Balls and the game
A standard game of pinball is three balls, sometimes five. Your score builds across all of them and the game ends when the last ball drains. The total at the end is what goes on the high score table, which is why pinball players talk about their best game rather than their best ball.
Bubble Pinball gives each table between three and five balls, shown before you launch, and every table also has a mission. Win the mission and the table is beaten; score keeps counting as you move from table to table, so a good run adds up across several tables.
Extra balls, replays and the match
An extra ball lets you shoot again with the same player once the current ball drains. Machines light it for reaching a goal, such as completing a bank of targets or a set of lanes. A replay (or special) was historically a free credit for passing a score threshold, announced by a loud knocker. The match is pure luck: at game over two digits roll, and if they equal the last digits of your score, you win a free game.
Bubble Pinball uses all three. Clear the drop-target bank twice, or roll through the BONUS lane three times, and you earn an extra ball. Reach the table's par score and the knocker sounds for a REPLAY: an extra ball you earned yourself. When you run out of balls the match rolls, and one time in ten it lands on your score and offers a free ball.
Ball save
A ball save is a short grace period, usually at the start of each ball, during which a drained ball is returned automatically. It exists so that a bad bounce in the first seconds does not end your turn before it starts. Some machines also light a ball save as an award.
In Bubble Pinball each ball starts with an 8-second ball saver, and the SHIELD side lane adds another 6 seconds when you roll through it while it is lit (it then needs a while to recharge). Save it for the moment before a risky shot.
Skill shot
A skill shot rewards a precise launch: a lit lane, target or ramp hit straight from the plunger, before the ball touches anything else. It is the first risk-and-reward choice of every ball.
Bubble Pinball has three rollover lanes at the top. One is lit and you move it with the flippers while the ball is on its way. Landing in it pays 25,000, then 50,000, 75,000 and 100,000 for later skill shots on the same table, and a SUPER SKILL SHOT, taken almost straight from the plunger, doubles that step.
Combos
A combo is two or more shots made in a row without the ball stopping or hitting anything useless in between. Machines reward them because they are the purest test of control: each shot has to feed the next. Many rule sheets count combos and give escalating awards.
In Bubble Pinball the COMBO lane arms a multiplier for the next bubble you close. Close another inside a few seconds and the chain climbs x2, x3, x4, x6 and x8; every hit renews the window, and the chain drops back to the bottom when you miss it.
Multiball, jackpots and super jackpots
Multiball puts two or more balls in play at once. It is usually started by locking balls (holding them in a saucer or lock until enough are collected) or by completing a mode. During multiball, one or more shots are lit for a jackpot, a large fixed award, and completing a harder condition lights a super jackpot. Multiball usually ends when you are back to one ball.
In Bubble Pinball every ramp shot inflates the Mother Bubble. Fill it and it bursts into a three-ball multiball. While it lasts, every bubble you close is a JACKPOT and every ramp is a SUPER JACKPOT. Some missions only count bubbles closed during multiball, and the final table of the campaign ends in a five-ball multiball.
End-of-ball bonus and the bonus multiplier
Most machines count up a bonus while you play (for lanes, targets or modes) and pay it when the ball drains. A bonus multiplier, raised by completing a set of lanes or targets, multiplies that count. On a long ball with a high multiplier, the bonus can be worth more than everything else you scored.
Bubble Pinball does the same: lanes and targets build the bonus, and completing all three top rollover lanes raises the multiplier, up to 5x. When the ball drains, the display counts the bonus up and the points roll into your score.
Modes and missions
Modern machines are organised around modes: timed or goal-based challenges, started from a scoop or a set of targets, that change which shots are worth points. Finishing all of them usually opens the wizard mode.
In Bubble Pinball the mission is the core of every table. Most ask you to close glowing bubbles, and the rule that makes it pinball rather than luck is the colour charge: a bubble only breaks when a ball charged with its own colour hits it. Other missions add a twist, such as closing bubbles in order, without draining, as twins or against a timer. Boss tables play in two to five phases, each with new rules.
Wizard mode
A wizard mode is the grand finale of a machine, opened only after the player has completed its main goals. The name comes from 'pinball wizard'. Players often complain that wizard modes are spectacular but pay little, so a good one rewards the effort with real points.
Bubble Pinball's wizard mode is THE GRAND FINALE. It opens once all ten bosses of a machine are beaten: two minutes of three-ball multiball in which bubbles grow back every few seconds, and every bubble you close climbs a jackpot ladder up to x12 that never drops while the mode lasts. Surviving the clock is winning.
Tilt and slam tilt
Nudging the machine is allowed; abusing it is not. A tilt mechanism detects excessive shaking and, after one or more warnings, tilts: the flippers go dead, the ball drains and the bonus for that ball is lost. A slam tilt, triggered by hitting or lifting the cabinet, ends the whole game.
Bubble Pinball follows the same rule. You can nudge with the up arrow or Shift, the machine warns you, and if you keep pushing it tilts and the bonus is gone.
Stars and par scores
Bubble Pinball adds one idea of its own to measure a table: stars. The first comes from winning the mission, the second from beating the table's par score and the third from finishing with balls to spare. Stars unlock new worlds, so replaying a won table is worth it. There are 100 free tables across five worlds, and you can start the first one right now.
Frequently asked questions
How many balls do you get in pinball?
Usually three, sometimes five. In Bubble Pinball each table sets between three and five balls, and extra balls can be earned during play.
What is a jackpot in pinball?
A large award for a specific shot, normally lit during multiball. A super jackpot is a bigger award for a harder condition.
What does the bonus multiplier do?
It multiplies the bonus counted at the end of each ball. In Bubble Pinball you raise it by completing the three top lanes, up to 5x.
What happens when you tilt?
The flippers stop working, the ball drains and you lose that ball's bonus. A slam tilt ends the entire game.