The first time that I came across the Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein pinball SEGA arcade was through my xbox. I use a few different game platforms, but this one was via the Pinball Arcade. I’ve never seen the game in person, unlike the Bram Stoker’s Dracula pinball machine that I covered earlier, and I admit that I didn’t love the game when I played the first ball, but it really grew on me.
The first thing that you should do when you come upon a new pinball machine in person, is to read the rules that are listed on the left side of the machine. It’ll tell you what steps you need to take to start missions and what path will generally lead to getting the most points possible. This could include sending the ball up a ramp three or more times, then hitting the ball into a scoop for an extra million points, etc.
You get to choose from one of two available soundtracks for the game. The choices being the film’s soundtrack or Edgar Winter’s Frankenstein. Your first chance to get points is usually the skill shot. The skill shot on this game isn’t too tricky, since all that you really have to do is try to plunge the ball right when the voltage on screen is highest. The most ideal being 20 million points. When in doubt, always “hit what’s lit.” Whatever is lit up is suggesting that you hit the ball with it, and you’ll be rewarded if you do.
The most fun part of the game is when you get the multiball and try to hit the jackpots. The trick is to try to control as many of the balls as possible, so you can follow what the screen tells you each jackpot location is. I recorded some gameplay from my xbox, so check out some of it below, but especially look for multiball at the 3:03 mark:
The game is so much fun and hopefully I come across the actual pin in person. In the meantime, I really enjoy relaxing and playing the game on my xbox, even if I’m often shouting profanity when I lose the ball.
