Halloween Pinball Review

For as long as there has been pinball on iOS there has been OOO Gameprom. These fine folks were one of the early pioneers of the steel ball on mobile and they continue to strive to break new ground on the platform. Their most recent offering, Halloween Pinball, was released just in time for the upcoming holiday. Is this fresh table a sweet treat for all to enjoy, or does it leave the player with a bitter aftertaste?

Halloween has plenty of rich and haunting themes to draw from, so it seems like the perfect fit for a very niche-focused pinball table. Complete with haunted house, undead coffin, and witches brew, the playfield seems quick to mine the holiday for all of the spooks it is worth. Thankfully, though it lacks the fantastical flare of the Pinball FX series, this outing has more than enough appeal to the hardcore cabinet fans while still being approachable to outsiders as well.

When dealing with virtual pinball tables, it is very tempting to jump at the chance to burst the bubble of reality. Halloween Pinball actually bucks that trend and offers up a ramp-heavy playscape that, aside from a visual effect or two, would be completely reproducible in a physical form. For this reason it is sad that the physics engine still feels a bit lagging. It is almost as if the table was tilted at an unnatural angle, because momentum seems slightly off and the ball itself feels faintly inflated with helium. Granted few would even really notice this issue, but it doesn’t change the fact that OOO Gameprom’s engine is starting to show its age.

As far as original content goes, the single environment is a bit cliché but certainly not to the point of cheesiness. A perfect example of this is the dialog when hitting the grave plot ramp: “If the coffin is a rockin’, don’t come knockin’.” Really guys? While this sort of thing is hardly a deal-breaker, it is difficult to fathom that a room full of creative pinheads couldn’t come up with something a bit less derivative. Luckily that doesn’t change the fact that the table itself plays fluidly enough to warrant more than just an initial playthrough, if for no other reason than to see everything that it has to offer.

It has been quite some time since a bumper field fell victim to a poltergeist. Despite the complete lack of innovation, Halloween Pinball will help satiate the starving flipper fan searching for a reality based experience to feast upon. Knock, knock. Who's there? A new pinball table players should invite inside to visit for a spell, that’s who.

Happy Haunting!