[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/epicpinball-android_9313.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The first hit is free...]]

''Epic Pinball'' is a series of DigitalPinballTables for [[Platform/IBMPersonalComputer MS-DOS computers]] from [[Creator/EpicGames Epic Megagames]]. Released both on CD-ROM and a series of floppy disks, they are noted for being one of the last commercial games written entirely in assembly language, making for very faster and fluid action even on a modest PC. The first game was released in 1993.

As with ''VideoGame/{{Silverball}}'', James Schmalz created ''Epic Pinball'' to counter the success of ''VideoGame/PinballDreams'' by using assembly language to make full use of the Platform/IBMPersonalComputer hardware. Similar to ''Dreams,'' the games were played from a top-down view, either with the entire table visible at once or with a scrolling playfield two screens tall.

The first table, "Android", was available for free in the {{Shareware}} and original retail versions; paying for the game allowed users to unlock other tables. The series featured an all-digital soundtrack in Platform/{{MOD}} format and thirteen tables all together.

The tables available in the series are:

* ''Epic Pinball Pack 1'':
** "Android" (later tweaked and renamed "Super Android")
** "Pot of Gold"
** "Excalibur"
** "Crash and Burn"
* ''Epic Pinball Pack 2'':
** "Magic"
** "Jungle Pinball"
** "Deep Sea"
** "Enigma"
* ''Epic Pinball Pack 3'':
** "Cyborgirl"
** "Pangea"
** "Space Journey"
** "Toy Factory"

A thirteenth table, "African Safari," was only available in the CD-ROM version. A stripped-down version of ''Epic Pinball Pack 3'' was included by Acer in their desktop [=PCs,=] omitting the "Cyborgirl" table. A Spiritual Successor, ''VideoGame/ExtremePinball'', was released a few years later.

In 2011, the game was partially remade as "Retro Pinball" by Fuse Powered Inc. for Apple's Platform/{{iOS}} devices. It features updated versions of "Super Android," "Crash and Burn," and "Pangaea", handpicked by Schmalz himself.

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!!The ''Epic Pinball'' series demonstrates the following tropes:

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: To ''VideoGame/PinballDreams'', down to duplicating the "screws and fasteners" art aesthetic.
* TheBigRace: "Crash and Burn" is about an UsefulNotes/IndyCar race.
* {{Cyberspace}}: The premise of "Cyborgirl".
* DemoScene: Artwork for "Space Journey" and "Toy Factory" was done by a member of the demo group Future Crew.
* DigitalPiracyIsEvil: "[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: This game is not shareware. Please do not distribute! ]]
" Despite the warning, standalone installers for at least ''Crash and Burn'', ''Deep Sea'', and ''Enigma'' were distributed illegally in shareware bundles.
* ImprobablyHighIQ: Hitting the round bumpers at the top-right increases IQ by 1 for each hit.
* IntercourseWithYou: The background track for Cyborgirl includes some pretty pornographic-sounding moans and yelps.
* {{Leprechaun}}: One appears in "Pot of Gold," predictably enough.
* PinballScoring: It's a pinball game -- of course it's going to use this trope.
* PinballSpinoff: "Jungle Pinball" is based on Epic's ''VideoGame/JillOfTheJungle''.
* {{Shareware}}: ''Android'' (and ''only'' that table; others will warn you on startup that they are ''not'' shareware) was released essentially for free, with order info in the manual on how to get the other tables.
* {{Slurpasaur}}: The "Pangea" table prominently features a dinosaur that looks like an oversized alligator.
%% * SpellingBonus
%% * TopDownView
* TitleConfusion: The patched version of "Android" has the title on the playfield as "Super Android", but keeps "Android" in the game menus.
* {{Wackyland}}: "Enigma", which eschews all pretense of realism for a table of pulsing plasma where nothing is what it seems.