"[The velociraptors] show extreme intelligence, even problem-solving intelligence."
- Robert Muldoon
Jurassic Park is one of the three pinball tables in the Jurassic World table pack, released in 2018 and available for Pinball FX 3. This is the second pinball adaptation of the film, with the first one being a physical table designed by Data East in the same year the film was released.
Objective and missions[]
The goal of this table is to play through several iconic scenes from the Jurassic Park film through seven missions (including two mandatory multiball modes), each with its own unique startup process. Missions can be successfully completed (or started, in the case of multiballs) as many times as possible to raise the wizard jackpot by 10M per mode completed, but each mission must be completed successfully and each multiball must be started up once to unlock the wizard mode. Each time a single-ball mission is completed successfully, the base value of the shots for that mission will increase by 1 million points for the rest of the game.
The following 2 multiball modes must be started to progress to the wizard mode:
- Stampede Multiball: Every time either orbit entrance is shot, the grate in front of the shed reverse scoop will open for 5 seconds to allow a ball to be locked. A successful ball lock will send a new ball to the plunger. Once four balls are locked, the T-rex figure will move to block the inner lanes as the 4-ball multiball begins. Shooting either orbit will award jackpots starting at 3 million, which increase by 1 million each time the side ramp is hit; while shots to the shed reverse scoop will award a super jackpot worth 5x the normal jackpot value. The vari-target adds a jackpot multiplier to the next collected jackpot if a shot to the target is made with maximum strength during multiball. Credit for this mission's completion is obtained as soon as the player starts the multiball, which ends when the player drains down to a single ball. Collecting 5 super jackpots during this multiball lights an extra ball.
- Leader of the Pack Multiball: The park's velociraptors attack in packs, headed by an alpha raptor. A 3-ball multiball representing the velociraptors' hunting habits begins once three balls are captured in the following manner:
- Hit the vari-target to briefly divert the perimeter fence mini-orbit and right orbit to the capture lane, with stronger hits granting more time. (Collecting Fast Lock off of the Chaotician Award will open the raptor pen indefinitely until the ball is captured or lost.)
- Before the capture lane closes, shoot either orbit to capture the ball.
- After either the first or second ball has been captured, a new ball will be fed to the plunger. Use this ball to make two strong shots to the vari-target, with the first one opening the raptor pen and the second one plunging the ball inside to lock it.
- The third locked ball will instantly begin the multiball, as the velociraptors enter the table from the pen.
- The player must shoot one of three lit lanes to earn a jackpot starting at 3M, which increases by 1M every time the side ramp is hit. The third jackpot shot collected during the first set of jackpots will always be a super jackpot worth 5x the value and identify the raptor leader; the raptors will then move to different shots, and whatever shot the leader is on will always award a super jackpot. The vari-target adds a jackpot multiplier to the next collected jackpot if a shot to the target is made with maximum strength during multiball. Credit for this mission's completion is obtained as soon as the player starts the multiball, which ends when the player drains down to a single ball. Collecting 5 super jackpots during this multiball lights an extra ball.
The following five missions must be completed successfully to progress to the wizard mode:
- Tour Missions: There are two missions depicting Alan Grant & Ian Malcolm's tours and their subsequent escape from the T-Rex. Both missions can be started by repeatedly shooting the left ramp's spinner enough times to advance the tour vehicle to the pit (lighting video mode at the center sinkhole in the process), then shooting the left ramp again to choose the desired mission using the flippers and launch button.
- Get Out of the Car! (Dr. Grant's Path): The T-Rex will push the car over to the pit and begin chewing off a tire, while the ball returns to play via the center sinkhole. The player must shoot the right orbit three times for 3, 6, and 9 million - each shot diverting the ball to the pit to help Dr. Grant get the children out of the tour vehicle he used to try and escape. Each shot to the right orbit in this mode returns via the center sinkhole instead of the left orbit entrance. The 20 second timer resets with each successful shot.
- T-Rex Chase (Malcolm's Path): The conveyor belt will extend, and Malcolm's jeep will drive onto it as the belt starts up rolling backward like a treadmill and the T-Rex drops in behind the jeep to chase it. To escape the T-rex, the player must continuously shoot the left ramp to score 2 million per shot and add 5 seconds to a ticking timer starting at 20 seconds. When the timer reaches 40 seconds, the jeep will overcome the conveyor belt and fall into the pit in the plunger shaft. (To prevent exploiting this mode, shots past the three required to finish the mode will score a flat 100,000 points.) The T-Rex will frequently stomp, causing the table to auto-nudge; the tilt alarm will be disabled during this mission.
- Being Hunted: When velociraptors hunt, they attack from the sides for a vantage point against their prey. If the player shoots the shed six times, the shed will seal shut and velociraptors will appear at the table aprons, waiting to snatch the ball away and end the mission prematurely if the player either rolls the ball through an inlane or traps the ball with a flipper for a few seconds. The player must shoot three randomly selected shots (any of the three orbits or the center sinkhole) to reopen the shed for 3M each, then shoot the shed to finish the mission successfully for 6M. 20 seconds are given to make each shot.
