Each table has a mini-story behind it and by playing the game you’re basically trying to complete missions and mini-games while scoring points in the process. The latter is set in an ancient magical citadel with players essentially taking the role of a brother and sister who are battling against an evil sorcerer who has all kinds of tricks up his sleeves, such as summoning spiders and ghosts. I spent most of my time switching in between the three Stars Wars machines and Sorcerer’s Lair. I didn’t get a chance to try all the tables but the ones I did were fun to play in short bursts and kept me coming back for more time and time again. Though you’re basically repeating the same pull and flip moves in every game, each pinball table could easily have a review of its own as each offers something uniquely different. Indeed, the big draw of Zen Pinball 2 is the diversity of tables and the way in which they’re designed. The combination of speed coupled with very bright visuals and the busy design of the tables can be a lot to take in – I had to take a break to give my eyes a rest on numerous occasions – but it’s very easy to get totally absorbed into racking up combos and multipliers or trying to hit certain areas of the table in order to trigger the likes of mini-games or cut-scenes. With the ball whizzing around the table, cascading over ramps, hurtling around spinners and rebounding of bumpers at breakneck speeds, gameplay can be extremely fast-paced, though the optional slow motion feature does come in handy. Notifications pop up on-screen when you achieve certain goals and there’s the option to compare friend’s scores, brag on Facebook, or enter tournaments, thus providing a social element that was missing from earlier simulations. It works just like an arcade pinball machine as you pull back the spring with the analog stick to send the metal ball whizzing around the machine and then use the left and right flippers with the bumpers of the DualShock 4 to fling the ball around and rack up as many points as possible the ultimate aim being to top the online leaderboards or beat your own personal best.
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Further tables will also be released as DLC in future months.Ĭontinued Zen Pinball 2 is painstakingly simple, though mastering it certainly isn’t.
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Ranging from the Star Wars Collection, which includes ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ ‘Boba Fett,’ and ‘The Clone Wars,’ to ‘Street Fighter II’ and ‘Ninja Gaiden Sigma tribute’ tables, a range of movies and video games are featured as well as other mediums, ensuring there’s a varied selection. Zen Pinball 2 does exactly what it says on the tin, impressing with its array of beautifully designed tables which emulate the pick-up-and-play appeal, excellent replay value and addictiveness of the arcade machines very well indeed.