Pinball Prelude
| Developer: Effigy | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Effigy | Sound: |
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| Year: 1995 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Pinball | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
7/10 | |
I expected the worst when I saw the screenshots of the first table – the one with the dinosaur. That ’90s photorealistic style hasn’t aged well at all. Nevertheless, the game engine seems as convincing to me as those of reference simulators.
The three available tables are particularly large, requiring both vertical and horizontal scrolling in standard resolution. The “high-resolution” mode allows the full width and about three quarters of the height to be displayed on screen. Each table comes on its own dedicated floppy disk (and must be launched separately).
The first table, Past, is themed around prehistory. Its rather kitschy design feels like a collage of digitised photos. From time to time, a rat pops its head out of the scenery and you’re supposed to crush it with the ball (leaving a bloodstain in the grass). On the left, the usual ramp is replaced by a rushing stream.
The second table, Present, based on modern life (football, TV, cars, and telephones?), is more conventional in both style and gameplay.
The third table, Future, is the most experimental. The balls are actually drones designed to clean up a futuristic megacity, and the flippers have been turned into lightsabers! What’s more, the ball gets heavier as it absorbs pollution – at least, that’s how I understood it. The 3D-rendered environments and the ball launcher (plunger) placed in the middle give it a unique feel, though it likely won’t appeal to everyone.
I enjoy imaginative games, as long as they remain playable – and in this case, I think that condition is met.
Press F10 to display the options. Note that you can actually play this pinball game using a joystick! If you prefer using the keyboard, make sure the arrow keys aren’t mapped to the joystick, or simply disable it.
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