'SmallBall Pinball, Grand Canyon': Free, Casual Pinball for the iPhone
posted by Blake Patterson on May 13th, 2009 12:35 PM EDT in Action, Free, iPhone games, iPod touch games
Mobile developer SmallBall has released SmallBall Pinball, Grand Canyon [App Store], a free pinball game for the iPhone and iPod touch.
The first episode in a series of coming pinball releases, SmallBall Pinball is an easy-paced pinball game with a Grand Canyon graphical theme and, interestingly, a backstory.
In the first of many, SB Pinball: Grand Canyon is themed after American National parks and the petroglyphs of ancient man which tell a story: Over 2000 years ago the land was visited by 5 beings from another land. They came from the same place of the sun and moon and stood as tall as the biggest trees. Fear among the people kept them away from the 5, but they watched closely. The people learned that the 5 beings came to their land to take some animals with them. They seemed sad and in need of the animals. They didn't kill them for food, just took them. But because they took so many animals they did not have enough room for all 5 in their sky boat so one stayed behind. It said the one left behind hides deep inside the rock of the canyon waiting to guide the accent of the animals once again.
The game features low-gravity table (or canyon wall) physics and a fairly sparse collection of targets, spinners, and the like. As such, the play experience is not what one would call the typical, frantic game of pinball. A tap to the left or right side of the screen controls the corresponding flipper, and a tap to the middle of the screen triggers both flippers at once.
The game presents a rather unique table arrangement in which each table has an exit gate towards the top of the screen that provides access to the next table. Most such gates must be unlocked by carrying out particular on-table sequences. In all but the "bottom" table, if a ball passes down between the flippers, it returns to the table below it. Any ball dropping out of the bottom table simply bounces back into play — you don't ever loose your ball. "Save your quarters for the laundry," as SmallBall puts it.
SmallBall Pinball is certainly not the most white-knuckle game of pinball in the App Store. It has only basic sound effects and no music. There's not even a plunger. But it does feature lovely backdrop scenery, an online leaderboard, and the unique table-to-table arrangement. I enjoyed the relatively short time I've spent with the title and, for the price of admission — free — anyone who enjoys a nice game of pinball may as well give it a try.
See our gameplay video which shows the first three tables.
[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]
App Store Link: SmallBall Pinball, Grand Canyon, Free
interesting different approach for a pinball game and its free, must try this one out
The game is very smooth but the ball has way to much hang time.
Very nice. One of the few free apps I have seen that is actually polished and full of quality. It is very basic at the moment, but everything works well and the graphics are pretty good. A perfect template for the devs to develop into more, better pinball games. Definately worth downloading.
Looks like it keeps on going vertically for quite a distance. That makes up for some sparseness. It looks like it may go even higher than seen in the video?
anyone remember a game for… NES, i think? It was called Pinball Quest and it was kind of like a Zelda game, but you control an adventuring chrome pinball and move around the world by way of separate pinball tables, almost identical to this concept.
Pinball Quest review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AprYcmku4r0
Physics are off, the ball is too light. Nah…
I don't mind that ball weight/gravity vary from game to game. If I only wanted an accurate simulation of physical table games, that would be one thing, but for me fun comes in more flavors than that
Sorry to say this, I like your site because you pick up the good games but this one is crap.
Video looks pretty cool actually and I like the different tables.
Nothing wrong IMHO with a low gravity ball as long as the physics are consistent. Plus it makes sense, since the object is to go upward thru the tables.
BAll floats too much. Game just seems to go on with no purpose. Slow. Pinball should be fast, quick response. This game needs many improvements. Also the flipper bottoms should be fixed. I don't like that they disappear when the ball goes out of frame. Overall I give this game a big yawn. Deleted!!!
what the hell? you're really missing the point
pinball shouldn't /be/ anything. that's like saying board games should be monopoly.
Yeah, the ball does have a tendency to float. Occasionally the bumpers give the ball a speed boost and that's nice. I'd like to hear more sounds and lights and ball rebound randomness. Do any of the pinball games have multiple balls yet? Maybe that's too much to ask for a cellphone pinball game due to lack of processor speed or specialized graphics chips.
It definitely is a good start, though. Look like fun.