Line #101 Pinball/TwilightZone


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twilightzone_e1337549690466.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:So ''this'' is where Rod retired to...]]
3
4	->"''You unlock this door with the key of imagination.''"
5	-->-- '''Creator/RodSerling''', at the start of the game
6
7	JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere...''in the Twilight Zone.''
8
9	''Twilight Zone''[[note]]No [[SpellMyNameWithAThe "The"]], unlike the source material[[/note]] is a {{Pinball}} game designed by Creator/PatLawlor and illustrated by Creator/JohnYoussi. Released in 1993 by Creator/WilliamsElectronics under their Bally label, it is based on the original ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' television series, with dozens of cameos, [[ShoutOut shout outs]], and references to various episodes.[[note]]And yes, this pinball is officially just called ''Twilight Zone'', with no [[SpellMyNameWithAThe "The"]].[[/note]]
10
11	Taking place in a curio shop, the player must explore various ''Twilight Zone'' artifacts to gather fourteen door panels. Tasks include surviving a riot in Town Square, collecting the Powerball from the Gumball Machine, Battle the Power, taking photos with the fortune-telling Camera, and collecting the Spirals around the playfield. Reassembling all fourteen panels opens a door to another dimension, leaving the player Lost In [[Franchise/TheTwilightZone The Zone]]...
12
13	Due to the runaway success of ''The Addams Family'', Pat Lawlor was given ''carte blanche'' privileges in the game's design; the result is arguably one of the most complex pinballs ever, with more patent-pending features than any other table ever made and an impressively deep ruleset. It has been rated "Best Electronic Pinball Machine of All Time" on the Internet Pinball Machine Database. Despite this, in its initial release it didn't sell well -- the huge success of ''Pinball/TheAddamsFamily'' was [[ToughActToFollow tough to follow]], though ''Zone'' has since been VindicatedByHistory.
14
15	A digital version of the game was formerly available as part of [=FarSight=] Studios' ''VideoGame/ThePinballArcade'' collection until the WMS license expired on July 1, 2018.
16
17	Another remastered version was released on April 13, 2023 in ''[[VideoGame/ZenPinball Pinball FX]]''.
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19	----
20	!!Beyond this door is a dimension of tropes[[note]]Don't touch the door![[/note]]:
21
22	* AuteurLicense: After ''Pinball/TheAddamsFamily'' became the best-selling pinball of all-time, Pat Lawlor was given creative control over the game, and the end result, by his own admission, was one of the most complex designs ever.
23	* AuthorCatchphrase: Like in many other Pat Lawlor tables, "The Power" is mentioned here. This time, there's an adversary called the Power that you can fight on a mini-table. In addition, there's the Powerball, a special ceramic ball that moves lighter and faster than a regular pinball, and is immune to magnets. Returning the Powerball to the gumball machine activates a special multiball mode, or bringing the Powerball into the regular multiball enables it to be used to score a double jackpot.
24	* BazaarOfTheBizarre: The Curio Shop where the game takes place.
25	* BigNo: The Power does this when you enter the Powerfield during [[WizardMode "Lost in the Zone"]] or "Powerball Mania".
26	* BuildingOfAdventure: Technically, everything is taking place inside the Curio Shop.
27	* CanonForeigner: The game's iconic gumball machine and "Battle the Power" pyramid were created for this game, and are not references to any existing episodes.
28	* {{Cap}}:
29	** 99 Robots
30	** 100 Hitchhikers
31	** Bonus multiplier tops out at 5.
32	* {{Combos}}: Several of these are available, awarding 10 million for a 3-way and 20 million for a 4-way. If neither GUM nor BALL is lit, shooting the left and right ramps in succession will award a 2-way "Gum-Ball Combo" for 5 million.
33	* CompanyCrossReferences:
34	** The "Fast Lock" multiball, which starts with a radio playing clips from Lawlor's previous tables. Depending on when the player locks a ball, music from ''Pinball/TheAddamsFamily'', ''Pinball/FunHouse1990'', ''Pinball/{{Whirlwind}}'', ''Pinball/{{Earthshaker}}'', or ''Pinball/BanzaiRun'' will play until multiball play ends.
