ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
“I got up to Level 3, I think, and I’ve played twice. It’s fun to try and aim at the different icons. It’s fun to catch stuff because it’s hard and so when you finally catch something it’s exciting.”
—Zaro
I hate walk-throughs. I think that they take a lot of the fun out of the game. Instead of letting you explore the game on your own, they give you a map. There are no surprises with walk-throughs. Kids who use walk-throughs never get to explore a game on their own.
I’m making something of an exception here. Pinball is a tough game and Pokémon Pinball can be tough to play, too. So I’m including some, but not all, of the basics here. The stuff I’m including here should give you a pretty good start to playing and having fun with the game.
First of all, Pokémon Pinball is a great game. A lot of times when a company has a super megahit like Pokémon, the next game they have with the same name isn’t as good. And, to tell the truth, sometimes the next game just stinks. But Pokémon Pinball isn’t like that—it’s a great game and it would be a great game even if it weren’t called Pokémon Pinball. It could be called Harold Wears His Underwear On His Head Pinball and it would still be a great game. Of course, then you would wonder what all those Pokémon were doing in the Harold Wears His Underwear On His Head Pinball game. It would be confusing for everyone, so it’s a good thing they called it Pokémon Pinball.
Now, where was I? Oh yes, Pokémon Pinball is a great game. It really is a lot of fun. And it’s rated E by the ESRB and that means it’s suitable for everyone to play. That is not to say that it is an easy game, because it isn’t. In fact, it’s a tough game. It takes a lot of practice to get good at it.
One of the reasons that I like the game is that it’s the first Game Boy game with a rumble pack built right into the game pack. The rumble pack lets you really feel the action.
“I play a lot because my brother owns it. I like to return to different towns because it goes by really fast. Lavender Town and Celadon City are my favorite towns.”
—Greg
Game Play
The idea behind Pokémon Pinball is the same as a regular Pokémon. You have to catch all 150 Pokémon by playing. And playing means hitting the different targets on the playfield. Plus, there are two different playfields—Red and Blue, just like the real Pokémon game. Some Pokémon are on the Red and some are on the Blue. And you have to play both versions to get all the Pokémon.
“I got pretty close to the end, sort of not really an end. The Blue is the harder than the Red one. I like the Blue better because it’s harder.”
—Adrian
Good News and Bad News
The good news is that Pokémon Pinball can be played on both the regular and Game Boy Color.
The bad news is that it works better on the color version than the standard version.
The good news is that both the Red and the Blue playfields are included in the one game. That means you don’t have to buy two different versions to collect all 150 Pokémon. There’s even a built-in Pokédex to help you keep track of the Pokémon you capture. As soon as you catch one it will appear in the Pokédex. Cool, huh?
The bad news is that you can’t trade Pokémon between two pinball games with a friend, like you can with regular Pokémon.
The good news is that you can trade high scores with a friend. And you can print out your high scores on stickers if you or a friend has a Game Boy printer.
The bad news is that I’ve run out of topics for the Good News and Bad News Section. So, it’s over … wait, maybe that’s good news that it’s over.
Playing The Game
“I play Pokémon Pinball at my friend’s house. You have to get onto the Diglett level and you find these Digletts and they pop out of these little holes and you have to bang them on the head. I only got five points because the Digletts kept coming out faster and faster and faster and faster.”
—Matthew
So you probably already know a lot about Pokémon Pinball already! Either you already have it or one of your friends has it and let you play.
The first thing you are going to discover when you start playing Pokémon Pinball is how different it is from regular Pokémon. Hey, it’s a whole new game—it’s pinball! That means you have to learn a whole new way of catching and evolving Pokémon.
Some of you maybe have played pinball in arcades or the local candy store, so you already know the idea of the game—to shoot the ball back up the playfield using the flippers at the bottom.
Now, I want to say something that I’ve said before about the regular Pokémon games: You don’t have to collect all of the Pokémon to have a good time. The main thing—the only thing!—is to have fun playing. If you just like knocking the ball around the playfield and getting high scores, then that’s fine.
“A good way to get extra points is to light up all the C-A-V-E letters to spell Cave. Once you get them all lit, don’t go into the cave. Light them up again and you get a double point bonus.”
—Willy
Pinball Basics
The first thing I always do when I play a real pinball machine for the first time in an arcade is to step up and just knock the ball around awhile. This gives me a feel for the machine and lets me practice. I think that’s also a pretty good idea for Pokémon Pinball, and it doesn’t cost any money to do it. This is excellent for buttoning practice and it will give you a chance to get used to the feel of the rumble pack.
Now, don’t get mad or anything if you can’t keep the ball on the playfield for very long when you play the game for the first couple of times. It’s a tough game to play well. It takes a little bit of practice and you have to move much faster than with regular Pokémon.
A lot of you are probably asking yourselves what playfield is easier when you are just starting out. Is the Red playfield easier than the Blue playfield? Is the Blue playfield easier than the Red playfield?
