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Lovers of Pinball Unite! Many gamers who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s got their start in arcades, begging their parents for quarters, with the hope of achieving the highest score in town. Developer CGA Studio seem to be nostalgic for those days, as they made Pinball Freedom, a pinball game which puts you back in the arcade, along with multiple pinball machines to play and enjoy.
So, for those gamers who long to return to the era before things such as cell phones or the internet, does Pinball Freedom present a fun time machine back, or is it just a mundane mess?
Gameplay
The gameplay in Pinball Freedom is exactly what you would expect from a pinball game, except it’s not as fun as most other pinball games that are out there. The twist here, is that you are in the arcade, first-person, free to walk around and play any of the games that you’d like. While I really like this addition, as it will give many gamers a rush of nostalgia from times long past, I only wish the games themselves had the same excitement and fun.
There are five pinball machines to choose from, each having their own unique themes, such as a skate park, BMX park, and sci-fi theme. Visual design on them is great, as they each look different from one another. The problem is, they all play identically. After a brief amount of enjoyment, I found myself rather tired of how repetitive and samey they all felt.
A cool addition to the arcade is an ice hockey game, but the AI you play against is rather bad so you won’t have a problem winning games. I thought it was a cool addition nonetheless.
Visuals and Sound
Visual design is nice. The game isn’t hard to look at, and as I said earlier, the machines themselves have cool, distinct looks. Sounds are fine, and so is each song on each of the machines.
Pinball Freedom is exactly what you would expect from a pinball game, except it’s not as fun as most other pinball games that are out there.
Closing Remarks
This game is mixed for me. I think there is some fun to be had, but only if you’re a pinball fanatic, or want to relive old memories. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t have enough to keep things interesting beyond an hour, or two of gameplay, so therefore it’s hard for me to recommend it. There are things to appreciate in this game, but ultimately Pinball Freedom falls flat.
