Venom

"Being a hero means taking responsibility. And I'm gonna take responsibility for what you've become!"

Spider-Man

Venom
Date available	December 8, 2014
Category	Marvel
Based on	Spider-Man created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko The Symbiotes created by Roger Stern, Tom DeFalco, Mike Zeck and David Michelinie Venom created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane Carnage created by David Michelinie and Mark Bagley Planet of the Symbiotes by David Michelinie Maximum Carnage by Tom DeFalco, J.M.DeMatteis, Terry Kavanagh and David Michelinie
Designed by	Zoltan Vari
Plunger mechanism	Diagonal
Skill shot type	Plunger strength (regular), flipper-assisted (double)
Number of return lanes	4
Number of flippers	7 (3 on upper level, 2 on lower level and 2 in mini-playfield)
Outlane protection	2 subway kickbacks
Number of main missions	6
Wizard mode type	Final mission, multiball and final shot
Number of side modes	0
Number of multiball modes	1 (mandatory)

Venom is one of the three Marvel pinball tables that are part of the Heavy Hitters pack, and was released in 2014 for Zen Pinball 2, Pinball FX 2 and Pinball FX 3. It is based on the titular super-villain, enemy of Spider-Man and later anti-hero, and explores the various characters, conflicts and events resulting from the alien symbiote responsible for his inception.

Table overview

The upper half of the table

The back left corner of the table features a bell tower of a cathedral, where a symbiote-suited Spider-Man discovers that loud sounds can weaken the symbiote, causing it to fall on Eddie Brock and turn him into Venom. To the right of that tower is a rooftop with an electronic sign spelling "VENOM vs. SPIDER-MAN", with a small water tower atop its right side. The back wall features a view of the skyline of New York City, and there is a scale model of the Statue of Liberty's torch, which emits actual flames when the ball traverses up a winding loop ramp that wraps around the torch. In front of the torch is a sign marked "SUPER JACKPOT".

The wooden end of a ramp originating from the lower half of the table loops and passes through the bell tower, dropping it down into the table's leftmost lane. Near the terminus of this ramp, there is a small left orbit marked "alien" that wraps around a spring-loaded target bank marked with inserts spelling WEB. This target bank opens a gate that drops the ball down into a saucer marked "capture" right beside the midway point of the exit lane. This gate is also next to the left ramp, which provides access to the upper playfield.

The left alien orbit ends at the bigger, Wall-crawler mini-loop, shaped into a skateboard halfpipe and located directly in front of the aforementioned rooftop. At the apex of the mini-loop is a transparent spinner. The mini-loop wraps around a multi-purpose sinkhole used to start the Wallcrawler Battle and Goo Ball missions or claim extra balls, and a figure of Venom is usually perched behind it. Right next to the mini-loop is the right alien orbit, marked "alien" like the one on the left, which wraps around the entrance to the flame ramp and a standup target bank with inserts spelling GOO. The right alien orbit also can be accessed from a strong shot to the lower playfield's left ramp. Behind this target bank is a bumper area only accessible from the lower playfield, used to select one of the various hosts of the symbiote that once infected Spider-Man and created Venom.

At the entry to the left alien orbit is a left flipper, with two right flippers placed in a line opposite to it lying before the right alien orbit's lower entry. Precisely in the space between the flippers is a ledge that drops the ball down to the lower level, with a center post placed in the middle of it.

The lower half of the table

Towards the front end of the table's left wall, which represents a scale model of a typical streetway of New York, lies Ravencroft Institute, a maximum security asylum where villains and mentally insane individuals are imprisoned. The lane to the very left of the lower playfield is a one-way exit lane that drops the ball down to the left inlane. Between the exit lane and the left ramp leading to the upper playfield is a saucer that can be hit either directly through a lucky bounce, or indirectly through the Carnage ramp. To the right of the left ramp is the entrance to the bell tower ramp.