35	** Similarly, hitting the clock enough times during "Clock Chaos" will play a clip of Rudy (from ''Pinball/FunHouse1990'') yelling, "Quit playing with the clock!"
36	** When a player buys an extra ball at the end of a game, a clip of Creator/RaulJulia's [[Pinball/TheAddamsFamily Gomez Addams]] saying "Grrreeeeeeed" will play. (Oddly, it's not heard when the ''mode'' named "Greed" is active.)
37	** TAF's Thing appears and knocks three times whenever you defeat the Power.
38	** Score at least 20 million during the Greed mode, and you'll hear Gomez's TAF quote "There. See what greed will get you?" -- but spoken by Rod Serling.
39	* ContinuityCameo: '''LOTS''', thanks to the license. A full list of the pinball's episode references can be found [[http://www.ipdb.org/rulesheets/2684/tz-tie-ins.htm here.]]
40	* CoverVersion: Chris Granner (the game's composer) covered ''Banzai Run''[='=]s main theme (originally performed by Brian Schmidt) for this game.
41	* CreepyDoll: Talky Tina, just like in the episode from whence she came.
42	* DefeatEqualsExplosion:
43	** Defeating The Power causes it to explode.
44	** Inverted with the Door; it explodes to signal the start of multiball, but remains intact when starting Lost In The Zone.
45	* DevelopersForesight:
46	** If the ball exits the Powerfield undetected and doesn't hit any switch on the playfield before draining, a new ball is fed to the autolauncher to compensate.
47	---> '''Rod:''' "Things aren't what they first appear."
48	** If the Powerball is on the field, then access to the Powerfield is disabled, since the Powerball isn't affected by the magna-flippers.
49	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Occurs when you defeat The Power.
50	* EvilLaugh: Done by The Power if the ball drops out through the bottom hole of the Powerfield before time runs out.
51	* EyeOfProvidence: One of the bosses is "the power", which is represented by a pyramid with an eye in it.
52	* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: [[AppliedMathematics Powerball + Battle the Power = instant loss]]. Barring a failure of the carriage on the right ramp or the software controlling it, this can only happen during Lost in the Zone.
53	* FortuneTeller: The Camera, which can give eight different awards. It'll always tell you which one will come next.
54	* {{Greed}}: One of the modes that, unsurprisingly, has an emphasis on hitting as many 5,000,000-point targets as possible. Every target hit generates a satisfying BANG, followed by the ring of a cash register.
55	-->'''Voice:''' You want more?...More?...More?\
56	'''Rod:''' There. See what greed will get you? (Heard if you score at least 20 million in this mode)
57	* HumansAreBastards: "There's madness in Town Square."
58	* LargeHam: Rod Serling (or, at least, Tim Kitzrow's impersonation of Serling).
59	%%* LicensedGame
60	* {{Lilliputians}}: The Invaders, who are only slightly larger than a pinball.
61	* MachineMonotone:
62	** Several spoken bits are delivered this way: "The robots can help." "Enter the Spiral." "Look to the future." And so on.
63	** Played with: at the start of multiball, "Don't touch the door!" is heard, getting higher and higher pitched every time until the door explodes. See MadnessMantra below.
64	* MadeOfExplodium:
65	** Some of the extra balls you get explode.
66	** The Zone's door explodes upon starting the game's main multiball mode.
67	** Light all seven of the "5 Million" targets with a regular ball, then hit the clock target to blow up the clock and score a bonus.
68	* MadnessMantra: '''''DONTTOUCHTHEDOORDONTTOUCHTHEDOORDONTTOUCHTHEDOORDONTTOUCHTHEDOOR'''''
69	* MatchSequence: One of the Invaders fires its laser gun to reveal the two numbers, and any non-matching numbers instantly vaporize.
70	* MindOverMatter: The mini-playfield, which uses flipperless "magna-flips" to control the ball and battle The Power.
71	* MusicalGag:
72	** The game's main background music is an instrumental version of the 1982 song "Twilight Zone", by Music/GoldenEarring.