That’s a really good question. Too bad I don’t have a good answer. Some kids I spoke to thought the Red playfield was easier. Other kids thought the Blue playfield was easier. When I played it myself, I thought they were about the same.
The main thing that kids thought made a difference between the two playfields was the arrow on the Blue version. Some kids I talked to thought the arrow was great because it helped move the ball along in the right direction. Other kids thought the arrow was a pain, because it changed the direction of the ball when they didn’t want it changed.
The two playfields are also different, but that’s a good thing. It’s like getting two different games in one!
My advice is to check out both playfields to see which one you like best. Then start playing seriously on that playfield.
Tilt!… Tilt!… Tilt!
One of the most important skills you can learn in Pokémon Pinball is how to tilt the playfield. On real pinball machines players will tip and bounce the machine ever so slightly to move the ball away from a gutter or toward the flippers. If they tip it too much, then the “Tilt” light comes on and they lose their turn. You can still tilt the machine, but you don’t have that problem of losing your turn with Pokémon Pinball.
The way you tilt the playfield with Pokémon Pinball is by pressing buttons.
• To Tilt playfield to the right: Press the Down position on the control pad
• To Tilt the playfield Up: Press the Selection button
• To Tilt the playfield to the Left: Press the B button
These buttons are really valuable to learn and can really help you play a high-scoring game. Just experiment with them a few times—like try tilting a ball toward a flipper—and you’ll see what I mean.
“When I play, the first thing I do is fill up the Thunder Meter. That’s the first thing I try. If the Thunder Meter is full, Pikachu will save your ball from going out. You can move the save from right to left with the arrow buttons. You build up the meter by going around the right loop.”
—Willy
Tricks, Tips, and Hints!
Fast Ball Upgrade: Press Left or A to move the light after the Pokéball hits all three lights at the top of the playfield.
Moving Pokémon: To get your captured Pokémon to move, go to the built-in Pokédex and highlight one of the Pokémon that has not been involved. Then press the Start button and he’ll move for you!
To Reset A Game: Press Start and press A and B buttons at the same time.
Rumble Show: Go to the main menu and select Options. Then activate rumble. Pikachu will grab Psyduck’s tail and a cartoon balloon will come out of his mouth that says “Pika” as the rumble pack shakes. Okay, it isn’t first-rate entertainment, but it’s still pretty funny.
Don’t Be Fooled: Sometimes you go into the Pokédex and see just an outline of a Pokémon. That doesn’t mean you’ve captured him, only that he is or was available to capture. Once you capture the critter, then the stats and the full picture will appear.
How To Play
As I said before, pinball—any pinball machine—can either be played just for the fun of knocking the ball around the playfield or according to the strict rules. To play by the rules you have to understand how pinball works. First off, it’s a lot different from a regular video game or your regular Pokémon game. Hey, it’s pinball!
First off, with pinball, the playfield pretty much stays the same for the whole game. This is true for Pokémon video pinball and real pinball machines. What does change are the “modes.” The “mode” you are in sets the rules for the game. For instance, when you first start the game, you probably want to go straight to the “Catch ’Em” mode. On the Blue playfield you have to shoot the ball around the right loop. Each time it travels through to the right loop, the “Catch ’Em” arrow will light up. When you have two arrows lit you can then shoot the ball into Cloyster to start the “Catch ’Em” mode. The Red playfield is the same, except you have to aim for Bellsprout and not Cloyster.
This mode is timed, so you have only two minutes to capture your Pokémon. You know what Pokémon you are trying to catch because there is a picture of him in the little box.
To catch a Pokémon you have to aim the ball to where the arrow on the playfield points. When you hit that area you will light up a piece of the Pokémon in the box. It usually takes six hits to catch the Pokémon.
Easy, right? Don’t bet on it. Because even as you are trying to hit the target, you still have to keep the ball from draining out between the flippers at the bottom. And you have to hit the target six times within two minutes! Yikes!
And there’s more! You have to move through different places to catch all the Pokémon! You can catch some Pokémon in Pallet Town, but there are others out there in Viridian City and Seafoam Island.
The Red Playfield
The first thing that you are going to notice about the set-up of the playfields is that the places seem really familiar. They have the names of the places that appear in the Blue and the Red versions of the video game.
Area #1 starts with Pallet Town, Viridian Forest, Pewter City, Cerulean City and Vermillion City. In fact, if you’re a big fan of Pokémon Blue or Red, then you know these places appear in almost the same order that they appear in when you play the Red or Blue! There’s also Rock Mountain and Lavender Town in Area #1.
I know, I know, pinball is an entirely different game, but being in a familiar place, even if you’re not playing the same game, can help you.
In Area #2, you’re not so lucky. This area begins with Cycling Road and then takes you to Safari Zone, Seafoam Island and Cinnabar Island. Again, you’ll recognize these place as familiar from your Blue and Red experiences, but they are not as close to the regular Pokémon games as the first Area.
