Having grown up in the 80’s arcade scene I fell in love with pinball long before actual video games started to appear, and I’ve followed that passion over the years with classics like Pinball Construction Set on the Atari 800 all the way up to Zen Studio’s amazing pinball franchise on PC and consoles. I have their entire library of tables on the PlayStation 3 and 4 and now they are all on my PS5. I also have their VR Pinball games for Oculus Rift and PSVR. The table selection for the VR franchise, while diverse, was rather limited, but that is all about to change with eight Star Wars tables featured in the new Star Wars Pinball VR. This new standalone bundle available on Oculus Quest, Steam VR, and PSVR features two brand new tables; The Mandalorian and Star Wars Classic Collectibles, as well as six remastered fan-favorite tables: Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars Rebels, and Masters of the Force. I’ve spent dozens of hours playing these tables in 2D on the PlayStation but nothing could prepare me for what I was about to experience in VR.
First, this is more than just a table pack; this is a Star Wars fan’s dream come true starting with the immersive presentation of the hub world to the lovingly detailed table designs along with several new gameplay mechanics. The game opens with you inside the ultimate Star Wars Fan Cave, a room so cool I’m seriously considering recreating this in real-life. Part home theater, part arcade, part bar, you’ll spend your initial moments just getting acquainted with the space. The room is lined with barren shelves, display cases, poster frames, and statue pedestals; all waiting for you to unlock your own custom décor options by playing pinball. There is even a classic jukebox with all of your favorite Star Wars theme music you can unlock and play while relaxing in this awesome party room. A big screen TV gives you access to the game settings and the Operations menu where you can select “missions” that are basically a series of tables with unique scoring objectives and various game modes like limited balls or score timers. If you just want to play some pinball then approach the pinball table and choose your game and game mode.
For those who have already played the six older tables you’ll likely want to head straight for the new content. The Mandalorian table is pretty great with a life-size Mando on the right and Grogu (Baby Yoda) on the left. The table itself is fantastic with mission modes based on episodes from the series that you recreate by playing pinball and hitting targets and ramps. There is some crazy multiball action and a Flamethrower mini-game that you won’t believe that uses the new Total Immersion mode where you get shrunk down and become part of the table. You can trigger Total Immersion at any time with a button tap to view the table from this crazy-cool new perspective, but the Flamethrower mini-game is particularly awesome, putting you behind the flippers as Mando, and has you using the flipper buttons to move the flamethrower right or left to send the ball rocketing back up the table, essentially replacing the flippers for the duration of the event.
The other new table is Classic Collectibles where you get to unlock collectible Star Wars action figures from a display case. This not only plays into the clever multiball system but also features a fun Duel mode that unlocks after you collect two figures that have fought each other in the films. You then get to play out that duel through multiball gameplay. The other six tables were all favorites from the non-VR game with some real standouts like Return of the Jedi that actually has a speeder bike chase where you try to shoot a target to fire lasers at Stormtroopers while speeding through the forest. Masters of the Force is probably one of the harder tables in the game and offers a real-time battle between the Light and Dark side of the Force depending on how you play the game. All of these tables offer lots of nuanced gameplay modes and content if you are able to find and activate it. The dot-matrix display on the back of each table provides valuable instructions for what you need to do at any given time.
The presentation for Star Wars Pinball VR is excellent with plenty of comfort options to combat any VR sickness. I had smooth movement and turning enabled and the Quest 2 was powerful enough to keep things comfortable while wandering around the Fan Cave. The actual pinball games look and play fantastic with virtual hands that rest on the flipper buttons and push the buttons when you press your controller button. You can even grab/pull the ball launcher and perform very specific skill shots that are much harder to do when using a button to launch. The tables look great with so much detail and animated characters in and around the tables. In one game a Sith will deflect lasers that bounce right toward your face. Another mode has a rebel ship flying above the glass while being attacked by enemy fire and an Imperial shuttle will fly right at your face causing you to duck. The ability to blend gameplay with the virtual world is uncanny and only possible in VR. The life-size characters and fun models like the Millennium Falcon drone that buzzes around are just icing on the cake. The previously mentioned Total Immersion mode is a great way to explore these tables in a way previously impossible, but you probably wouldn’t want to play from this view other than when the game demands it.
In a year with few new releases Star Wars Pinball VR is a breath of fresh air, not just for VR but gaming in general. If you own any of the supported headsets and enjoy a good pinball game then this is a must-buy title. If you happen to be a Star Wars fan then it just got even better, but you don’t have to love Star Wars to enjoy this game. I was impressed with the Operations mode that really puts a unique twist on how to play pinball, and I was greatly surprised at how addicting the cave decoration process became. Even after I had all the slots filled I was continually going back and swapping out new display items, rearranging shelves to fit a theme, and swapping out posters, all while listening to the fantastic Star Wars music on the jukebox. Star Wars Pinball VR is more than a collection of tables; it is a self-contained Star Wars experience that will dominate your life for months to come.
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