Kung Fu Panda

"I love kung fu!"

- Po

Kung Fu Panda
Date available	September 3rd, 2021
Category	Zen Pinball Party
Based on	Kung Fu Panda directed by John Stevenson & Mark Osborne
Designed by	Peter "Pewet" Kovacs
Plunger mechanism	Diagonal
Skill shot type	Timed (regular), flipper assisted (super)
Number of return lanes	5
Number of flippers	4 (2 mini-flippers)
Outlane protection	2 low-powered spring-loaded kickbacks
Number of main missions	6
Wizard mode type	Final mission & victory multiball
Number of side modes	1
Number of multiball modes	4 (1 mandatory)

Kung Fu Panda is one of the Animated Heroes tables exclusive to Zen Pinball Party, released on September 3rd, 2021 for Apple Arcade. Based on the 2008 film of the same name, the table follows a bumbling panda and kung fu fanatic named Po who unwittingly becomes the Dragon Warrior, in search of the Dragon Scroll rumored to give its recipient "limitless power".

Objective

The primary goal of this table is to complete all six main missions, each representing a major scene from the film, before uncovering the truth behind the Dragon Scroll's limitless power. During each main mission, shots will score 100,000 points (200,000 points if the Viper figure described in Figures has been collected) plus the amount that has been built up by shots to the left saucer during normal play. Once the sixth mission has been played, the wizard mode, Inner Harmony, will begin immediately. Main missions are started by hitting all four of the standup targets behind the Adversary using the dummy, then shooting the Adversary again to start the mission. Target Practice is the only main mission out of the six that requires another mission, Training Doll, to be completed before starting it.

Main missions can only be replayed once the wizard mode has been played, and must be completed without losing the ball to begin the wizard mode. If a standup target behind the Adversary is shot with the ball directly, the main mission will be changed to the next mission in the listed sequence (if Training Doll has been completed, Target Practice will be in the sequence; otherwise, it will be skipped). Winning three main missions will light an extra ball.

These six main missions are:

• "K" - Dumplings: Shifu discovers that dumplings provide the motivation Po needs during his early days of training. Three lit ramps & orbits must first be shot to reach Shifu, who will scatter dumplings across the playfield that can be collected by rolling over them with the ball. Once seven dumplings have been collected, the mission will be finished.
• "U" - Training Doll: Po gets used to beating up the Adversary very quickly. Four shots to the Adversary dummy that hit all four of the standup targets behind it will finish the mission.
• "N" - Stairs: The stairs of the Jade Palace prove a surprisingly formidable challenge for Po. As Po climbs the stairs, the player must make six of the lit ramp and orbit shots; Po will then get hungry, and the bumpers must be hit a total of 10 times to relight the ramps and orbits for four more hits. Shoot the left ramp after completing the final four shots to enter the dojo and finish the mission. If Helping Hand Multiball is active when the left ramp is lit, all balls must be locked at the left ramp to finish the mission.
• "G" - Jade Palace Multiball: Po arrives to the Jade Palace right when entry to the Dragon Warrior Tournament has stopped, and he quickly devises a plan to try and enter at the last second. This is a 3-ball multiball mode where all six of the cardboard drop targets raise and all shots are flashing. Making 10 combined shots to either the four Adversary targets or six drop targets, and 10 bumper hits, will light the Adversary to lock the remaining balls and finish the mission. On subsequent playthroughs, this mission has to be completed with at least one ball in play.
• "F" - Target Practice: Po realizes upon joining the Furious Five that his training will be tougher than he expected. After Training Doll has been finished, this mission will be made available where the drop targets will spawn in front of all six major lanes. Shooting a drop target will briefly light the shot behind it to advance in the mission; four lanes must be shot this way to move onto the second phase, a repeat of Training Doll where the Adversary must be hit at all four angles to finish the mission.
• "U" - Pool of Sacred Tears: The Pool of Sacred Tears was Shifu's original training ground, rumored to be the birthplace of kung fu thanks to Master Oogway's teachings. The left ramp must be shot to send the ball onto the Pool of Sacred Tears upper playfield, where the three standup targets must be shot to enable the saucers, then all six of the boulders blocking the waterfall's exits must be destroyed by rolling over them with the ball using the levers. The mission ends once either all six boulders have been destroyed, or if a ball drains after the 30-second long initial ball saver expires.