- In the Kitchen: This mission begins when the player makes six strong shots up the right ramp, such that the raptor intelligence gauge completely fills on the scoring display. The sixth shot will raise a robot crane arm in between the right inlane and primary plunger, dangling a few metal kitchen tools that must be struck with the ball to generate loud noises to distract the raptors. The player must hit all three utensils with a single shot to get them to register a hit (for 2, 3, 4, and 5M), and the time to perform hits lowers when a hit is made successfully, from 20 seconds down to 5 seconds. (A short free ball saver will be awarded after each successful hit to compensate for potentially unfair drains.) If the player makes two ramp shots during this mission, it will fail prematurely.
- Perimeter Fence: Shoot the mini-orbit 10 times during normal play; the tenth shot will trap the ball at the electric fence in the mini-orbit, and the player will have 20 seconds (which resets for each shot) to use a second ball ejected from the right plunger to first hit the trapped ball, then use the jump ramp at the left orbit to make further shots. Four shots are required to free the ball and save Tim to complete the mission, scoring 2, 3, 4, and 5M points, and starting the optional Shocking Multiball described below. (If time runs out, or if the second ball drains, the mission ends in failure and the captured ball is released back into play; the second ball will be automatically drained if it's still in play when the timer runs out. A free short ball saver is also granted for each hit due to the jump ramp's proximity to the outhole. A ballout thus cannot occur during any attempt to complete Perimeter Fence.)
- Shocking Multiball: After completing the Perimeter Fence mission, a quick 2-ball multiball will begin where the freed ball will move unpredictably as it is electrocuted. The electrocuted ball must be given a counter-shock by hitting it with the other ball for 5M, opening up a brief chance to lock that counter-shocked ball into the sinkhole for another 5M and the end of the multiball. The value for locking the counter-shocked ball increases by 5M each time this multiball is completed successfully.
Completing all 5 main missions and starting the 2 multiballs at least once will start the wizard mode, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth. The wizard jackpot value will be calculated at the start of the wizard mode: 10M x the number of times each mission has been completed. This is a 4-ball victory multiball where the player is tasked with trying to make a shot up the side ramp for the wizard jackpot, while all other shots score 10% of the wizard jackpot. The velociraptors and the T-Rex will both make their presence known during this mode - the T-Rex blocking the center lanes, and the velociraptors stealing balls that enter either inlane or are held for too long. The wizard mode continues until the player returns to single-ball play, either by draining three balls or by having them stolen by the raptors. The progress towards starting the wizard mode will then reset.
Side modes[]
- Chaos Hurry-Up: Every 5th shot to the side ramp will start a hurry-up in place of the Chaotician Award, where magnets underneath the table will cause the ball to move erratically and the lit shot will move between shots every 3 seconds. A free short ball saver will activate at the start of this mode, and the player will have 10 chances to shoot a randomly lit lane to earn a big score that decreases by 1 million points per second. The base value of the Chaos Hurry-Up reward is 20 million points, increasing by 10 million each time the side mode is started. The seventh Chaos Hurry-Up will start at 200 million points instead, and reset the hurry-up value following the end of the mode.
- Spared No Expense: Every time the bumpers are hit, the conveyor belt will slowly move some pieces of amber into a sinkhole next to the bumper area. Once the pieces fall into the hole with a total of 50 bumper hits, a side mode will begin where the player must identify a dinosaur by sorting the amber pieces from smallest to largest, by shooting lanes in a certain order based on which chunk of amber appears in front of them. Shots score 1, 2, and 3M, with the third shot identifying the dinosaur and lighting an extra ball at the center sinkhole. Additional bumper hits will be required to start the side mode on subsequent attempts, and the shots will instead score 15M, 30M, and 45M without lighting extra ball.
- Triceratops Pasture Video Mode: Once the player advances the tour vehicle halfway to the pit with enough shots to the left ramp, the center sinkhole will light for 6 seconds to start the video mode. Shooting the center sinkhole before the insert is unlit will begin the video mode, where the player will be shown and must memorize the appearance of three poisonous plants. The player will then watch a triceratops as she travels through the pasture, and press the left flipper to skip over the poisonous plants or the right flipper to eat all others. Every time the triceratops eats a safe plant, 3 seconds are added back to the video mode's 15-second long timer, while eating 3 poisonous plants will exhaust and sicken the triceratops. The mode ends when the triceratops is sickened or when the timer runs out. The value for each correct plant eaten starts at 1M, and increases by 1M for each successful video mode played.
- You Didn't Say the Magic Word!: If the embryo targets at the corners of the tour ramp entrance are struck 15 times, a hurry-up side mode will begin where the player must push the park gates open with the ball. The hurry-up value starts at 10 million points and decreases to 1 million over 40 seconds; five shots to the park gates, followed by a shot to the left ramp sinkhole, will collect the hurry-up value. Each completed hurry-up increases the base value for the next by 5M.
Perks[]
- Skill Shot: Plunge the ball with the correct strength and timing so that it lands into the moving dinosaur nest in the pit. Skill shots score 500k points, increase the bonus multiplier by +1x, and send the ball into play at the right inlane.
