Back to the Future

"Are you telling me you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?!"

- Marty McFly

Back to the Future is one of three tables in the Universal Pictures Classics mini table pack, released in 2017 and available for Pinball FX 3 and the macOS version of Zen Pinball 2. It is based on all three installments of the Back to the Future trilogy, directed by Robert Zemeckis. The pinball machine chronicles the events of the film trilogy, depicting the time-traveling adventures of teenager Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett L. Brown, who invented a groundbreaking time-traveling machine in the form of a heavily modified DeLorean.

This is the second pinball adaptation of the Back to the Future film trilogy, with the first being Data East's Back to the Future: The Pinball, released shortly after the third film in 1990.

Table overview[]

The upper half of the table[]

A large orbit wraps around much of the upper half of the table. To the right of it is a dead-end lane that spells DELOREAN, where a miniature toy version of the time machine is usually parked. The end of that lane is another sinkhole that comes into play when the toy moves away from that lane. There is also a reverse scoop to the right of this lane and a target post shaped into a plutonium canister used to fuel the time machine lies in between them. The reverse scoop can drop the ball onto a short crossing habitrail, or down another habitrail that leads to the right inlane.

The right orbit is gated by a flag shaped into a U.S. quarter coin, and part of the orbit is covered by a miniature model of Hill Valley's courthouse, which plays a critical role in the climax of the first film in which Marty uses it to collect lightning as emergency fuel for the time machine to get back to his time. The back wall has a desert theme to reflect the adventures McFly had in 1885 during the events of the third film. The ball can drop from the orbit near its apex into a bumper area with three rollovers that spell DOC, the nickname Marty gives to Dr. Brown. The bumper area has two one-way exits: a left exit that drops the ball in front of a spindisk under a replica of the machine's flux capacitor and a right exit that rolls the ball down the right orbit.

Within the large orbit are four different lanes. The leftmost lane is a dead-end lane, where either a skateboard or hoverboard varitarget lane can be pushed and struck. A left mini-flipper is installed between the left orbit and this varitarget lane. To the right of it is a ramp that leads into the flux capacitator, which has two entry ramps and two exit ramps. The left exit ramp brings the ball either in front of the varitarget lane or the second left inlane, with the former putting the ball right beside the mini-flipper so that a cross shot can be lined up to hit the capacitator's other entry ramp, a crossramp that arcs over the bumper area on the way there. The right exit ramp is a longer habitrail leading to the reverse scoop's right inlane habitrail.

In between the two ramps is a spindisk that can be spun to generate the energy needed for time travel. Four target posts that spell TIME are also located on the upper left quadrant of the table, with the first post in front of the mini-flipper, the second and third ones positioned at the corners of the left ramp's entry and the final one placed on the left corner of the crossramp. Between the crossramp and the right orbit is a special, dynamic target area that changes depending on the current time setting. If its missions do not demand that shots be made there, three drop targets representing welcome signs for Hill Valley will be present that can be knocked down to visit a particular landmark in Hill Valley.

The walls of the table feature landmarks from Hill Valley, with the left wall featuring the front of Café 80's, a popular dining area in the town. The back wall also contains a screen that can change to reflect a scene from the current time setting. A long, diagonal drop target track spans from in front of the skateboard/hoverboard varitarget to the entry of the reverse scoop lane, where drop targets representing characters from different time settings can pop up for the ball to hit.

The lower half of the table[]

Two figures representing the main protagonists of the trilogy, Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett L. Brown, stand on the sides of the table. Dr. Brown stands on the right side of the table, which contains a door where he may go through to move to the back of the table for some scenes. A lever is also placed next to the door. Beneath the platform where Dr. Brown stands is a hidden shaft that the ball can fall into if the player attempts to shoot the reverse scoop with insufficient force. This shaft forms the upper part of the plunger shaft and leads to a sinkhole in front of the one-way exit gate of the lower half of the plunger that lies outside of play. This sinkhole pops the ball back up onto the right habitrail.

In front of Marty's figure is a one-way exit hole that drops the ball down into the leftmost inlane. There are two rebounds, each containing an analog gauge from the time machine's dashboard. There are 5 return lanes, three to the left and two to the right, that spell MCFLY, Marty's last name. There are two low-power spring-loaded kickbacks, one in each outlane and two flippers. There are also five lamps that light up to indicate the current score multiplier level.