73	** Collecting a Camera award plays a snippet of the old standard "You Oughta Be in Pictures."
74	* MyNameIsQuestionMarks: The center of the playfield (which indicates each mode as part of a door) represents "[[WizardMode Lost in the Zone]]" with a single question mark on the doorknob.
75	* NewGamePlus: This is the first Pat Lawlor game to reset the modes (door panels in this case) immediately after playing the WizardMode, allowing them to be played again on the same ball as opposed to not resetting until the next ball.
76	* NotQuiteStarring:
77	** Tim Kitzrow, who does Rod Serling's voice, as [[JustifiedTrope the real Rod Serling died in 1975]].
78	** Then there's Not-Creator/JuneForay as Talky Tina.
79	* PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep: The Power speaks in a very deep baritone.
80	* PowerUp: The Powerball, a ceramic sphere that's the same size as a pinball, but whose lighter mass makes it go faster and move somewhat more erratically as a result. It's also immune to the game's magnets. When it appears in-game, some shots have increased scoring, additional targets are lit, and returning it to the gumball machine starts Powerball Mania mode. Get it during multiball, and you can score a double jackpot by shooting it into the Player Piano.
81	* PyramidPower: The Power, appropriately enough.
82	* RealSongThemeTune: In addition to using the theme song from the show, this game used the 1982 hit song, "Twilight Zone", by Music/GoldenEarring.
83	* RetroRocket
84	* RobotBuddy: Collect robots to light extra balls and Camera awards. The counter maxes out at 99; beyond that, each one awards bonus points.
85	* ScoreMultiplier:
86	** Score a jackpot with the Powerball during multiball, and you collect double the points (the display will point this out if you pull it off).
87	** A lit Dead End awards double the Town Square value, and one of the Camera awards gives triple.
88	** Defeat the Power during normal play, and your entire score from that battle is doubled.
89	* SignatureStyle: A shot through the jet bumpers, magnets under the playfield, a "soft plunge" SkillShot, and eye-grabbing toys all over the place -- yep, it's a Creator/PatLawlor pin all right.
90	* SkillShot:
91	** A soft launch will send the ball into a colored zone (red, orange, or yellow), which lights one to three of the jet bumpers and awards points.
92	** "Super Skill Shot" does something similar, with alternate rewards - red lights Battle The Power, orange lights the outlanes, and yellow lights an [[OneUp extra ball]].
93	* SongsInTheKeyOfPanic: A snippet of "Pop Goes the Weasel" plays during the Clock Chaos mode. After each of the first four hits to the clock target, the music speeds up and rises by half a step.
94	* SpinningClockHands: Used throughout the game to indicate the amount of time remaining for a particular mode. In some modes, the clock hands can travel backwards, switch directions, and[=/=]or determine the points awarded for hitting a target.
95	* SwirlyEnergyThingy: The playfield spirals. Aside from being decorative, they can also temporarily trap a regular pinball on their magnets, which is helpful for making some of the shots.
96	* TimedMission: While timed modes are a staple of modern pins, ''TZ'' is well-known for having a physical ticking clock on the table to go with many timed objectives. Although it doesn't always run clockwise...
97	--> "Time is a one-way street...except in the Twilight Zone."
98	* TitleDrop: True to the series, many of Serling's voice clips refer to "the Twilight Zone".
99	* UnexpectedGameplayChange:
100	** The Powerball. It's lighter than a standard pinball, making it riskier to handle, and because it's ceramic, it's unaffected by the magnets on the field. Get it for multiball, though, and you can use it to score a double jackpot.
101	** The clock initially runs backwards and at about half normal speed in Clock Chaos; every hit to the Clock Millions target speeds it up and reverses its direction.
102	* TheUnintelligible: The Invaders.
103	* WizardMode: "Lost In The Zone", which is reached after collecting all of the door panels. In this mode, all six balls are launched onto the playfield, and the player has 45 seconds to rack up as many points as they can with nearly every mode and scoring shot active at once.
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Context Pinball / TwilightZone