Zaccaria Pinball provides addicting video pinball gameplay with unique designs like those in the 1960's to the 1990's based on real pinballZaccaria Pinball provides addicting video pinball gameplay with unique designs like those in the 1960's to the 1990's based on real pinball machines produced by this Italian company during the early solid state era. The Xbox One release is a great improvement from the beta version I have played on iOS mobile. My favorite set of tables is the Solid State set which is well worth the asking price. While gameplay is not perfect, I have not encountered any errors, infinite scoring bounce patterns, or balls simply floating off the screen. Updates and new Remake tables are being released regularly on Steam, and I imagine this will hold true for Xbox One.
I really like the nudging effect, which is different from both PinballFX and The Pinball Arcade. At this point, I would say the difficulty level is slightly higher overall than in these other emulators, but I have been playing them for far longer, and the era of pinball machines in Zaccaria's library lend themselves to shorter, lower scoring games. The look and feel of these tables is slightly different too. Some of the artwork is, um, interesting, and the flippers flip faster than I expect, leading to many early misses. Many tables have unique layouts and/or gameplay mechanics, and a good number have slings that overshadow the flippers slightly.
I believe you can test out every single table available up to a set score limit for free, and there are three or four tables that are completely free! The score limit is somewhat low for the Remake versions, but feels generous on at least some of the other tables. You can optimize your play experience by selecting from several options at the beginning of each game, such as ball count (3 or 5), number of players, type of game (classic, timed, or special), basic table settings, and environmental factors. I have not delved into most of the options in the Xbox version, but you can tweak a wide variety of settings regarding audio and visual aspects and the physics of the table. A story mode and campaign mode are available which ask you to complete tasks on specific tables to advance. The online leaderboard appears to include Xbox players only, but you can see the current score you need to reach to move up in rank in the bottom corner of the screen while you play.
Currently 88 tables are available in Zaccaria Pinball, broken down somewhat evenly into four categories: Solid State, Electro-Mechanical, Remake, and Retro. The Retro tables are the simplest, least expensive, most challenging, and likely least entertaining long term. There are several gems among the EM tables, but I did struggle to pay $10 just to get the 3 that I like. The SS tables are only $15 for 27 tables, and while you might not like every one of them, even $1 per table is fantastic for video pinball (compare Whoa Nellie alone for $10). Most of the Remake tables have not impressed me yet, but they are divided into 4 packs of 5, and I bought the first two right away after reading what other players have enjoyed. Compared to other offerings on the market, anything you like in Zaccaria Pinball is available at a great price.
I have had the opportunity to play ROBOT, Time Machine, and Magic Castle in real life, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have them in my video pinball collection.… Expand
