Pinball FX VR Review: An Expensive Yet Exciting Gaming Experience

Recreating the excitement of pinball in a virtual environment can be quite challenging, as several essential elements are typically missing.

Imagine a lively 2000s indie-pop soundtrack playing, the sounds of conversations in an arcade around you, and your favorite pinball machine being out of order—all key experiences that are difficult to replicate. Nonetheless, Pinball FX VR comes remarkably close to capturing that essence.

Building on the foundations set by prior releases like Star Wars Pinball VR and Pinball VR Classic (also known as Pinball FX2 VR), developer Zen Studios elevates the immersive experience by introducing mixed reality elements, a new customizable space, and numerous enhancements to beloved classic titles alongside original ones.

Upon launching Pinball FX VR, players are instantly transported to an arcade themed around the 1980s, which serves as the central hub for the entire experience. After a quick tutorial, you can immediately approach a table and start playing. At its launch, the game also presents a mission-based campaign that rewards players with cosmetics, interactive gadgets, and mini-games like darts, in addition to the option to engage in mixed reality and transform your room into a pinball arcade.

The standard version includes three unique tables: Curse of the Mummy, Sky Pirates: Treasure of the Clouds, and Pinball Noir. The distinct themes of each table ensure variety, increasing the chances that you’ll find at least one favorite. Additionally, these tables are designed to be accessible for beginners, and the mission campaign incorporates specific challenges that enhance the gameplay experience.

True to the Pinball FX series tradition, there’s a wide array of customization settings and modes available for each table. Players can delve into mastering the mechanics of each table for online leaderboard competitions or choose to enjoy a more casual play style. Options include classic modes as well as a modern variant featuring power-ups.

Customization extends to various elements on the tables, such as bumpers and the ball itself. Unlike earlier versions that dramatically altered the environment to match the table’s theme, this game integrates specific objects and characters around the table, featuring unique animations that occasionally overlap with the game play area. Though not overly intrusive, they can be somewhat distracting, but players have the option to disable them if desired.

A major improvement compared to previous installments is the introduction of physical hands. Although they appear somewhat transparent, these hands enhance immersion, allowing players to place them on the sides of the table while playing. This small detail significantly helps in recreating the tactile experience. You can even retrieve a quarter from your pocket to insert into the machine, then manually start the game. However, while haptic feedback simulating the sensations of the ball colliding with bumpers is somewhat present, it could be stronger.

Despite the enhancements, several notable issues persist. For instance, the visuals do not exhibit the vibrant colors expected, which is critical for these dynamic tables. While there are lighting effects present, they seem somewhat muted, presumably to maintain consistent performance, and this reduction may be jarring, especially for those transitioning from the standard versions of Pinball FX.

Additionally, while the original Pinball FX allowed for the exploration and personalization of an elaborate game room, this iteration confines you to a rather dimly lit arcade setting. While it fits the pinball theme, the customization options—like adding trophies and statues to various locations or changing wall designs—are somewhat limited. The biggest downside is that the arcade feels vacant, giving it an eerie atmosphere.

Although players can still compete against others through online leaderboards, the absence of real-time multiplayer feels like a significant oversight. The gameplay mechanics necessitate a shift in your instance each time you interact with a table, which creates a delay that detracts from the social aspect of playing with friends. While the thought of observing friends playing in real-time is enticing, it seems unlikely to be feasible in the current version of the game.

Mixed reality aspects do not effectively resolve this social gap; they instead offer a somewhat gimmicky feature. After scanning your environment, you can interact with virtual items like a closet door or access your inventory with a simple gesture. You can also position posters and figurines in your home, along with the pinball tables. However, scaling the tables to fit is challenging, as they appear to shift awkwardly between mixed reality and virtual reality, which can be disconcerting.

At launch, some significant downloadable content tables are noticeably absent from Pinball FX VR. This includes popular collections like Marvel, along with quirky indie adaptations such as Crypt of the NecroDancer and Goat Simulator, as well as others like South Park and Borderlands: Vault Hunter. While it’s nice to have access to Williams Pinball tables within a home setting, a larger variety would be welcomed.

An important point to note is that even if you already own certain tables from previous versions, like Pinball FX, you will need to repurchase them for this game. If you’re transitioning from Pinball FX2 or Pinball FX3, this could be quite frustrating. Players with established libraries of favorite tables may find it difficult to justify starting over with Pinball FX VR. However, there is the potential option of acquiring a physical arcade cabinet designed for this game.

Final Thoughts on Pinball FX VR

As the accessibility of pinball tables dwindles, titles like Pinball FX VR serve as a commendable effort to bridge that gap through virtual reality. The experience is undeniably enjoyable, particularly for pinball enthusiasts; however, this isn’t Zen Studios’ first foray into this realm, as they have developed similar experiences for years on various platforms.

If you have ample space at home, the mixed reality feature acts as an intriguing twist, combining well with the overlay of virtual hands for a more immersive gameplay experience. Despite this, many elements, such as the campaign missions and decorative features like trophies and gadgets, lack substance, rendering it hard to justify abandoning existing digital pinball collections for a new experience that requires repeated purchases.

In time, there is potential for something akin to a pinball equivalent of Walkabout Mini Golf, creating opportunities for sharing enjoyable moments with friends, and truly capturing the essence of social arcade interaction. For now, this represents the closest approximation to the experience of playing on a physical pinball machine, although this sentiment is familiar to many gamers.

For those interested in a closer look at the tables, Don and Ian will be hosting a special live stream where they will showcase the arcade and demonstrate all available tables. You can catch the stream live or watch it later at:

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