Pokémon Pinball Review

There are pinball machines that arrive fully formed.

And then there are machines that arrive with a very clear idea of what they could become.

Pokémon Pinball is much closer to the second category.

Stern has taken one of the biggest entertainment franchises in the world and built a machine around one of its most recognisable ideas: collecting Pokémon. The result is colourful, approachable and immediately recognisable, with a gameplay concept that makes an enormous amount of sense for pinball.

The interesting part is that we're still quite early in the machine's life.

The latest software available is still only Version 0.84, so judging the final depth of Pokémon Pinball today is a little like judging a book before the last chapters have been written.

The First Few Games

Pokémon Pinball is remarkably easy to understand.

That is one of its biggest strengths.

You don't need a long explanation before you know what you're trying to do. You hit shots, progress through the Pokémon world, battle and work towards catching them.

That accessibility makes the machine particularly interesting for families and newer players.

But don't confuse easy to understand with easy to master.

Some owners describe the machine as surprisingly challenging once you start trying to push further into the rules and progression. The combination of catching Pokémon, trainer battles and different objectives gives you plenty of reasons to start another game.

And that's probably one of the best things you can say about a pinball machine:

you finish a game and immediately want another one.

Catching Pokémon Is the Hook

The most interesting idea in Pokémon Pinball is also the most obvious one.

Catch them all.

Instead of simply chasing a high score, you have another reason to keep playing.

Different Pokémon become targets, and the collection aspect gives the game a very different motivation from a traditional pinball machine.

It's an idea that works particularly well because Pokémon has always been built around collecting, progression and completion.

Some players have already put hundreds of games into their machines specifically because they want to see how far they can take that collection.

That creates a very different kind of replayability.

You're not just asking:

"How many points can I score?"

You're asking:

"What can I catch next?"

The Layout Is Designed for Accessibility

The layout isn't trying to be one of the most complicated machines you've ever played.

And that's probably intentional.

Pokémon needs to work for people who have never owned a pinball machine before, while still giving experienced players enough to learn.

The shots are relatively approachable, the objectives are easy to understand and the game gets you into the action quickly.

That makes Pokémon particularly well suited to home collections where several different people might play the machine.

A child can understand what is happening.

A casual player can have fun immediately.

And an experienced player can start looking for ways to optimise the game.

That is a difficult balance to achieve.

Pokémon Pinball is also an interesting collaboration between two very different generations of pinball design. George Gomez brings decades of experience to the machine, while Jack Danger represents a newer generation of designers bringing fresh ideas into modern pinball.

The Code Is the Big Question

This is where we have to put a small asterisk on the review.

The game is still developing.

The current code has already added new content, including another Team Rocket multiball, but there is clearly much more room for the ruleset to grow. Players have repeatedly pointed to the unfinished nature of the software while also recognising the potential of the underlying game.

And that's important.

It's very difficult to make a final judgement on the long-term depth of a machine while the rules are still being developed.

Pokémon has an enormous amount of material to work with.

There are hundreds of Pokémon, battles, progression systems, achievements and collection mechanics that could potentially be expanded through software.

So right now, we're looking at the foundation, rather than the finished house.

Pro, Premium or LE?

The three versions are built around the same fundamental game.

The Pro is the straightforward way into Pokémon Pinball and, for many players, offers everything they need to enjoy the game.

The Premium adds more hardware and additional playfield features, giving the machine more visual and mechanical presence.

And then there is the Limited Edition, which takes the presentation further for collectors who want the most exclusive version.

The important thing is that you're buying into the same basic Pokémon experience whichever version you choose.

The decision is therefore much more about how much you value the additional hardware, artwork and collector presentation.

The Artwork Is One of the Strongest Parts

Even if you've never been a Pokémon fan, it's difficult not to appreciate the artwork.

The colours are incredibly strong.

Pikachu immediately catches your attention.

The different Pokémon, environments and characters give the machine an enormous amount of visual variety.

And this is where customisation becomes particularly interesting.

The factory artwork already fills the machine with colour, but there are still large areas where that artwork can be extended.

Our Pokémon EL Cut WizBlades work particularly well with machines using Expression Lighting, while the Pokémon Full Cut WizBlades offer maximum artwork coverage for collectors who want a more complete cabinet interior.

They're two different approaches to the same idea: making the inside of the cabinet feel like part of the Pokémon world rather than an empty space.

WizPanels Make a Surprisingly Big Difference

The speaker panel is another area where the factory artwork can feel interrupted.

The Pokémon Premium WizPanels continue the artwork across that section and help connect the backbox with the rest of the cabinet.

It's one of those modifications that doesn't change the game at all, but completely changes how the machine looks when you're standing in front of it.

And because Pokémon is such a colourful theme, extending the artwork across these larger surfaces has a particularly strong effect.

Small Details Matter Too

Once the major artwork is done, the smaller details start becoming interesting.

The Pokémon Premium WizEmblems add another themed element to the cabinet, while Pokémon WizBats put a little more colour directly in front of you during every game.

These are the kinds of mods that don't overwhelm the original machine.

They simply make it feel more complete.

If you want to see everything available for the different versions, the complete Pokémon Pinball Mods collection brings all the options together.

Our Every Pokémon Pinball Mod You Can Add to Your Machine guide explores some of our favourite ways to take the machine even further, from the major cabinet upgrades to the smaller details that complete the look.

A Machine With a Lot of Room to Grow

This is probably the most interesting thing about Pokémon Pinball right now.

It's not difficult to see where the machine could go.

The basic concept is strong.

The theme is almost infinitely expandable.

The collecting mechanic fits pinball surprisingly well.

And the machine is accessible enough to introduce completely new players to the hobby.

The software simply needs time.

That makes Pokémon one of those machines where the review written today may look very different from the review written a year from now.

And honestly, that's quite exciting.

Final Verdict

Pokémon Pinball is colourful, accessible and built around one of the most naturally pinball-friendly ideas imaginable: catching them all.

The layout doesn't try to overwhelm the player, and that makes it particularly easy to pick up and enjoy.

The biggest unknown is the code.

But that's also where the potential lies.

With the software still developing, there's plenty of room for Pokémon Pinball to become a much deeper long-term experience than the machine we have today.

And visually?

It's already one of the most colourful machines in Stern's current lineup.

For Pokémon fans, that's going to be a huge part of the attraction.

For everyone else, it may simply be the machine that makes them understand why someone can play "just one more game" for the next two hours.