Flash Gordon (pinball)
| Company type | Pinball machine |
|---|---|
| Industry | Arcade games |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Bally |
| Products | Pinball machines |
Flash Gordon is a pinball machine manufactured by Bally during the early 1980s.
Flash Gordon film
This pinball game draws inspiration from the "Flash Gordon" character and was launched to coincide with the December 1980 release of the Flash Gordon movie. It gained exposure on NBC Today, where Max Von Sydow, portraying Ming the Merciless, was shown playing it. The backglass artwork depicts key characters from the film, including Ming, Flash Gordon, and Dale Arden, created using images derived from movie scenes and promotional materials.
Design and layout
As Bally's inaugural split-level pinball machine, Flash Gordon features a single-playfield wiring system. The upper elevated section symbolizes Ming's palace and is accessible via two ramps, each equipped with a spinner at their base. This upper area contains a third flipper, three drop targets, one pop bumper, and an additional drop target positioned above. The primary lower playfield includes two pop bumpers, a quartet of drop targets on the left side, and three aligned drop targets on the right. Positioned between the two levels is a kick-out hole capable of propelling the ball in either direction.
This model introduced Bally’s "Squawk and Talk" sound board and marked their second use of speech synthesis technology following 1980’s Xenon. Uniquely, it is the sole Bally machine to feature a strobe flasher located behind the backglass between "Flash" and "Gordon," although this element was discontinued mid-production due to player feedback. Audio output is delivered through two speakers—one dedicated to voice and another for synthesized sounds.
Gameplay
Upon launch, the ball enters the upper playfield where one drop target rises after gameplay begins. Bonus points accrued when the ball drains are tallied separately for each playfield level. Bonus multipliers reach up to 3X via in-line drop targets, while both upper and lower banks of drop targets can increase multipliers up to 5X.
Reception
In a review for Play Meter, Roger Sharpe awarded the game a perfect score of 4/4. He commended the cohesive artwork integration and highlighted the presence of a 7-digit score display. For arcade operators, he suggested pricing gameplay at 25 cents per session.