To the right of this ramp, right under the upper playfield's drop-off ledge in front of its 3 flippers, is a drop target bank with each target labeled with a letter in SUIT. The target bank has lamps that cycle every time the flippers are operated, and the targets can lower to reveal three saucers where balls can be locked. To the right of this target bank are two intersecting ramps resembling some of New York City's subway tracks: a long ramp that loops across the table to the left saucer and past the prison of the insane, Symbiote-affected villain known as Carnage, labeled the Carnage ramp; and the right ramp, which sends the ball to the upper playfield.

The Carnage ramp has two different exits depending on the strength of the ramp shot. Strong shots that loop all the way behind the lower flippers will land the ball into the left saucer, lighting one letter of CARNAGE above his prison cell. Weak shots with not enough strength to pass through the loop will result in the ball exiting into a sinkhole on the left apron, which sends the ball to the bumper area. The rightmost lane, directly to the right of the right ramp, is the only direct route to access the aforementioned bumper area. The lane's entry features five lamps, one for each notable host of the Symbiote after Spider-Man and Venom.

There are 4 return lanes, two slingshots and two lower flippers. The inlanes are each marked with the words "lite alien", which light the orbits on the upper playfield. Both outlanes can be lit for a virtual ball saver dedicated to Anti-Venom, who is capable of neutralizing spider-viruses.

Between both the left and right outlanes and inlanes is a one-way gate, which can save balls draining into the outlanes if a well-timed nudge pushes the ball through it to send the ball back into the nearby inlane. The left apron contains two large containment tubes, with one of them broken and used as part of the plunger; the right apron contains weaponry used by Agent Venom. Above the flippers is the prison cell of Carnage, with seven inserts spelling his name above his cage. Once his name is spelled, Carnage will grab the ball and throw it into his cage pit...

The mini-playfield

This table has a dedicated mini-playfield placed deep underneath the table, accessed through Carnage's cage pit in the dead space behind the flippers, where Carnage will throw the ball into after he is freed. This mini-playfield is themed after Riker's Island Prison, where serial killer Cletus Kasady became Carnage. At the back of this mini-playfield is a target bank containing the first 5 letters of the word JAILBREAK. To the left of this bank is a saucer used to claim extra balls, as well as take a second step of the 3-step escape. To the right is a short, question-mark-shaped ramp that drops the ball into an automatic plunger that shoots the ball back into play. This plunger also has a trapdoor that can open to send the ball back into the main playfield once the 3-step escape has been completed.

On the left side of the mini-playfield is an inaccessible left lane marked with 10 yellow arrows and containing 3 captive balls, with one that can be hit by the ball at its entrance. Near that lane is a small rubber post and the table's lone true return lane. On the right side of the mini-playfield is a side-facing target bank containing the remaining four letters of the word JAILBREAK, with the one-way exit of the automatic plunger right in front of it. A slingshot kicker is also on the mini-playfield, hidden under a slope leading down to the right flipper. The mini-playfield has two flippers, both in their standard positions. Directly between the flippers is a saucer that either functions as an outhole if the ball drains with no tries remaining, and as a kicker that kicks the ball back into play once the ball enters the playfield or is drained while tries are remaining.

The plunger

The plunger is a short shaft with a left curving turn that diagonally launches the ball across the table near the left, lower saucer. The spring-loaded mechanism that launches the ball into play is a piece of raw symbiote essence in a broken containment tank. To execute a skill shot and score 500,000 points, the player must determine the amount of power the plunger needs to land the ball into the saucer. After a successful skill shot, the SUIT target bank will lower for a limited time to expose the three ball lock saucers for 5 seconds, which can then be shot for a double skill shot worth 1 million points and a ball lock for Black Suit Multiball.

Objectives and missions

The goal of this table is to experience the various characters, conflicts and events that have resulted from the appearance of a mysterious alien organism called the Symbiote, which first infected Spider-Man and later created the supervillains Venom and Carnage, and eventually confront Carnage through completing six objectives. Three objectives only require parts of the associated feature to be completed, while the other three objectives correspond to missions that must be completed in their entirety.

