not only based on an iconic franchise, but quite a fun and entertaining table to play as well. Recreating moments from the original movies, you can expect a bunch of adventure moments with Indiana Jones. It seems like not many were expecting this table to get a digital recreation, for many reasons, but here we are and kudos to Zen Studios for making it happen, providing the original experience but also allowing optional enhancements as well. Preserving classic pinball machines is more important than ever given that there’s not many created these days, and recreating those iconic sounds, visuals and feeling is no easy task in digital form.
Zen Studios has a plethora of tables to choose from, but this latest is a standalone offering, quite a special treat if you know your pinball history. Widely regarded as one of the best tables out there, it’s also quite a treat visually simply to look at. Typical of Indy’s universe, you can expect a lot of brown and orange themes throughout, from the marquee to the table and playfield.
Given that this is a digital version you can expect a few extras, like a model of Indy swinging across the playfield to add some extra flair. You can also expect to hear the iconic theme from the franchise along with the original sounds and more, takem straight from the movies or based on the actual sound effects.
If you know your Indiana Jones movies you’ll be elated to know that you’ll get to relive certain moments from the films, like the Rope Bridge standoff, finding Marion on the Streets of Cairo and escaping Castle Brunwald. To keep with the Indy theme, the plunger has been changed into a pistol where you pull the trigger to launch your ball, just like the actual machine. Zen Studios always does a fantastic job with their table recreations and does a great job with their engine to mimic true-to-life Pro Physics simulation.
While you can play solo obviously, you’re also able to play multiplayer locally, as well as participate in specific challenges and tournaments, all while checking your high score against the online leaderboards. This table has a handful of ramps which is always fun to blast your ball up and you only need to worry about two paddles in your standard placement at the bottom. With twelve different adventure modes (four from each film), a 6-ball multiball and three different minigames (Raven Bar, Mine Cart and Choose Wisely) playable on the video screen, there’s some good excitement to be had on this table once you learn its intricacies. There’s even a really fun tilting mini-playfield controlled with the flippers if you manage to spell A-D-V-E-N-T-U-R-E. There are also numerous Jackpots to work towards though will take some practice to learn where to hit to obtain and work towards, each with a reference to one of the movies.
If there was going to be a special release for Pinball FX3’s 100th table, this would be the perfect table to do so, and Zen Studios did just that. One of William’s most iconic tables, Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure is a fantastic table that’s been requested for quite some time and most likely the only way you’ll experience this masterpiece of a table, one I hope I can try in person someday. Until that time though, Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure is a great experience for any pinball lover, even if it is a little pricey compared to other tables at $14.99 USD.
**Pinball FX3 - Indiana Jones The Pinball Adventure was provided by the publisher and reviewed on an Xbox Series X**
Overall: 9/ 10