The aprons are designed to resemble the time machine's dashboard, with the left apron containing the plutonium chamber, which has a box of plutonium charges hooked to it. The box opens when kickbacks are available to use. The opposite apron contains a keypad and a display readout used to input the destination time.

The plunger[]

The plunger is a straight shaft with a one-way exit gate that the ball passes through to enter the playfield. A hidden sinkhole is placed in front of this gate, obstructed by the platform where the figure of Dr. Brown stands. With great strength, the plunger will send the ball up the reverse scoop and drop onto the rightmost habitrail. The plunger shaft is designed to resemble the parking lot of Twin Pines Mall, where Dr. Brown first demonstrated his time machine to the world at the beginning of the first film. The plunger is designed to resemble the time machine's ignition system.

To perform a skill shot, the player must shoot the ball with just enough force that it gently goes up the reverse scoop and stops on the very short cross-habitrail. If done correctly, the ball becomes a "crackshot" and disappears, leaving a trail of fire like that of the time machine.

Alternately, the player can perform a hidden skill shot by watching for a blinking white light on the right inner wall of the table, then timing a shot with a weaker force than what would be needed for a skill shot so that the ball drops into the hidden sinkhole under Dr. Brown right at the moment that lamp is lit. This will raise a Wild Gunman drop target that can be struck for double points. It may take practice to pull it off.

Objective and Missions[]

The objective of the table is to relive the events of the Back to the Future trilogy, journeying through various times and locations using the DeLorean.

The player will always be in a particular time period while playing this table, and before the first ball is launched, the player must decide which of the six time periods to visit first with the time machine. Once a time period is chosen, the player stays in that setting until its missions are completed successfully or all balls are lost, meaning that it is not possible to fail a mission and no progress is lost when a ball is drained. After all tasks in a time period are completed, the player must shoot the flux capacitor through either of its two entry ramps to choose the next time setting (or start the wizard mode once all periods are completed).

Each time period is split into two parts. The first half involves completing three tasks, which are each completed by hitting certain targets or lanes. Each task is further split into two phases: the mission phase where the shots have to be made, and a time-limited bonus phase that provides an opportunity to earn more points (which will end prematurely if the ball is drained). Once the timers for all three bonus phases have expired, the second half of the time period is a "finale" where the player is tasked with one final mission to escape the current time period.

The timers for the bonus phases of each mission can be increased from 15 seconds by 5 seconds (to a maximum of 60 seconds) by spelling "TIME" at the standup targets. The timers reset at the end of each ball.

The following time periods must be completed successfully in order to access the Time Paradox wizard mode:

Year	Phase 1 mandatory tasks	Phase 1 task bonuses	Phase 2 (Finale) tasks
Back to the Future: Part I
1985	Late for School: Marty ends up late for school and needs to get there as fast as he can with his skateboard. Hit the skateboard varitarget 5 times to get him there. Pinheads: Marty formed a childhood band called the "Pinheads" and needs to gather up members of his band for an audition for a Battle of the Bands. Hit the guitar varitarget at the center toy area or the two ramps 4 times to get all the band members. Burnout: Dr. Brown is planning his first dry run of the time machine via remote control, which can be executed by hitting the spindisk 5 times.	Late for School: Hit the skateboard varitarget as many times as possible before time expires for 100,000 points incrementing by 100,000 per shot. Marty will ride his skateboard across the table during the first five seconds of the phase. Pinheads: Hit the guitar varitarget at the center toy area as many times as possible before time expires for 100,000 points incrementing by 100,000 per shot. Burnout: The toy time machine blocking the DeLorean lane disappears as Dr. Brown remote-controls it to go back in time. Hit the sinkhole at the end of the lane as many time before bonus time runs out (and the time machine returns) for 100,000 points incrementing by 100,000 points per shot.	The time machine needs to achieve a speed of 88 mph to time-travel. To reach that speed, the player must alternate shots between the left and right sides of the playfield, while spinning the Outatime license plate to increase the value. Making 10 shots will finish the time period.
1955	Future Boy: Having ended up in the past, Marty must convince a younger Dr. Brown that his time machine concept will become a reality. Shoot either Flux Capacitor ramp a total of 4 times to demonstrate the tech. Absolute Dream: Marty discovers that Biff bullied his dad, George McFly, 30 years ago. The player must get Marty away from Biff by shooting the skateboard varitarget 5 times while avoiding a moving drop target of Biff. Earth Angel: Marty needs to make sure his dad falls in love with Lorraine to guarantee that he would still be born and alive by 1985. Spin the guitar spinner at the center toy area 25 times to play the right notes and preserve Marty's existence.	Future Boy: Hit the crossramp as many times as possible for 100,000 + 100,000 points within the time limit. Absolute Dream: Hit the Biff drop target as many times as possible for 100,000 + 100,000 points within the time limit before he disappears. Marty will ride his skateboard across the table during the first five seconds of the phase. Earth Angel: Spin the guitar spinner at the center toy area as many times as possible for 100,000 points + 10,000 per spin before it disappears.	With no plutonium left to fuel the time machine, Marty must work with the young Dr. Brown to collect energy from a bolt of lightning that will strike Hill Valley's courthouse and provide him with emergency fuel. With two balls in play, shoot either orbit entrance a total of 6 times to link up the wire that the time machine must hit to get the emergency fuel, while hitting the toy time machine at the DeLorean lane several times to generate the 88 mph needed for time travel. Then, shoot at least the final ball into the electrified wire at the center toy area as it is hit by lightning to send Marty back into his present time. (If the time machine reaches time-travel speed before the wire is set up, a long animation will play where the figure of Dr. Brown climbs the back screen as it forms the clock tower to set up the wire, opening up a bonus opportunity to earn extra points with every shot to the wire toy that lasts until the figure finishes its animation and returns to the right side of the table.)
Back to the Future: Part II
2015	The Future: As a visitor in the future, Marty needs to blend in to avoid trouble. Help him obtain futuristic articles of clothing to disguise himself as his own future son by shooting four lit lanes. Gunmen: A version of the video game Wild Gunman is available in the future that can be played entirely with hand gestures. Marty can achieve victory by hitting six of the moving drop targets resembling the enemy cowboys from the game. Chicken: Marty ends up in trouble with Biff's grandson, Griff; Marty then leads him on a hoverboard chase through all of Hill Valley. Help Marty make good his escape by hitting him as he rides the hoverboard across the table, with each hit advancing his position on the table, for a total of 5 shots.	The Future: Marty visits the Café 80's to see what kind of nostalgia it would offer for his own time. Shoot either flux capacitor ramp as many times as possible to earn 100,000 + 100,000 points before time runs out, with each shot feeding the left flipper. Gunmen: All drop targets will raise again to score 100,000 + 100,000 points until time runs out. Chicken: Biff steals a sports almanac following the hoverboard chase, using it to gain untold riches. The spindisk is activated at the center toy area to score 100,000 + 5,000 points per spin.	The future Marty is fired from his job at the company CusCo after making an illegal transaction, and is issued many copies of a fax message proclaiming his firing. Eight faxes will be plastered throughout the table, which can be collected for big points by rolling over them with the ball. Then, recharge the time machine's new Mr. Fusion reactor and collect the values of each fax again by locking a ball inside the opened reactor toy at the center toy area. Marty will return back to 1985, but things aren't as they seem...
1985 Alternative	Hilldale?: After returning to what seems to be his original time, Marty explores Hilldale and realizes that it isn't the same for some reason. Shoot either orbit entrance four times to look around the new neighborhood. Wrong House: Marty is chased out of what was once his home by a hostile neighbor. Shoot all 3 center targets at the center toy area while avoiding the drop target of the neighbor, then hit the unblocked area to escape. Floors: Having taken over Hill Valley, Biff now owns a luxurious hotel, which Marty investigates to find out about it. Advance up all 27 floors of Biff's Pleasure Paradise by shooting any flux capacitor ramp 15 times.	Hilldale?: Hit the bumpers as many times as possible before time runs out to score 100,000 points per bumper hit. Wrong House: Hit the hostile neighbor drop target as many times as possible before time runs out for 100,000 + 100,000 per shot. Floors: Shoot the flux capacitor ramps as many times as possible before time runs out for 100,000 + 100,000 points per shot.	Marty seeks to find out how Biff got the almanac so that he can prevent him from obtaining it. Hit the almanac spindisk at the center toy area or the Biff drop target blocking it as many times as possible before the bonus timer runs out. Then, help Marty and Dr. Brown escape Biff and travel back to 1955 after Biff realizes their intentions by hitting the toy time machine in the DeLorean lane as fast as possible to claim a 5 million point hurry-up on the display and generate enough speed for a time travel jump.
1955 Revisited	Two Tannens: Upon returning to 1955, Marty discovers that the older Biff is already there, giving the almanac to his younger self so that he can use it for ill. Marty needs to slip past the two and hide in Biff's car and get a chance to take the almanac. The player hits the targets representing the two Biffs so that they will move away briefly to unblock the left ramp and the spindisk, which must be hit 5 times in total. Get the Almanac!: Marty must ultimately find and destroy the almanac so that Biff can't use it to realize his twisted vision of Hill Valley in 1985A. Spin the Almanac spindisk 50 times (with each hit spinning it several times) at the center toy area to find and finally take it. Save Marty: Biff's bullies are attacking the Marty that first visited 1955 and the real, original Marty must save him from trouble. Hit the bumpers to land the blows to repel them.	Tannen from the Future: Take a further swing at the Biffs and hit their drop targets as many times as possible for more points before time runs out. Get the Almanac!: Hit the almanac spindisk as many times as possible before time runs out. Save Marty: The bumpers award larger scores for a limited time once the task is complete.	Dr. Brown is piloting the flying time machine and must dodge lightning to avoid traveling to an undesirable time setting. Shoot all lit lanes to attempt to dodge the lightning, and a dwindling score on the display will be claimed once that happens. Then, lightning strikes the time machine, sending Brown back a century. He then sends a letter to tell Marty to find another time machine and get back to him, leading to the events of the third film. Shoot the orbits to hit the bumpers to raise a descending score on the display, then hit the time machine toy in the DeLorean lane to redeem the score, all within the bonus time limit.
Back to the Future: Part III
1885	Indians! When Marty arrives in 1885, he finds a wave of Native Americans in the Wild West and must hide the time machine in the cave by hitting the time machine toy 3 times while it is not blocked by drop targets of the Native Americans. Mad Dog: Marty plans to see what Hill Valley was like 130 years ago, but must watch out for Biff's ancestor, Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen. Shoot the left ramp and flux spindisk a total of 6 times while the Buford drop target is not blocking those lanes to get there. Festival: Marty can practice his sharpshooting skills, like how he played Wild Gunman, at the town festival. Hit the drop targets in the center toy area a total of 5 times, but beware, they can pop in and out randomly to slow progress.	Indians! Hit the Native American drop targets as many times as possible until time runs out for more points. Mad Dog Tannen: Take on Buford Tannen and hit his drop target as many times as possible for more points before time runs out. The Town Festival: The drop targets will move faster but award more points for a limited time.	Marty and Dr. Brown must deal with Buford and catch Jules Verne's Time Train to finally escape 1885. Within the bonus time limit, hit the Buford target as many times as possible to light up lanes that can be shot for extra points.

