Pinball Spire comes this close to conquering the ‘pinballvania’

Pinball tower combines two of my favorite gaming genres: pinball and Metroidvania-style video games. That rare combination was investigated in 2018 Yoku’s Island ExpressBut Pinball tower takes a different approach to the ‘pinballvania’ idea; it’s more clearly inspired by Castlevania than Metroid, treating the pinball playgrounds as a series of medieval dungeons to conquer.

As Pip, a sentient pinball machine with eyes, I climb a dark and mysterious tower, using flippers and plungers to keep hitting the circular hero upwards. Pinball tower. Pip can unlock special superpowers during his pinball-themed quest, allowing him to slow down time for perfect shots and the ability to turn into a fireball, allowing him to punch through enemies (instead of bouncing off them). These powers are used to solve the game’s environmental puzzles, such as lighting a series of torches in a pitch-black room.

Levels are laid out like simple pinball fields. There are ramps to ride on, spinners to spin, and multiple flippers scattered throughout each level. Enemies, many of which are flying eyeballs or other threatening orbs, can be crushed for mana, which boosts Pip’s abilities. Making your way out of the game’s various dungeons requires finesse, good aim and – all too often – a lot of patience.

Pinball towerThe game’s levels are sometimes too large, or laid out in such a way that one small mistake can wipe out a lot of progress. As Pip bounces around, launched by bumpers and collisions with enemies, he sometimes flies back and forth for extended periods of time. It can be annoying to line up a shot, sniff it, and then watch the game’s ball hero bounce around and around and around, eventually ending up nowhere near where you want it to be.

But Pinball tower has its share of bright ideas. You must master Pip’s mana and have quick reflexes to perform the combos necessary to perform consecutive actions. The game’s levels are full of secret exits and hidden collectibles – mainly cosmetics for Pip to wear on his quest.

Successfully completing a level and racking up the game’s generous save points can be very satisfying. But Pinball tower can also be frustrating; Missing a shot, sometimes due to poor enemy placement and poor bounce, can not only halt your progress, but reverse it. Traps down the spire feels very, very bad.

Pinball tower it doesn’t take long to beat – a few hours – and doesn’t overstay its welcome. If you’re open to digital pinball and want to solve some clever puzzles for a few hours, then it is now available on Steam.