Super Pinball: Behind the Mask

"This is a waste of time"

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INTRODUCTION
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Super Pinball: Behind the Mask was created by an obscure Japanese game developer called Meldac in 1994. It was an attempt to please pinball fans, delivering them a realistic pinball game to alleviate the absence of good pinball titles in the console market. However, something went really wrong along the way. What Meldac has given us is a simplistic, mindless and seriously flawed gaming experience. Although Super Pinball does feature a few good points scattered through it, I do not recommend this game to anyone but serious pinball enthusiasts, and even those should be aware that there is a serious lack of depth in this game.

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GAMEPLAY
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Super Pinball offers you two modes to choose from: competition and tournament. In competition, the main mode, you pick up a table and start playing. There are three machines at your disposal: Jolly Joker, Blackbeard & Ironmen and The Wizard (the Joker should be the easiest and the wizard should be the hardest, yet I see no difference). Each of them has a very unique environment. The Jolly Joker table has a background and targets based on a circus, Blackbeard & Ironmen has a piracy theme and The Wizard has an atmosphere based on sorcery elements.

Whichever the table you pick, the goal remains the same. All you must do is to gain as many points as possible, by hitting the targets displayed on the screen with the ball. Unfortunately, Super Pinball suffers from a lack of targets, especially creative ones. Mostly, hit them as many times as possible to achieve a gargantuan score. There are only a few targets that actually open new features to you, such as extra balls or access to the multiball option. But then again, none of them is particularly interesting: the multiball, for instance, is available for short time and, whenever you get it, the game the game gets cursed by a terrible slowdown.

There is no specific pre-set objective, so keep playing until you run out off balls or until you cannot bear this torture anymore. If you manage to play Super Pinball long enough to get a high score, congratulations, but learn that this game does not have a battery, so your score will be deleted for good when you turn off your console.

Then, there is the tournament mode. Here, the objective is to play the Joker machine for a while, then play the Blackbeard machine for a while and, finally, the wizard. Nothing changes about the gameplay, though, and the tables are exactly the same. As if playing only one of the machines were not bad enough.

Even though the gameplay is simplistic and not very enjoyable, the controls are pretty effective and responsible. You control the flippers with the “R” and “L” buttons, and you can tilt the machine with the “B” button. You can also switch the flippers’ control to the directional if you wish.

Gameplay: 3/10; Controls: 7.5/10; Replay: 2/10

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AUDIO & VIDEO
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As I said earlier, Super Pinball: Behind the Mask attempts to be a realistic game. Indeed, if there is one redeeming point in this game, it has got to be the realistic backgrounds. Although none of the graphics and visual effects is masterfully designed by any means, at least the machines look like actual pinball machines, as well as the ball itself, which looks and moves like a true element. It has even an eerie reflection on it so that it looks like it is made of metal. But the good points end here, though. The visual concept of the whole game is extremely simplistic, and the pictures at the back of the screen are average at best. There are only three machines here and this means that there are only three different screens in this game, featuring an ugly looking clown, a weird pirate and a wizard. I am serious about this. There is a title screen, but that is just so lame that it does not count and there is nothing more. This is a completely waste of the SNES software.

The sound department, however, is where the game reaches the bottom of mediocrity. There is a stupid techno music that plays all the time, intercalated with some “bleeps” and “bloops” from the machines. The worst point though, is a lousy robotic voice that says “are you ready?” and “wanna try again?” every moment. Heed my warning: listening to Super Pinball’s audio for more than five minutes may give you a migraine.

Graphics: 5/10; Sound: 1/10

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CONCLUSION
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Overall, Super Pinball: Behind the Mask is a simple, annoying and unappealing game that is not a worthy experience. This is not remotely close to be as addictive as a pinball game should be. In fact, only serious pinball fans should consider playing it, and I am sure that even they will not have much fun. Super Pinball is a prime example of a shallow gaming experience, a real time waster.

Best Features: looks realistic; easy to play
Worst Features: sound is terrible; annoying, boring and repetitive gameplay

Overall: 2/10

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 01/24/02, Updated 02/23/04