Once all 6 time settings are visited, the wizard mode, Time Paradox, will be unlocked, and can be started up by shooting the flux capacitator one last time through its ramps. This is a 4-ball victory multiball (or 7-ball if all time settings were visited in the order of the films as listed above) where a time paradox occurs. Jackpots are claimed by hitting the toy time machine as it spins around in circles, while hitting lit lanes will raise the jackpot. After 8 hits to the toy, it will time travel again and reappear. Every sixth appearance of the toy will award massive jackpots equaling the previous five jackpots of its last five appearances.

Side Modes[]

Strictly speaking, there are no side modes that can be started and completed for extra points, besides multiballs. This table also lacks a mini-playfield, a rare phenomenon for Zen's pinball library.

Multiball[]

There are three multiball modes that can start at any time and can overlap with each other. If a mission is completed while any multiball modes are active, the player cannot advance to the next mission until all of those modes end.

Outtatime Multiball: The power needed for one time travel run with the time machine is 1.21 gigawatts. After such power is generated with enough spins of the spindisk, it will then lock balls in to start the ride. The number of balls needed to start the mode begins at 2 and increases after one iteration of the mode ends, up to a maximum of 7, making it more difficult to repeat every time it is completed. The number of jackpot lanes available depend on how many balls the mode began with.
Flux Capacitator Multiball: The flux capacitator is an integral component that makes time travel possible. Locking 3 balls inside it after several ramp shots to the device will start this multiball mode. The left capacitator ramp and the reverse scoop can be hit for jackpots. Once both are hit, a super jackpot is available at the crossramp, which doubles in value if it is hit instantaneously after both lanes are shot.
Skateboard/Hoverboard Multiball: The skateboard and hoverboard are fast means of personal transport that Marty enjoys for a fun ride or a quick escape from adversaries. After the skateboard varitarget is hit several times, a second ball is immediately shot into play for a quick 2-ball multiball. Hitting the target one more time will activate a magnet that bonds the ball to the skateboard/hoverboard and it will move from its lane across the table. Hitting it will award a jackpot as the ball is knocked off the board, which then returns to its lane.

