Pinball Quest

North American box art.

Pinball Quest is a video pinball game developed by Tose and published by Jaleco on the NES in 1989. The game simulates three more traditional pinball tables including "Pop! Pop!" which has a 50's rock 'n' roll theme, "Viva! Golf" with a golf theme, and "Circus" featuring a circus theme. These tables take advantage of the video game element and have features that would be impossible on a traditional pinball machine. However, the real thrust of the game is "RPG Mode" which is a pinball action adventure game with RPG elements where you play a ball that must rescue a kidnapped princess.

I first played this game after my cousin had borrowed it from a neighbor in the late 1980s. Having never been a big pinball fan, I wasn't really interested in the traditional three tables, but I was really interested in the RPG mode. We did pretty well and made it to the fourth section. Years later, using an emulator, I was able to beat the game.

Status

I do not own this game, but I have beaten it.

Review

• Overall: 5/10
• Best Version: NES

Good

• Making a pinball game into an adventure RPG may have sounded ridiculous in 1989, but it really worked, and I admire the risk Tose took.
• They designers did a good job of incorporating the traditional fantasy RPG elements into a pinball game while still keeping it clearly a pinball game.
• The three traditional tables, while not necessary, are a pleasant addition to the game.
• Like any good adventure game, death doesn't mean starting over entirely from the beginning, so, even if your ball goes in the gutter, you just go back a screen and have to work your way forward again.
• The addition of a store where you can purchase better flippers and stoppers, and even try to rob the place, was a nice addition.

Bad

• For an adventure game, it's pretty short with only six tables.
• Some of the bosses are pretty tedious and you end up going in the gutter far too often.
• As far as adventure games go, this one has little replay value for me.

Ugly

• Nothing.

Media

Box Art

• 

  The Japanese art clearly makes this game out to be a traditional slay the bad guy to rescue the princess game, but the shiny ball looks more like a strange robot rather than convey this as a pinball game.

• 

  The North American art has the opposite problem. With the pinball machine table, this is clearly a pinball game, but the only indication this is an adventure game is the skull in the ball's reflection.

Documentation

• Pinball Quest - NES - Manual.pdf

  Game manual.

Videos

• youtube.com/watch?v=z4MJiAthjTc - Longplay.

Titles

Language	Native	Transliteration	Translation
English	Pinball Quest
Japanese	ピンボールクエスト	Pinboru Kuesuto	Pinball Quest

Links

• mobygames.com/game/nes/pinball-quest - MobyGames.
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball_Quest - Wikipedia.
• thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php?title=Pinball_Quest - NES Hacker Database.
• tcrf.net/Pinball_Quest - The Cutting Room Floor.