- A secret skill shot can be scored by shooting the ball such that it crosses the pit and lands into the right orbit, so that it quickly drops to the flippers for a chance to shoot the center sinkhole within 5 seconds. A successful secret skill shot allows the player to quickly choose one of several rewards using the flippers and launch button within 10 seconds. These awards alternate between small points (less than 1,000) and giving credit for a mission that hasn't yet been completed. The secret skill shot is only available at the start of each ball.
- Ball Saver: At the start of each ball and multiball, a 15-second ball saver will activate. Once it expires, it cannot be reactivated; instead, a short free ball saver will be granted during the following events:
- At the start of the Being Hunted mission or the Chaos Hurry-Up
- Whenever the magnetized ball is hit while attempting to complete Perimeter Fence
- Every time the kitchen utensils are successfully hit during the In the Kitchen mission
- Whenever a magna-save is activated via an outlane drain
- Magna-Save: When ROAR is spelled completely at the return lane rollovers, which cycle with the flippers, one activation of the magna-save will be available to save the ball from draining down either outlane by pressing the launch button. After one magna-save is acquired, up to two more can be stacked by hitting a lit return lane rollover four times, which cycles the same way as the ROAR letters; if three magna-saves are stacked, this will instead reward a bonus of 300,000 points + 100,000 points each time a magna-save would have been lit. Magna-save activations carry over between balls, and one can also be lit as a Chaotician Award.
- Butterfinger Save: If the player isn't paying attention, shots to the shed might send the ball straight between the flippers. The player can earn a unique ball saver called a Butterfinger Save that compensates for these drains by hitting the two standup targets marked with the word DANGER that flank the shed door within 10 seconds, and without shooting the shed itself. Up to 3 Butterfinger Saves can be stacked, and will carry between balls.
- Bonus Multiplier: The bonus multiplier increases by +1x every time a skill shot is made, or as one of the choices from the Chaotician Award, which can also hold the bonus multiplier.
- Combos: Shooting unique shots within 10 seconds of each other will award combo points (1M x the length of the combo). A 7-way "Master Combo" using all the major shots will score 10M, light an extra ball the first time one is collected, and multiply the base combo value by +1x for the rest of the game.
- Chaotician Awards: Every shot to the side ramp that doesn't start Chaos Hurry-Up will score a random reward. These are:
- Points (10,000 plus 10,000 points each time collected)
- Fast Lock (The raptor pen is open for good; no timer for the next lock + lights it instantly)
- Magna-Save (1 activation)
- Bonus Multiplier (+1x)
- Hold Bonus X (holds bonus multipliers for the next ball)
- Spinner Millions (left ramp spinner is lit to score 1M per spin for the next shot + 1M each time collected)
- Light Extra Ball (at the center sinkhole; once per game)
- Extra Ball: Extra balls can be lit at the center sinkhole by scoring Light Extra Ball off of the Chaotician Award, collecting 5 super jackpots from either multiball, completing the Spared No Expense side mode successfully, or executing a Master Combo. All extra balls can only be lit once per game.
Tips[]
- Like Ant-Man before it (also designed by Zoltan Vari), Jurassic Park is an arcade-styled table with fast shots. The player will need to get used to the angles of all major lanes to have any chance of completing all 7 missions to get to the wizard mode. The locks for Stampede Multiball can be particularly frustrating in this regard, but remember: you don't always have to use the upper flipper when you shoot the left orbit. Try not using it, and instead using the lower flippers to shoot for the lock.
- The center sinkhole frequently ejects balls, which you can use to your advantage if you need to get the ball to a certain flipper. If you want it on the left flipper, raise it as the ball pops out of the hole; otherwise, use the dead flipper pass and let the ball bounce to the right flipper.
- Since the ball saver cannot be reactivated normally and only free short savers are given in certain situations, focus on gathering up magna-saves to increase ball survivability. Many missions on this table discourage flipper trapping and require shots to be made on the fly, so these magna-saves will prove very helpful in rescuing a ball from a quick drain. If you're having trouble with the feed from the shed you can go for Butterfinger Saves, but you can generally avoid straight-down-the-middle feeds if you dead bounce the ball.
- You Didn't Say The Magic Word is generally not worth the effort to complete, as the closed left ramp has a tendency to drain the ball between the flippers. Spend this time either holding the ball to time out the mode, or progressing towards either Chaos Hurry-Up at the side ramp or magna-saves by shooting the right ramp.
References & Easter Eggs[]
- The table shares many similarities to Data East's 1993 pinball machine of the same name. Both tables have a ramp blocked by a representation of the park gates, and are designed to play fast and loose with minimal focus on deep rules; they also share missions depicting the electric fence, stampede, and kitchen scenes from the film.
- Try plunging the ball right when the car enters the pit at the end of a failed T-Rex Chase, for a "hidden skill shot" worth 5 million points.
External links[]
| Jurassic World |
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| Jurassic World · Jurassic Park · Jurassic Park: Pinball Mayhem |