Perks[]

The following perks can be activated during gameplay:

Back Again Ball Saver: A 30-second ball saver is awarded at the start of each ball, with a shorter ball saver granted to the start of multiball modes. The ball saver can be reactivated as a random award from Dr. Brown. (Note: Since the table deems that it is unfair for outlane drains to occur directly from hitting mandatory targets, a free ball saver will be awarded if such a situation occurs while there are no kickbacks available.)
Plutonium Kickbacks: Plutonium is the essential fuel needed to provide the 1.21 gigawatts needed for time travel. It can also fuel the table's low-power spring-loaded kickbacks to protect against outlane drains. Plutonium to power them can be obtained from hitting the plutonium canister-shaped target post between the DeLorean Lane and the reverse scoop, but the number of times the target post needs to be struck to get one will increase from 1 for each canister obtained. Unlike most tables, in which kickbacks are earned and used independently, plutonium charges will simultaneously power both kickbacks and the number of ones stocked in inventory will determine how many times either kickback can be used in total. Plutonium canisters for kickbacks will carry over between balls.
McFly Multipliers: Spelling MCFLY on the return lane rollovers will start a time-limited opportunity to raise the score multiplier. During this time, up to five lanes (both orbits, the left flux capacitator ramp, the flux spindisk and the reverse scoop) will be lit. The player must quickly hit one of the lit lanes to raise the multiplier, but each lit lane can only be used once per multiplier increase, meaning that it will become more and more difficult to raise the multiplier. The multiplier level can also be advanced or held as a prize from Doc's award. The multiplier resets if the ball is drained without the multiplier hold.
Doc's Gift: Dr. Brown helps Marty in his adventures. Hitting the bumpers a number of times will grant a random prize which include extra points, a ball saver, extra ball, a plutonium kickback charge, extra clock tower funds, a multiplier raise, a multiplier hold, double scoring and more. Spelling DOC on the rollovers above the bumpers will change the award to be given.
Bonus Time: Spelling TIME on the target posts will add 5 seconds the length of the bonus phases of all the tasks in each mission's first phase. The length of the bonus phases is 20 seconds by default, but can increase up to 1 minute. Draining the ball resets the bonus phase lengths to the default of 20 seconds.
Double Scoring: If the ball falls into the hidden sinkhole 10 times through weak shots at the reverse scoop, scoring will double temporarily for 30 seconds. This can also begin immediately as a random award from Doc.
DeLorean Award: Hitting the toy time machine in the DeLorean lane 8 times to spell DELOREAN will award bonus points. The first time this happens, an extra ball will be awarded.
Hill Valley Award: There are at least 10 famous landmarks in the town of Hill Valley, where Marty lives. The player can visit one and earn extra points if the current time setting does not require shooting the central toy area, by knocking down the 3 welcome sign drop targets there and shooting the ball inside the area they block. The 10th landmark visited awards an extra ball.
Save the Clock Tower: The Hill Valley Preservation Society wants the courthouse's clock tower to remain damaged after it was hit by lightning in 1955 (an event that Marty leverages in the first film to escape back to his own time) and rendered nonfunctional as a part of the town's heritage and history in Marty's present time. Help the Society raise $100 to preserve the tower by spinning the quarter flag at the right orbit or raising some money from the Doc Award, which will eventually result in an extra ball.
Extra Balls: Extra balls can be obtained by getting one from the Doc Award, raising $100 for the courthouse clock tower, completing half of the main missions, visiting all 10 Hill Valley landmarks or obtaining the first DeLorean score award. All Extra Balls are claimed by hitting the plutonium target post.

Tips[]

This table offers a few extra balls that you can earn, so make every effort to earn them so that you can survive all 6 missions and make it to the wizard mode. Shooting the right orbit frequently with varying force can eventually lead to two extra balls if you are diligent enough.
Be considerate of when you want to activate multiball modes if you want to get through all missions faster because multiball modes will block you from going to the next time setting until they end once the current mission is finished. To avoid this problem, try to activate multiball modes during the first phase of a time setting mission.
There is no time limit for completing each mission, so don't get into too much of a rush trying to beat each one. Make good use of flipper-trapping, as well as some trial and error to line up, practice and master precise shots to the lanes or targets you need to hit.