Super Pinball: ..Behind The Mask..
1994/meldac/KAZe
Super NES
Review by Polas - 9/22/01
Although some of my favorite pinball games, and of course games in the general sense, are the ones with all kinds of nutty quirks and whacked-out crap that strays from the norm, there will always be a purist within me. Hell, if there wasn't a video game purist down there, this site wouldn't exist. And in that regard, I now present to you the complete opposite of the crazy games I usually tend to lean to; the most realistic pinball game I've played on a classic system short of walking into an arcade and dropping in a quarter (or dollar, nowadays). But don't worry fans, this game also has a dark, somewhat odd theme, making things all the better, which I'll get to shortly. But I now give you the digitized graphics and ultra-realistic motion of Super Pinball: Behind The Mask.
When you start the game, you're presented with two options: Competition or Conquest. Competition is your basic option; you select from 1-4 players, and then choose one of these fine fellows, who all look suspiciously like the same actor:
From there, you'll go to one of three sweet-looking boards, depending on who you selected. The only goal is to attain the highest score possible in three balls, and perhaps make your friends' gaming skills look putrid by Jolly Jokering their asses back to the Stone Age. In Conquest (1 Player mode), however, you must progress through the boards in a specified order, amassing a certain amount of points at each in order to "beat" it and move on.
The three boards, while looking quite different, all contain the same essentials, just in different places. All begin with a "skill shot". A bunch of faces or skulls are presented, with a light whizzing through the eyes of each one. The closer you stop it to the center, the more points you get. Plus, the values increase per ball, although the light also moves faster.
The sub-goals are all practically alike as well. Whack all the yellow cards on a board to enable 2X mode, which doubles points until you lose a ball. Do it again for 3X, 4X, etc. There will always be a loop on the board that if you can complete 9 laps through it, you'll get 9 million points. There's a space you can enter that will give you a large number of points, and the point value will increase the more times you get in there. This space also doubles as the "Forbidden Door", which you need to enter after getting a certain amount of points in order to progress. Another space, always located low and to the left of the flippers, will cycle through a list of bonuses before giving you a random one. They range from 1-10 million points, lighting up certain areas that give you enormous points if you can get the ball in there, or reseting the things in the side chutes that launch your ball back up if you fall, but then disappear. However, I'd say your main objective would be to get your ball in the "letter" space. Why? Well, every time you get in there, you get a letter. Once you spell out a certain word, the music gets jazzier and you get the most kickass aspect of the game:
At this point, after a Virtual Boy-esque graphical treat, three balls, one after another, will shoot out, and all will be in play at the same time. As you frantically try and keep them all in play, keep a few things in mind. Number one, and this applies even when not in Multi-Ball, as long as the blue "Freeze" light is lit, you can lose a ball and it'll shoot right back up. So don't worry too much about saving your balls (token perverted "balls" comment, mandatory in every pinball review) until it goes off. Concentrate instead of getting your ball into a lighted ramp, which will activate a timer. If you can get the ball into the old letter hole, the JACKPOT is yours, which usually is close to 20 million points. Jackpot can only be attained in Multi-Ball, so make it worth your while.
Now that that's settled, let's take a look at these crazy boards individually:
This lovable guy is your first opponent, and it'll take 60 million points to open the Forbidden Door and put him in his place. Get into the letter hole (far right) to spell out "JOKER" and enable Multi-Ball. The Jack In The Box is the name of the random prize hole, and "Mystery" is where the Forbidden Door will open up, marked by the question mark. The "9 and 9" Ramp is that outer horseshoe. The Joker is a pretty mellow guy, and will just tell you not be sloppy on his little infrared board. Overall, this is a pretty fun board, it has the best music, and although point accumulation can be slow, you don't need too many to beat it; one or two Jackpots and you'll be well on your way.
Arrr, matey! ...I hate this board. It's insanely slowgoing, and almost impossible to get into the letter hole (right of the skull) to spell out "GOLD" to get Multi-Ball. On top of that, Blackbeard's white outfit makes it really tough to see the ball when it gets near the flippers. The 9 lap ramp is one of the few easy ways to grab points, you just have to get it through the skull (between the 2X cards). However, even this can hurt you, because the ball will shoot out of the skull right at the flippers extremely fast. Blackbeard's Cave is your random bonus generator, and Blackbeard's Treasure Cove is where the Forbidden Door will open, at 120 million points. Blackbeard is an aggitated fellow, and he'll call you "dude" and threaten to hang you a lot. Lousy Blackbeard.
Now, this is a pinball board. The ethereal music fits it well, and it's definitely the nicest looking. Not only that, but the play area is wide open, the flippers have loops next to them, and points flow like crazy. That would be a good thing, since you'll need 200 million to turn "Limbo" (top left) into the forbidden door. The niner lap is around that big ol' beast, and the letter hole is right in there (spell "WIZARD"). Enigma, in the same place as the other two bonus generators, is fairly easy to get into. It's a bit difficult to nail all the yellow doubler cards, because not only do you have to hit the three evident ones, there are also two attached to the beast. The openness of the board can also be a hinderment if you're not careful, so keep at it and put that cocky Wizard bastard in his place.
And there you have it. Rest assured, it will take you quite awhile to complete Conquest.
Well, it isn't the wackiest game out there, although that Joker does give me nightmares. So maybe this review wasn't quite as humorous as some others. But it does have great graphics, pinpoint realistic motion, and those charming horrific digitized SNES voices. Really; hearing "Get Ready!", "Har, har, har!", and "Wanna Try Again" for the hundreth time can make you loopy. But everything else about Behind The Mask is pure pinball, so if you want to get as close to the real thing as possible without getting off your lazy ass, this one's for you.
