Overview – developed and published by Pinblend Studios, Slot Shots Pinball Ultimate Edition is the definitive experience for fans of the Slot Shots Pinball game. Enjoy 13 tables of ball flipping action across a range of themes, including the classic tables and brand new additions, all presented with improved sound and visuals. This release is available exclusively for the Steam platform, with a link to the game will be at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank the publisher for providing the copy of Slot Shots pinball that was used for this piece, via the keymailer service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. Since there is no plot or story for this release, I will be going directly into covering the gameplay. Please note that some information used is provided by the publisher on their Steam store page. For this review I will be calling the game simply Slot Shots Ultimate for brevity.
Gameplay – Slot Shots Ultimate is a relatively Traditional Pinball sim style game, utilizing the traditional 3 ball gameplay mode, along with special features and slots in each of the tables. When starting the game, the player can select one of the 13 available tables, each with their own theming and gimmicks. This is an upgraded version of Slot Shots Pinball Collection, released back in 2022, featuring the original 7 tables along with a set of all new tables.
Here is a rundown of all of the tables featured in Slot Shots Ultimate that players can challenge;
- Draclua’s Pawn – take on the challenge of count Dracula and his castle, with a gothic style soundtrack, vampire themed targets and voice lines for Dracula.
- Neon Nights Ultra – an ultra-vibrant cityscape, covered in neon lights and accompanied by a pulsing soundtrack.
- Ocean Breeze – rack up big points at the beach, with this seaside themed table and score big points by hitting the beach house.
- Mystic Ballistic – a verdant deep jungle holds many mysteries, with ancient tribal artifacts and ruins that hold secrets to discover.
- Tomb Keeper Manor – encounter a haunted graveyard and investigate an abandoned house, with this being a revamped version of a previous table.
- Dream World – a bright and colorful table, filled with rainbows, candy and a colorful edible town.
- The Kraken’s Cove – a pirate themed table, with sunken treasure, a pirate ship and the mythical Kraken which will appear in the center of the board.
- Super Vixel Land – a retro themed pixel/voxel super wide table that has missions on both the upper playfield and a lower playfield that has a revolving wheel.
- Slot Shots Casino – a fantasy themed casino playground with card suits and table game themed aspects, there is also the lucky wheel and the special plinko style bonus.
- Bass Hunter – a fishing themed table where players can try to catch the “legendary” fish, while also collecting bonuses based on Bass fishing.
- Neon Nights 2 Skylines – a cyberpunk styled purple and blue neon themed table with a pulse pounding synth style soundtrack.
- Outergalactic Aliens – this galactic themed table features multiple flippers, captured aliens and special skill shot bonuses within this extraterrestrial experience.
- Neon Nights Original – the first table that was created by Pinblend, featuring vibrant neon details and elements of the city that were expanded in later iterations of this table.
The base goal for each table featured in the game is rather simple, you have to get a high score. With the three balls provided, the objective is to hit targets, achieve skill shots and activate the slots to rack up the highest score possible. There are also bonus missions and table features that will provide the player with big bonuses, really pumping scores up. The tables also have the traditional features of multi-ball and extra ball bonuses.
However, getting a high score can be easier said than done, as there are some minor issues when it comes to the overall table gameplay. The speed of the ball and the table physics can be a little inconsistent at times, this is most noticeable on tables with kickback/side lanes. There are moments where the ball will clip through the smallest gaps, going down the side lanes and causing a lost ball. This can be quite frustrating during play.
There is also the common issue that applies to all pinball games, which is the ball can simply roll down the middle of the table leading to a ball loss. This can be the most frustrating thing that can happen, but players can hit a tilt button to try and stop the ball being lost. Unfortunately, the tilt feature can also be a bit hit and miss, but this is a known problem with pinball games in general. In terms of physics, the ball will be react when hit most times, but sometimes it can seem heavier.
The positives for this release are that there is a wide range of different table features, targets and mechanics that work well. There are unique touches to each of the tables, making them stand out from each other and offering something for everyone. These touches can be grounded in reality, like the Neon Nights and Casino Slots tables, this is in contrast to fantasy based tables like Dream World and Kraken’s Cove, giving a nice variety to gameplay.
The last thing to talk about is the score system. All of the tables have their own leaderboard, where scores can be uploaded to after finishing a game of classic three ball mode. When the score has been uploaded, players can check the online leaderboard to see where they stack up with others. There is also the chance for high scores to be shared in the loading screens, where the developer highlights the best scores for players to honor their achievements.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to move onto the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – this game support both keyboard and controllers for the inputs, with the ability to map out all keyboard inputs in a comfortable manner. The controller inputs are shown on screen for players, with the layout being easy to use for players who prefer to use a range of controllers. There is also steam deck support for the game listed on the steam page, offering a portable way to enjoy this release.
Difficulty – there is little in terms of difficulty when it comes to this title, as the challenge comes from a players overall skill with pinball games in general. The biggest challenge for this game is activating slots, which can be quite tricky. There is no way to alter the way that the game works, with the only way to get better scores is to improve general skills. As a rather casual pinball title it is easy for players to get into, with tables that can fit all player tastes.
Presentation – Slot Shots Ultimate looks good for an indie pinball title compared to the other big hitters in the genre. There is a good variety of table designs, with the different fantasy elements working in favor of this release. The performance is solid too as there are settings to allow the game to run on a range of hardware set-up. The sound for the game is pretty good too, with the different table themes featuring complimentary soundtracks.
Final Thoughts – I do enjoy pinball games, with my favorites being those from the 16 and 32 bit era, but I also like to dive into newer titles from time to time. This title scratched that itch, with the different themed tables being enjoyable to play. Sadly the usual issues that occur with pinball games were there, but they don’t impact the gameplay too much aside from being a frustration when they happened. I also like the online scoreboards and the way they are implemented.
I can make this an easy recommendation for people who enjoy pinball games, especially those who play the expensive titles like Pinball FX and Zen Pinball. This title offers 13 tables all for one price, with something for everyone. Yeah, they may not have licenses or feature tables from times past, but they are fairly unique and are available for a one-time payment. If you have previously owned the other Slot Shots Pinball game, you can also upgrade to this for a small fee.
In the end, I give Slot Shots Pinball Ultimate Edition a final score of 3.5/5. This is a solid pinball title, with a good selection of tables to play all for a single price. What it lacks compared to others in the genre, it more than makes up for with creative table designs, fun gameplay mechanics and all of it is available right off the bat. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to the game will be below along with an upgrade for previous versions.
Link to Steam version (HERE)
Link to Upgrade bundle (HERE)
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