This past week, I was pleasantly surprised to find a new update for one of my favorite games, Pinball Destruction [99¢]. Pinball Destruction came out ages ago, back in April of 2009, and has definitely flown under the radar since. But it’s one of the more unique pinball games in the App Store, and this unexpected update has added some very welcome features to the title.
Pinball Destruction is an extremely simplistic take on pinball, with very basic table designs and insanely bouncy physics. This is intentional, however, as the game is meant to be incredibly fast-paced. It’s best to think of Pinball Destruction as an arcade game based loosely on pinball, because if you’re expecting any sort of realism or accuracy then you’ll be sorely disappointed.
The thing that makes Pinball Destruction so unique is the ability to destroy the elements that make up each table after completing its missions. There are sets of pegs at the top of the screen which act like drop targets. Once you’ve knocked every peg down they reset, and once you’ve knocked them all down a total of 3 times the various bumpers and blocks of the table can be destroyed with the ball. Destroying all table elements allows you to move onto the next table, of which there are 5.
There is also 3 and 5 ball multiball modes that can be unlocked by knocking down a secondary set of pegs on the side of the table. Things get truly crazy when there is 5 balls zipping around your screen at one time, and it’s really a lot of fun. Additionally, there is a score multiplier which can be increased by clearing sets of pegs without losing your ball, and this is key if you want to earn competitive scores on the built in online leaderboards.
The biggest addition in this latest update to Pinball Destruction is universal iPad support, and the game is a total blast on the bigger screen. Also, each of the 5 tables can now be selected and played from the main menu once unlocked, which is great as before you had to start from the first table each time, causing the first few tables to become repetitive and the last few not nearly visible enough. Now, once they’re all unlocked, they can each be enjoyed at any time.
Another nice change is the addition of lights on the table that indicate how many times you’ve destroyed each set of pegs, so you know when to expect the destruction to happen, and another set of lights that let you keep track of how close to each multiplier you are.
Pinball Destruction definitely won’t be for everyone, but if you have an open mind towards a different take on a pinball game then there’s a lot to like about the title. The physics are crazy, almost like playing pinball with rubber balls on the moon, but it makes for some fast action. Destroying the table elements is a neat idea, and despite the simplistic designs of the tables they’re all really fun to play.
Pinball Destruction is an oldie but a goodie, and has stayed on my device for nearly two years. This latest update adds some nice new features, and has breathed new life into the game for me. If a crazy game of pinball sounds like your kind of thing, then give Pinball Destruction a try.