The important thing to remember is not to count on the pinball game being exactly like the Blue or Red versions! The names of the places are the same, but they are not in the same order as you may be used to finding them. So don’t get freaked out when Safari Zone doesn’t appear near Fuchsia City. And remember, too, you move through the playfield places differently. Hint: You move from the Area #1 to Area #2 before you finish all the places in Area #1.
The third place, Area #3, comes at the end of the game. This is pretty much like the Red and the Blue versions. Plus, I found it to be a very hard Area to play, just like in the Blue and Red versions.
The Blue Playfield
Like the Red Playfield, the Blue Playfield also follows some of the regular Pokémon games in the order that places appear. For instance, the Blue Playfield begins in Area #1 with Viridian City, then Viridian Forest, and Mt. Moon. You’ll notice that Cerulean City and Vermillion City are also in the same order as they appear in the video game. Next comes Rock Mountain and Celadon City.
In Area #2 you encounter Fuchsia City, Safari Zone and Saffron City first. Fuchsia and Safari Zone kind of go together in both pinball and the video game, but Fuchsia and Saffron are kind of flipped around. Remember, in the video game’s Blue and Red versions, you hit Saffron City before Fuchsia.
Area #2 goes on to Cinnabar Island and then Indigo Plateau, just like on the Red playfield.
I know, all this can be confusing. The main thing to remember is to not count on the places being in the same order that they are in the video game.
Also, it’s important not to be fooled. Just because the Red and the Blue playfields have some of the same places, that doesn’t mean those places contain the same Pokémon in the some locations. Places like Rock Mountain, Safari Zone, Cinnabar Island and Indigo Plateau are different in the Red and Blue playfields.
SOME POKÉMON WILL ONLY APPEAR IN THE RED PLAYFIELD AND SOME WILL APPEAR ONLY IN THE BLUE PLAYFIELD! JUST LIKE IN THE RED AND BLUE VERSIONS OF THE VIDEO GAME!
The way you move through the different places is by the Map mode. You have to hit Diglett on the Red playfield and Poliwag or Psyduck on the Blue playfield three times to activate the Map mode. On the Red playfield you then have half a minute to either shoot for the Bellsprout’s mouth or right loop when Dugtrio comes up on the right; or if Dugtrio comes up on the left, you have to shoot for either of the two left loops.
On the Blue playfield you have to either shoot for Cloyster’s mouth if you activated Psyduck or the right loop. If you activated Poliwag you have to shoot for Slowpoke or the left loop.
Hey, nobody said this was easy! It’s going to take practice to get good enough to shoot the ball accurately and to remember what you have to do.
The next mode is the Evolution mode that allows you to evolve your Pokémon. To activate the Evolution mode, you have to put the ball through the left loop. This will light up an Evolution arrow. You have to light up three arrows to start the mode. Then, when all three arrows are lit, shoot the ball into the Evolution Cave (Red playfield) or Slowpoke’s mouth (Blue playfield).
Bonus Levels
Bonus Levels are high-scoring levels that let you get a lot of points. A lot of kids I spoke to about the game had a real problem with Bonus Levels. The word “bonus” is the clue with these special features. You get to a Bonus Level by doing something else. They should not be your goal in the game—they are kind of a reward for reaching a goal.
What you have to do to reach a Bonus Level in both the Red and Blue playfields is capture three Pokémon in the same location, whether it be Pallet Town or Viridian Forest, during one game play. When you have the three Pokémon—you’ll see how many you have because there is a counter under the location picture—there’s a little Pokémon symbol that lights up when you catch one.
When you have all three Pokémon symbols lit up you’ll see a symbol telling you to go to the bonus. Shoot for the “cave” at the center of the playfield to activate the bonus round.
Some bonus rounds are timed and some are not, but all of them are a lot of fun. They are like little mini-games that let you score lots of points. For instance, you can score a million points or more in the Diglett Bonus Stage!
Changing Lanes
If you spell out the word CAVE by hitting the letters on the outer lanes and inner lanes, then you can go into the Slots Bonus mode by getting your ball in the center “Cave” target and get a bunch of really good modes, like the Super Pikachu Kickback or an extra ball and lots of other stuff.
Now, here’s a pretty good trick. Suppose for some reason your ball never, ever goes through the outer left lane. It always, always goes through the inner right lane. That’s not a problem. You can spell out the word CAVE just the same. Simply press the A button or the Left direction control pad button and the position of the lit lights will change.
You have to be really quick to do this trick, but it does work. You have to remember what letters you already have lit in the word CAVE and change their position so that you light another letter when the ball goes through. It’s a tough trick to learn, but it can get you some good bonus rounds.
Remember This Stuff
It’s easy to get confused by all this stuff. The trick is to remember that all pinball machines work the same way: Activate a mode and then accomplish a task. Think of it like this: by activating a mode you are turning on a mini-game. It’s like a game inside a game. This mini-game has its own rules. That means you have to do something very particular when playing the mini-game. So whether you want to collect, evolve, or move from one area to the next, there are two things you need to learn.
First is how to turn on the mode.
Second is what you have to do in that mode.
My advice is to try and learn one mode at a time.