Each objective has its own unique startup process, and, unless otherwise noted, must be completed successfully without draining the ball to unlock the wizard mode, Maximum Carnage. Once completed successfully, any mission can be repeated for a chance to earn more points from the mission and increase the jackpot value for the wizard mode by 1 million points.

The following six objectives, from left to right, must be successfully completed to access the wizard mode:

• Planet of the Symbiotes: The Symbiotes have already taken over several planets and aren't planning to stop any time soon. This timed mission begins once the player activates the alien orbits by dropping the ball into the two inlanes, then hits the activated alien orbits a total of five times. During this mission, the player has 45 seconds to hit 10 targets, comprising of the 3 target banks spelling the words WEB, GOO and SUIT. Successful hits will add back 5 seconds to the timer. Hitting all 10 targets awards 5 million points, solidly lights the objective, and allows you to keep shooting the flashing targets until the timer runs out. The final reward for completing this mission is 10x the current target value, which starts at 1 million and increases by 500,000 points each time the mode is started.
• Jailbreak: After the symbiote rescues Eddy Brock from the Riker's Island prison after his defeat as Venom, it also left behind some of itself and later infected incarcerated serial killer Cletus Kasady, who then gains Symbiote powers and becomes Carnage, escaping prison. This mission begins once the player makes 7 strong shots up the Carnage ramp such that they hit the left saucer, adding letters to CARNAGE. Once the word is spelled, Carnage will break free from his pit cage and throw the ball into the pit, dropping into the Jailbreak mini-playfield. The player must spell JAILBREAK on the two target banks to break Kasady out of his cell, then must complete a 3-step procedure to make good his escape: 1) hit the front captive ball in the captive ball lane, 2) hit the saucer to the left of the top jailbreak target bank and lastly, 3) hit the ramp. (The player has only four tries to complete the mini-playfield mission, with one try lost after the ball is drained. Additional tries can be earned by shooting the mini-playfield ramp.) Completing the three-step procedure will solidly light the objective, and begin an optional timed scoring frenzy.
  • Carnage Frenzy: After Carnage breaks free, the ball returns to the main playfield for a 30 second timed frenzy where any lane scores a million and a random flashing lane increases this value by an additional million. The timer for the frenzy is increased by 30 seconds every time the JAILBREAK targets were completed on the mini-playfield. Once the timer runs out, the player must hit the upper sinkhole in front of the Wall-Crawler mini-loop to re-collect the total value scored during the frenzy and send Carnage back to jail. (If Carnage is still on the loose, either by draining after failing Jailbreak or by draining at the end of the wizard mode, all end-of-ball bonuses will be forfeited.)
• Host Hurry-Ups: The symbiote began to infect other individuals after infecting both Spider-Man and Venom, and granted them deadly powers. If the player hits the bumper at least once, then shoots the left lower saucer within 10 seconds by shooting the Carnage ramp, the player will be prompted to complete a hurry-up based on a particular symbiote host, depending on which one was randomly selected after bumper hits. The base value for all hurry-ups is 1 million depleting within 10 seconds, and all hurry-ups will fail if either the value depletes or the player fails the second part of the hurry-up. To solidly light this objective, just one host hurry-up needs to be completed successfully, but completing all five in a session will light an extra ball. The following possible host hurry-ups are shown below:
  • She-Venom: The symbiote saves Anne Weying from her death, but also turns her into a supervillain. To bond the Symbiote, the player must hit the bumper via a shot up the right lane; each bumper hit multiplies the hurry-up value. A magnet at the entrance to the bumper area will activate right before the ball exits, and a video mode will activate where the player must press the indicated flipper buttons seen on the scoring display. Each correct set of buttons briefly releases the ball for more bumper hits, and two video modes must be completed to finish the hurry-up successfully. Every successful completion of this hurry-up during the current wizard mode run will require one more video mode to complete.
  • Mania: Andrea Berton, the second person to assume the persona of Mania, has been infected with a unique strain of the Symbiote which contains a mysterious Hell-Mark. The left ramp, right ramp, and Carnage ramp will light in a random order to remove the Hell-Mark, with the hurry-up value increasing by 1 million per shot, up to 3 million for the third, final shot.
