After several hours of playing Star Wars Pinball: Rogue One on the Xbox, PS4 and Vita I’m still waiting to hear my favorite sound clip from the film; the infamous chant, “I Am One with the Force; The Force Is with Me”. It has definitely been my own personal mantra during some of the more intense moments in Zen Studio’s latest pinball offering. Now available for pretty much every format, the Force is strong with Star Wars Pinball: Rogue One; a singular table offering based on the first spin-off installment in the Star Wars movie franchise.
While we’ve come to expect 2-3 tables in our pinball booster packs don’t let this lone table fool you. There is plenty of content available in Rogue One with a unique table design that features a large top portion that frequently changes out to reflect new gameplay elements specific to the game’s ten story-related game modes as well as an awesome video mode that can earn you an extra ball. You might be bouncing off Tie Fighter bumpers one minute only to be avoiding giant walker feet the next, or possibly engaging in exciting firefights, piloting a U-wing, or avoiding Stormtroopers in a stealth mission.
All the main characters are present, not just in gorgeous painted artwork on the table and the occasional 3D rendered model that will spring to life and move about the table, but also in plenty of iconic dialogue, signature sound effects and authentic Star Wars theme music, all used sparingly so as not to get repetitive. The table design is clean with perfectly constructed rails, ramps, and targets along with a four-flipper design that actually allows for gaming based more on strategy than reflexes and luck…at least until the Death Troopers Multiball mode kicks in.
One of my favorite elements from “real” pinball makes its way into Rogue One; Magna Save, the ability to magnetically rescue a draining ball by hitting the launch button and holding it down until the ball is safely back in play. The trick is not to let off too soon. The corkscrew ball lock was another nice feature as was the symmetrical rail system and the wavy chute at the top of the table.
There is so much content in this new table I have yet to experience all the game has to offer, which makes replayability so much more enticing than just going after high scores. I’ve been spreading my gameplay across both the Xbox One and the PS4 and even spent an hour with the Vita version. As always, the PSN version gets you copies on PS3, PS4 and the Vita, and with the added bonus of 3D support (for those with 3D TV’s) this is clearly the best value, and thanks to the responsive DualShock 4, the PS4 is still the best system to play this or any other Zen Pinball table. The Xbox One is virtually identical and only lacks in responsive controls unless you happen to have an Elite Controller, in which case the flippers are just as responsive as the PS4/DualShock 4.
Star Wars Pinball: Rogue One is a fantastic game and a great start to a new year of pinball. It might not be the best table in my 74-table library or even my favorite Star Wars table, Rogue One definitely offers an incredible amount of varied gameplay objectives and ever-changing table designs that will keep you coming back to play more than many other tables would. Welcome to Rogue One!