History YMMV / SonicTheHedgehogSpinball

* WidgetSeries: The game is arguably among the weirdest (and creepiest) games in the overbearingly Japanese ''Sonic'' franchise, but it was actually put together by an American team - hence the ''[[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM SatAM]]'' influences and the dark vibe. This WHAT status was actually used in the game's marketing in Japan; ''Spinball'' was [[GratuitousEnglish heralded]] as "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3fjPux-86o AMERIKKANO FANKAY AKSHON!]]" "[[https://info.sonicretro.org/File:Spinball-box-jap.jpg from U.S.A.]]"

* GoodBadBugs: The game's infamously loose physics can be used to your advantage to clip into different areas. For example, it is possible to bypass the Bag Worm gates in Toxic Caves by grabbing onto the ledge.

* SoOkayItsAverage: The general consensus of the game is that it isn't bad and can be fun once you understand what to do, but at the same time, it is incredibly confusing and it suffers from poor physics, confusing level design, mechanics that seemingly rely more on luck than skill and an rather grating soundtrack.

* FakeDifficulty: The game's clunky physics turn what would otherwise be an enjoyable pinball game featuring Sonic into a frustrating chore.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMDqhIUboS4 The Boss Theme]] is pretty awesome.

* WidgetSeries: The game is arguably among the weirdest (and creepiest) games in the overbearingly Japanese ''Sonic'' franchise, but it was actually put together by an American team - hence the ''[[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM SatAM]]'' influences and the dark vibe. This WHAT status was actually used in the game's marketing in Japan; ''Spinball'' was [[GratuitousEnglish heralded]] as "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3fjPux-86o AMERIKKANO FANKAY AKSHON!]]" "[[http://info.sonicretro.org/images/5/5d/Spinball-box-jap.jpg from U.S.A.]]"

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
** Is Robotnik an idiot for creating the Pinball Defense System, or is it because he wants to watch Sonic squirm? [[TakeAThirdOption Or both?]]
* AnnoyingVideoGameHelper: The game likes to constantly remind you of your objectives if you keep hitting the wrong targets.

** The Game Gear/Master System version. Although the levels are remarkably similar compared to other ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' ports (not necessarily by its own merits), whatever physics existed in the Genesis version were thrown completely out the window. Worse is the platforming engine, in which Sonic has an innate tendency to get himself stuck.
** While the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance port included in Sega Smash Pack managed to ''not'' butcher the controls, it suffers from some screen crunch, making it difficult to see much of anything in the direction Sonic is moving. Also most of the music is missing with the Toxic Caves theme playing throughout the game even on bosses which leads to some serious {{soundtrack dissonance}} (it's also highly compressed, resulting in several instruments sounding very shrill and buzzy, and doesn't loop properly).

* BrokenBase: [[RunningGag It]] ''[[RunningGag IS]]'' [[RunningGag a Sonic game after all]]. Interestingly enough, one that shows [[OlderThanTheyThink the broken base happened long before the Adventure games]]. Whether or not you'll enjoy Spinball all depends on how you feel about the pinball zones in the main series. Some see it as a fun pinball-based spin-off that fleshes out the pinball zones of the main series, while others find it a gimmicky, [[LuckBasedMission luck based]] mess of a game. Even among pinball enthusiasts, there's a divide on whether this is a ''good'' pinball game or not, thanks to certain mechanics of the game feeling too luck-based rather than skill-based.

* GoddamnBats: The badniks in this game can't hurt Sonic but that doesn't mean they can't throw him off course.

** Two of the game's bosses are a screaming robotic scorpion with Robotnik's face, and the Roboiler, a boiler with four UncannyValley Robotnik heads that ''vomit boiling lava.''

** Interestingly, unrelated stories in ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'' and ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' feature Robotnik trapping Sonic in a giant pinball table (not themed after the games), explicitly for the second reason. Except in those, Robotnik is the one in control of the flippers.

* NeverLiveItDown: Many gamers had their eardrums destroyed by the options menu theme, which has a piercing guitar riff that is unbearable.

* JustHereForGodzilla: Plenty of ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'' and ''[[SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Archie Sonic]]'' fans have been interested in this simply because it's the only game in the franchise to feature characters from the show and comic.