  • Superior Venom: Doctor Octopus becomes Superior Venom after stealing Agent Venom's Symbiote, using aggressive methods to defeat enemies that the Avengers do not approve of. To defeat Superior Venom and complete the hurry-up, the player must shoot all four ramps in a particular order, as shown by the flashing ramp arrows. However, this mission has one unique hazard - there are magnets in the area in front of the SUIT target bank that will cause the ball to move erratically as if it was grabbed by Superior Venom's tendrils. Every time a hurry-up is collected without failure, the player will have an extra chance to shoot a lit ramp if the value depletes.
  • Mac Gargan: Mac Gargan, the Scorpion, was also infected by the Symbiote - making Spider-Man's hectic life even more stressful. Both the left and right ramps are used in this hurry-up. One ramp will be slowly flashing, while the other will very quickly flash; the slowly flashing ramp will reset the timer, while the quickly flashing ramp will dodge Scorpion's tail and increasing the hurry-up value by 1 million. Making one successful tail dodge will complete the hurry-up successfully.
  • Agent Venom: After losing his legs in his service in the Iraq War, Flash Thompson chooses to take part in an experiment, where the symbiote turns him into a supersoldier named Agent Venom. In this hurry-up, the player must first shoot either the left or right ramp to set the base hurry-up value, then hit the spinner at the wall-crawler mini-loop as many times as possible to multiply the value while one of his guns in the right apron shoots at the ball to keep it from draining for about 20 seconds. The hurry-up can be completed by shooting the sinkhole in front of the mini-loop.
• Wallcrawler Battle: After Spider-Man frees himself of the Symbiote, resulting in Eddie Brock becoming Venom, the two fight each other. If the player spells VENOM vs. SPIDER-MAN by shooting the spinner at the Wall-crawler mini-loop enough times, this mission will light at the sinkhole in front of the mini-loop. In this mission, the player must help Spider-Man defeat Venom by exploiting the Symbiote's weaknesses - heat and sound. Either the bell tower ramp or flame ramp will be lit at the start of the mode, and must be shot to score the first value worth a minimum of 5 million; following this, once the 30 second timer for the shot reaches 20 seconds, the lit ramp will switch to whichever one isn't lit as the battle continues. Spider-Man will successfully defeat Venom and complete the mission after 6 correct ramp hits, with the sixth shot collecting the total score of the mission again (usually about 40 million points) and lighting the objective solidly. Shooting either the bell tower or flame ramps outside of this mission will increase the reward for shooting them when lit during the mission by 100,000 points.
• Black Suit Multiball: Spider-Man was the first known host of the Symbiote in its first Marvel Comics appearance. If the player is able to hit two adjacent targets in the SUIT target bank, the letters hit will lower to expose part of a bank of three saucers: a left one that opens when the letters SU are hit, a middle on that opens when the letters UI are hit and a right one that opens when the letters IT are hit. In order for a valid target hit to register, the player must hit a flashing target that cycles positions every time the flippers are operated, unless a ball is currently being held; if an already lit target is shot, the target bank will reset. To lock a ball, the player must open an empty ball locker through the abovementioned method and lock the ball inside it (or successfully make a double skill shot). Balls can be locked as soon as an empty saucer is accessible, but completing all four targets will light Anti-Venom at either outlane. Once all 3 balls have been locked, the objective will solidly light up, and a 3-ball multiball based on Spider-Man's experience with the black suit will begin. The player can earn jackpots worth 1 million by shooting the left and right ramps, and shooting both ramps will light a 4 million super jackpot at the flame ramp. Each jackpot will also sling a web on the ramp that was shot, and hitting the webs will award a double jackpot; if both are hit, the torch ramp will be lit for a double super jackpot. The base jackpot will increase by 100,000 points if two balls are locked back into the empty saucers within 10 seconds, which will remain exposed for the entirety of the multiball. Once the player drains down to one ball, multiball will end.
• Goo Ball: The Symbiote has a very slimy texture, and it can be shaped into different objects if one of its victims can control it. If the player spells GOO on the right upper target bank within 30 seconds, the sinkhole in front of the mini-loop will light to start this mission, in which Venom will create a goo ball out of the Symbiote and throw it down the right inlane. The player has to send this goo ball back at him and solidly light the objective by shooting the left ramp within 30 seconds; however, the goo ball has different physics and cannot bounce whatsoever due to its stickiness. At the end of the mission, regardless of success or failure, the goo ball is destroyed and the normal ball will be ejected from the upper sinkhole. Each completion of Goo Ball scores a bonus starting at 3 million and increasing by 1 million each time the mission is completed. (If the goo ball drains, it won't count as a drain - just the end of the mission.)

