Guardians of the Galaxy is a 2017 Physical Pinball Table, designed by John Borg and released by Stern Pinball.
Unsurprisingly, it is primarily inspired by the 2014 film of the same name. The player must advance through the movie’s events, primarily by starting and completing modes themed after each of its primary characters. Along the way, they’ll have the opportunity to upgrade each regular mode to make it easier to finish, and may take advantage of Groot and Orb Multiball for big points. They’ll also be able to use a wide variety of Score Multipliers for further increases in scoring. Ultimately, the goal of the game is to start up one of the three Wizard Modes: Cherry Bomb Multiball, Immolation Initiative, and finally Save Xandar.
Other noteworthy features include a Groot head that can swallow the ball, a Rocket figurine that (on Premium and Limited Edition machines) recoils when hit, and Magna-Force (a magnet under the table that activates at certain times, similar to The Addams Family).
This game contains examples of:
- Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: Each of the main modes and corresponding shots are given a dedicated color:
- Star-Lord and "Quill’s Quest": Orange.
- Drax and "Knowhere": Red.
- Rocket Raccoon and "Escape Kyln": Burnt orange.
- Gamora and "Sibling Rivalry": Green.
- Broker and "Antiquities Shop": Turquoise.
- Nebula and "Pod Chase": Dark blue.
- Ronan and "Sanctuary": Yellow.
- Yondu and "Yaka Arrow": Light blue.
- Groot and Groot Multiball: Dark green.
- Orb Multiball: Purple (befitting the Power Stone).
- Combos: They double the value of a shot.
- Gameplay and Story Integration: Most of the movie’s prominent characters have a specific shot associated with them. While completing one character’s associated mode will obviously require making that particular shot, if another character is prominently featured in the scene that accompanies it, their shot will also further your progress. Examples include Nebula and Gamora (in both their modes), Ronan (in Drax’s mode, which depicts their fight), and the Broker and the Orb.
- High-Tech Hexagons: Hexagons are a motif throughout the game's artwork, like in the playfield (including the central section keeping track of mode progress) and in the background of the LCD display. They fit the sci-fi bent of the source material.
- Match Sequence: A machine separates the two halves of the Orb, revealing the match number inside.
- Not Quite Starring: Sound-alikes of the movie's cast can be heard providing certain call-outs.
- Obvious Rule Patch: The Hadron Enforcer originally was able to collect various important jackpots (such as the Wizard Mode’s Super Jackpot, or the hurry-up that both starts Orb Multiball and determines how much every subsequent jackpot is worth). Version 0.95 removed both of these.
- Score Multiplier: There are a truly ludicrous amount of these:
- Spelling R-A-M-P-A-G-E will double all scoring for 30 seconds.
- If you finish a character’s mode, their corresponding shot will be worth 5 times its normal value during Groot Multiball.
- Also during Groot Multiball: managing to lock a ball inside Groot’s mouth will double all scoring for 20 seconds. Doing it again during that period of time will increase it to triple the normal amount.
- During Orb Multiball, shooting the Orb will double the next jackpot’s value for a very short period of time.
- Combos will also double the value of any particular shot.
- Secondary Adaptation: The game is based on Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), a film primarily based on the 2000s run of the comic book series of the same name.
- Skill Shot: Three of them – the standard top lane shot, a hands-free variantnote , and a Super Skill Shot activated by holding the left flipper.note
- Smart Bomb: The Hadron Enforcer, which can be activated with the center button and will automatically collect the highest-scoring lit shot on the playfield.
- Spelling Bonus:
- G-U-A-R-D-I-A-N-S lights Mystery and advances the end-of-ball bonus multiplier.
- R-A-M-P-A-G-E doubles all scoring for 30 seconds.
- Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Downplayed. While most of the movie’s main characters get an equal amount of attention, Groot gets the most prominent toy on the playfield (a model of his head that is used to start a multiball mode themed after him – though this leaves him the only character without a regular mode), as well as prominent placing on the artwork for the Premium and Limited models.
- Timed Mission: Most of the game’s modes, as per usual for pinball. It’s notable here because the timer is tied to the length of the original scene; thus, there is absolutely no way to prolong it.
- Wizard Mode:
- "Cherry Bomb Multiball", added in an update, is a mini-wizard mode available after completing four modes. The player is given 6 balls at once (with unlimited ball saver time) and 60 seconds to score as much as possible; every shot is worth 3 million points initially, but after being completed is reduced to 1 million. Finishing every shot lights a Super Jackpot that resets all of the other shots.
- "Immolation Initiative" is available after getting at least halfway through every main mode and finishing both multiballs. It begins as a 3-ball multiball that awards Jackpots both at designated shots and after specific numbers of switch triggers.
- "Save Xandar" is the final wizard mode, available after finishing every mode completely. It’s a 4-ball multiball where the main goal is to score every jackpot to light the final Super Jackpot and save Xandar.
