As a “boutique” creator of pinball machines, Wisconsin-based Spooky Pinball LLC may not get all of the media attention that the big guys get. Fortunately, they are still busy making new concepts for locations to enjoy, albeit in more limited quantities than other pinball releases.
Total Nuclear Annihilation Pinball
Spooky has previously released America’s Most Haunted; Rob Zombie’s Spookshow International, and Domino’s Pizza Spectacular Pinball Adventure while the last time we heard something from them was working with The Pinball Company on The Jetsons Pinball. Out of all of those titles, Total Nuclear Annihilation certainly looks the most ‘retro’, reaching back to pinball layout style from the late 70s/early 80s while pulling the theme from old Cold War era nuclear scares.
The Facebook post that revealed the game did provide us with plenty of details and we have some nice pictures. Let’s start with the cabinet. Apart from the LCD display under the backglass, you might mistake this for something that fell out of 1985. Units will retail for $5995 and there is no LE model, just what they are calling Premium:
The excellent backglass art also maintains the 80s vibe, further helped by the presence of striking numerical LED score displays. These were very common back in the day but were usually red or orange; thanks to white LEDs of today, the contrast is better than ever:
The playfield is not as loaded with stuff as many would be accustomed to these days but again, that does fit with the 80s style before you had interactive toys and ramps. One unusual thing I’m seeing here are the presence of clear rubber bands instead of black or one of the primary colors. It also has an upper playfield which can be fun (three flippers total), two scoop targets and three drop targets. The lighting is also handled via full color spectrum LEDs:
More details are forthcoming through the Spooky Pinball Podcast on August 1st but the Facebook post also mentioned: LCD display; Laser Cut Side Rails; rotating beacon light; P-ROC Hardware Platform; a Danesi Lock Mechanism; a 100% Original Soundtrack and that the game will be shipping this year (no release date yet but I imagine it will be before the holiday season kicks in).
What do you think about this one from what has been unveiled so far?
The best parts of it are the music and speed of play. Not sure how deep of a ruleset it has, but it’s always been intriguing at shows it’s been to. Interesting seeing it colored in though. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6eFGYxfqtE)