As soon as the sixth main mission is completed, the wizard mode, Inner Harmony, will be qualified - depicting the revelation that the Dragon Scroll's secret to limitless power is realizing your own self-worth. This is a three-phase wizard mode that carries over between balls until it is won. During the first phase, the spinner in front of the left orbit must be spun 10 times to read the Dragon Scroll; during the second phase, six lit lanes have to be shot, alternating from the left side of the playfield to the right, to achieve perfect harmony and perform the legendary Wuxi Finger Hold; and the third phase is a 5-ball victory multiball where all shots are constantly lit to score Jackpots worth a flat 500,000 points. The wizard mode ends and the mission progress will be reset once the player drains back down to one ball.

Side modes

Only one side mode is available on this table, and can be started at any time during single-ball, non-mission play.

• Waterfall: Making alternating shots to the left and right orbit, when their dragon inserts are flashing, will eventually qualify Waterfall at the Adversary shot; five total lit orbit shots are required to light the mode the first time around, increasing by one each time the mode has been played. The ball will be sent to the Pool of Sacred Tears upper playfield, and the two saucers must be shot repeatedly within 40 seconds to send the ball onto the levers and roll over the paths that the waterfall flows over. Each successful path made scores a base of 200,000 points, increasing by 50,000 per path. The mode ends when the timer runs out; the ball save lasts for the duration of the mode.

Multiball

Two 3-ball multiball modes and one 2-ball multiball mode are available. The 3-ball multiball modes can only be started during single-ball, non-mode play, but the 2-ball multiball can be started at any time when the required shots have been made. During these multiball modes, all other objectives outside of figure collecting are postponed until the multiball ends. The scoring in all Multiball modes can be boosted by 200,000 points per Jackpot by collecting the Tigress figure during Furious Five Multiball.

• Furious Five Multiball: Po idolizes the Furious Five, a legendary kung fu team who he ends up joining in his quest to live up to the name of the Dragon Warrior. Shooting the left ramp seven times during normal play to spell "FURIOUS", then locking three balls by shooting into the dojo at the top of the left ramp will start a 3-ball multiball where the ramps and orbits will be lit for Jackpots worth 100,000 points at a time. Once every five Jackpots have been collected, the left ramp will light to score a Super Jackpot worth 500,000, relighting the normal Jackpots and collecting the Tigress figure if it hasn't been collected yet. The multiball ends once the player drains back down to one ball.
• Cookie Jar Multiball: Po leaves his cookies on the top shelf, and Shifu is going to take advantage of them to train Po any way he knows how. Spelling "DUMPLINGS" at the right ramp with nine shots during normal play, then locking three balls by either shooting the right ramp or draining out of the Pool of Sacred Tears will start a 3-ball multiball and eject all three balls from the cookie jar replica in front of the right orbit. Dumplings will constantly spawn in front of all six major shots, scoring 100,000 point jackpots, while the right ramp lights after every five dumplings collected to score a 500,000 point Super Jackpot. The multiball ends once the player drains back down to one ball.
• Helping Hand Multiball: Despite viewing Po as a joke initially, the Furious Five grow to respect Po even though he isn't the most competent fighter, and they prove a deadly team. Once one of the five Furious Five figures listed in the Figures section has been collected, a 2-ball multiball will instantly start. This 2-ball multiball lights all shots for Jackpots worth 100,000 and allows the mission that was started before it to continue, making it an effective add-a-ball during dangerous main missions and providing an additional boost with each figure's perk. The multiball ends once the player drains back down to one ball.

