Do you like video pinball? Well, we here at The Ball is Wild really do because it’s creating a whole new possibility space for the (virtual) silverball. You aren’t restricted to the rules of real-world physics and can hence really go wild with ideas.

Robert presents two short reviews of video pinball titles that surprise with cool concepts and neat little design elements. First off, we have Mr. Flipper by the US-American indie videogame designer Willem Rosenthal, a little game that was made within a period of only 48 hours during the Game Maker’s Toolkit Jam in the Summer of 2019. It’s a game where you control the protagonist of the game, a living flipper, who can walk around the pinball playfield and needs to catch up with the ball in order to flip it. That sounds easier than it is, and also there are monsters who can stun you. Step by step and flip by flip, you ascent the very long pinball table until you eventually reach the finish line. But don’t let your ball drop into the acid pool!

Another great little pinball videogame which shares similarities with Mr. Flipper is Flipper Volcano by Dutch indie videogame team Sokpop Collective. They design and develop a new little game each month which you can buy or get for free when you have subscribed to their Patreon service. Flipper Volcano also uses the tried and tested concept of the vertically ascending pinball tables. In this case, things get mixed up additionally due to the fact that the levels with all its elements are randomly generated. As in Mr. Flipper, there is a deadly fluid rising up to devour your ball if you are not careful or too slow.

Both of these games are highly recommende, don’t need much of your time and only cost you the amount of a cup of coffee (if even!).

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