Zen has been doing a great job with Pinball FX and new tables based on various licenses, so when it was announced that Pinball FX would be receiving new tables based on Universal TV shows such as Xena, Battlestar Galactica and Knight Rider, I was excited. Xena is a series I watched a lot of when I was younger, I would often watch reruns of Knight Rider in my youth, and I enjoyed Battlestar Galactica when it came out. But would Zen be able to bring its magic to these licenses, or would the tables fall short.
Beginning with Knight Rider, the table is seemingly affair and a throwback to the 80s, but some issues arise very quickly, at least on Switch. While the table looks great and feels like something a fan would love, the physics of the table just feel so wrong on the Switch. Playing for a few minutes, it seemed normal at first, and I genuinely enjoyed the numerous touches put in for fans of the TV show.
Playing a bit longer, however, I noticed so many issues, namely that the ball physics feel off and the momentum is far too slow to enjoy. There are plenty of good missions and mechanics that will no doubt feel amazing on a more powerful system, but the Switch just simply struggles when trying to run the table. After about half an hour, I had to tap out because the table was just too frustrating to play on Switch.
Next we have Xena Warrior Princess Pinball and it is a much different experience. The physics work fine here and the table is full of mechanics and challenges that take full advantage of the license. The sound and visuals are handled perfectly here, and the table plays amazing, which was a relief after Knight Rider.
The balance on the table is spot on in terms of challenge, achievements, missions and more. This feels like a real Pinball table that has received a digital version, with a gameplay loop that is so satisfying to experience. It just feels fun to experience and there is enough here that beginners and veteran pinball players can both enjoy. Both a great license and a great table altogether, this is worth the price admission alone thanks to capturing the spirit of the show, the characterizations and the mix of action and humour that made the show so great.
I would not be lying or exaggerating if I said that Xena Warrior Princess Pinball feels like it is the best video game adaptation of the show for how it uses its license. Even Xena’s iconic Chakram is incorporated into the table and the way many minor elements of the show are worked into the table just makes me smile. Zen clearly were fans of the show and that is reflected in this table.
And lastly we have Battlestar Galactica Pinball. It is not as good as Xena but surprisingly decent for what it is. There is a good balance of speed based mechanics, tricky challenges and minigames to enjoy. I do like that Zen made creative use of the license in some ways with some of the smaller touches like the action stations mini-game, but ultimately the game just feels like Zen did not put as much effort into the table as they did with Xena.
This does not mean that Battlestar Galactica Pinball is bad by any means, and I think fans of the show will enjoy it. I just think that some of the physics could have been tightened up a bit and maybe some more tie ins to the series would have been nice. This feels like a table that almost realized its potential but ultimately just falls in the middle of the road area.
I did manage to get enjoyment out of the table, and like I said, the balance is handled great here but I am not sure how well the license is used to its full potential. Xena Warrior Princess Pinball felt like a labour of love, and like I said, it feels worth the cost of the DLC itself, and I feel that Battlestar Galactica Pinball could have also reached that level. The missions could have made better use of the concepts from the series, the table could have had some more creative mechanics, but ultimately it just is kind of there.
Ultimately the DLC is a big of a range. On the bad range we have Knight Rider Pinball, which feels unplayable on Switch, while Battlestar Galactica Pinball is in the middle as playable and there is some fun to be had here for sure, but ultimately just does not do enough. And then on the opposite of Knigth Rider Pinball, we have Xena Warrior Princess Pinball which not only is a fantastic table, but as mentioned, possibly the best Xena Warrior Princess video game ever made. I would say the DLC is worth it for Xena Warrior Princess Pinball alone and I am sure Knight Rider is fine on other platforms, while Battlestar Galactica Pinball is just okay. Ultimately, I would say depending on how much you might expect to like Xena Warrior Princess Pinball should be a good way to judge if you feel the DLC is worth checking out for yourself. But as stated, it is my opinion that Xena Warrior Princess Pinball is alone worth the price of the DLC for how good it is, even on the Nintendo Switch.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