Perks

The following perks can be activated during play:

• Skill Shot: At the start of each ball, a two-part skill shot will be available. The ball must first be plunged with enough strength to hit the Adversary dummy while the insert in front of it is flashing, then shoot whichever of the six major shots flashes afterwards for a super skill shot. The skill shot is worth a base value of 300,000 points and increases by 100,000 points per successful skill shot, while the super skill shot starts at 1 million points and increases by 100,000 for each successful super skill shot made in the current game.
• Figures: A figure of each member of the Furious Five can be collected at any time during play by fulfilling certain objectives during main missions. Each figure collected is seen on the apron near the flippers, and will start the Helping Hand Multiball as well as awarding an additional perk for the remainder of the game. Tigress' figure can be collected by scoring the Super Jackpot during Furious Five Multiball, and increases the Multiball scoring; Mantis' figure can be collected by making 80 total bumper hits, and allows each top rollover completion to increase the end-of-ball bonus by +2x; Viper's figure can be collected by making 100 total spinner spins, and increases the mission scoring; Monkey's figure can be collected by making 20 total combos, and allows the kickbacks to stack; and Crane's figure can be collected from a rare Oogway Award, and increases the ball saver time. Collecting three figures in a game will light an extra ball.
• Ball Saver: A 10-second ball saver is active at the start of every ball and at the start of all Multiball modes, and will return balls that drain by sending them directly to the Adversary dummy. If the Crane figure listed in Figures has been collected, this ball saver will be extended to 20 seconds. The ball saver can be reactivated for its normal time from a random Oogway Award, and a short ball saver will be activated if the ball drains without hitting any switches following a shot to the Adversary.
• Kickbacks: Po makes an explosive entrance into the Jade Palace, not quite living up to the title of Dragon Warrior. Rolling over all five return lane lights (which can be rotated with the flippers) once each will qualify the gong target to light the left, then the right kickback. Kickbacks will carry across balls until they are used, but cannot be stacked unless the Monkey figure listed in Figures has been collected, which will allow up to 5 kickbacks to be stacked per side.
• Bonus Multiplier: Rolling over the two top rollover lanes to light both of the lanterns will increase the bonus multipliers by +1x, to a maximum of 10x. If the Mantis figure described in Figures has been collected, the rollovers will increase the multipliers by +2x instead. The bonus multipliers can be held between balls from a random Oogway Award.
• Oogway Award: Master Oogway acted as the Furious Five's source of wisdom, and his death left an undeniable impact to the team. Shooting the spinner such that it spins 20 times at any time during play will light the left saucer to score an Oogway Award. These are: "Big Points" (300,000), lighting either the left or right kickback, holding the bonus multipliers to the next ball, activating the ball saver, lighting an extra ball, or collecting the Crane figure.
• Score Boosts: Shooting the right saucer from either lower flipper during single-ball, non-mode play will increase the scoring of the bumpers or spinner by 500 points. This value carries between balls for the rest of the game, and the values for each max out after 10 shots each.
• Gong Score: Hitting either of the two linear drop targets increases the score that a successful hit to the gong target will award, starting at 40,000 and increasing by 1,000 each time one is hit. The gong score carries over between balls automatically.
• Combos: Shooting either ramp or orbit will activate a combo sequence, briefly lighting shots on the opposite side to score combos; if the right saucer is shot during a combo, the combo will be terminated. Collecting combos scores a value starting at 10,000 and increasing by 10,000 per combo until the sequence ends, and collecting 20 combos total during missions will collect the Monkey figure.
• Extra Balls: Extra balls can be lit at the left saucer by completing 3 of the 6 main missions, collecting 30 total dumplings through either the Dumplings main mission or Cookie Jar Multiball, collecting 3 of the Furious Five figures, making 6 total shots to the gong target, or from a random Oogway Award. Extra balls can only be collected once per game.

Tips

• Inner Harmony is the highest scoring feature on the table besides the maximum end of ball bonus, so prepare to start all six main missions if you want a high score. Light the kickbacks by rolling over the return lanes and then hitting the gong target before starting a mission to ensure safety from ball drains, and remember that you're 100 spinner hits or 80 bumper hits away from a Helping Hand Multiball if you're in a particularly dangerous mission like Target Practice. Lighting the kickbacks can also lead to an extra ball, after collecting six total gong target shots.
• The easiest Furious Five figures to collect are arguably Mantis, Viper, and Tigress, so prioritize these three if you're going for the extra ball from collecting three figures. Combos can put the ball dangerously out of control on this table, while the probability of getting Crane's figure from the Oogway Award is very low.
• Remember that there's a ball saver for shots to the Adversary that rebound out of control! The ball saver insert won't flash, but your ball will still be saved and you can still keep playing. Never let your guard down.

External links

• Official table trailer