Once all six objectives have been completed at least once, Maximum Carnage will be ready to start at the lower left saucer. Based on the 1993 crossover comic series of the same title, this final wizard mode involves Spider-Man, Venom and various Marvel superheroes teaming up to defeat Carnage. At the start of the wizard mode, the jackpot value will be shown on the display, worth 1 million points multiplied by however many objectives have been completed before starting the wizard mode - a minimum of 6 million points per shot. This mission is divided into 3 phases:

• In the first phase, Spider-Man makes a reluctant alliance with Venom to fight Carnage. To attack Carnage, the player must first shoot either the Carnage ramp or the right ramp, then shoot a randomly lit lane depending one where the ball ends up - either the left ramp or bell tower ramp for the former shot, or the mini-loop or flame ramp for the latter shot. The player has 30 seconds per lit shot, each scoring the jackpot value, and 5 successful attacks against Carnage will complete the first phase successfully. If the timer runs out, the wizard mode will fail and all table progress will be reset.
• The second phase depicts various Marvel superheroes coming through to stop Carnage, with a 4-ball multiball - 3 balls are added, each representing Captain America, Dagger and Deathlok. Each ball portrays a different hero, and the player must shoot the correct hero ball (indicated by a red outline) at a flashing lane to earn a jackpot. If the player makes consecutive lit shots with the correct hero ball, the jackpot value will be multiplied by 2x, then 3x, then 4x, etc. until either a lane is hit with a different ball or a 20-second time limit to make the next jackpot lane runs out. This phase continues until all but one ball is lost.
• In the final phase, the player must defeat Carnage once and for all by shooting the last, remaining ball into the upper sinkhole in front of the Wall-crawler sinkhole to collect all the points that were scored while defeating Carnage during the first phase. Doing so successfully plays a figure animation in which Venom knocks Carnage to the lower half of the playfield and a swinging Spider-Man kicks him back into his pit cage. Failing to do so by draining the ball will result in Carnage escaping, and the ball ending with no end-of-ball bonus.

Side modes

There are no side modes on this table. All modes must be completed to reach the wizard mode.

Perks

The following perks can be activated during play:

• Ball Saver: At the start of each ball and multiball, a 15-second ball saver will activate. Once it expires, it cannot be reactivated normally.
• Anti-Venom: Anti-Venom is a Symbiote character that can cure anyone infected with Spider-Man's abilities. If the player spells SUIT completely at the middle, lower target bank, a virtual ball saver will activate at the left outlane. If only one outlane is lit, it will cycle between outlanes if either slingshot is hit. Anti-Venom persists between balls, and returns the ball the same way as the ball saver. If a ball is saved using Spider-Sense while Anti-Venom is lit, a bonus score starting at 1 million points increasing by 500,000 per success will be awarded and Anti-Venom will be unlit. Spelling SUIT while both outlanes are lit for Anti-Venom will light an extra ball the first time it is spelled.
• Ball Capture: If the player hits the upper left target bank with enough strength, the ball will fall behind the targets and be brought to a capture saucer, where it can be saved as a backup ball that Venom can throw back into play the next time the ball drains. This captured ball functions as an infinite ball saver, and only one ball can be webbed at a time. If the capture saucer is shot when a ball is already captured, a web award worth 100,000 points + 100,000 per shot will be awarded.
• Spider-Sense: Spider-Man can use his spider-senses to evade danger. If the player drains the ball into an outlane, the player has a chance to nudge the table through the one-way diverter gate between the inlane and outlane and return to normal play.
• Bonus Multiplier: The bonus multiplier can be advanced and held on the Jailbreak mini-playfield. To advance the bonus multiplier, the player must hit the saucer to the left of the top JAILBREAK target bank, then hit the large question-mark shaped ramp to raise the bonus multiplier by +1x, up to a max of 6x per mini-playfield attempt, but with no known limit otherwise. The multiplier can be held if the captive ball lane is hit with enough strength 10 times. Hitting the captive ball another 10 times while the multiplier is held lights an extra ball.
• Combos: Shooting the bell tower ramp and the Carnage ramp within 10 seconds of each other will light either the left ramp or right ramp to score a 3-way combo worth 3 million points for 10 seconds, depending on which shot was hit. If the right ramp is hit, the flame ramp will briefly light to score a 4-way combo worth 4 million points, increasing by 1 million points each time a 4-way combo is collected on the current ball.
• Extra Ball: An Extra Ball can be lit at the sinkhole in front of the Wall-crawler mini-loop if the player completes half of the objectives, completes all 5 host hurry-ups, or lights Anti-Venom when it is already lit at both outlanes. Extra Ball can also be lit at the scoop on the Jailbreak mini-playfield if the player hits the captive ball lane 10 times while the bonus multipliers are held. All extra balls can only be collected once per session.

Tips

• If you haven't captured a ball yet, do so as soon as you can. Capturing the ball acts as an infinite ball saver, helpful if you're going for dangerous shots like the SUIT target bank, and can give you all the stamina you need to make it through the six objectives and get to Maximum Carnage - it can even save you if you drain during one of the missions. Anti-Venom is also rather easy to light, as you'll be aiming for the SUIT targets to lock balls for Black Suit Multiball anyway. Extra balls are tougher to come by and shouldn't be prioritized as much as the ball capture, but are definitely possible to collect - particularly the first one, for completing three out of six objectives.
• This table boasts a complex design that takes some work to figure out if you're new to the table. Before playing the table seriously, try to play some practice games to get used to the table's design and understand how to access each the many different lanes and targets. Remember - backhand shots are always an option, and can be especially helpful when it comes to making the Carnage ramp shot.
• Some missions are much easier to start and complete than others; in particular, the Goo Ball mission and the Host Hurry-Ups can potentially add a ton of points to the wizard jackpot when they’re completed, thanks to how easy they are to activate in comparison to the other missions (the GOO target bank lights Goo Ball, and the bumper lights hurry-ups at the Carnage ramp). The highest scoring mission, however, is Jailbreak, especially if you focus on increasing the timer for Carnage Frenzy before you exit the mini-playfield.
• If you can't determine the correct plunger strength for the skill shot, don't bother with it. Locking balls from the double skill shot gets in the way of potentially lighting Anti-Venom, and with a particular amount of strength, the ball will be plunged down the left outlane with no compensation ball saver. Plunging at full strength will get the ball on a flipper more reliably.

References & Easter Eggs

• The complex, multi-leveled layout shares many similarities to Bally's 1988 pinball machine, Blackwater 100. While Bally's table was a decidedly multiball-based affair, Venom primarily focuses on translating single-ball rules into a complex playfield layout.
• The Jailbreak mini-playfield shares a similar layout to Williams' unique Varkon pinball machine - notable for being a pinball machine in an arcade-style cabinet. Both layouts have five targets in the center, and a short but difficult ramp shot to the side.
• The Spider-Sense outlane save feature has a real-life equivalent in Bally's Centaur, where balls that drain down either outlane can be saved if the player nudges the machine with just the right amount of strength.

External links

• Official table trailer
• Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin (PDF)
• Official table soundtrack on Bandcamp