Neopets’ Legends of Pinball is a kind blast from the past, from a former era where everyone would crowd around that deaf, dumb and blind kid, who I heard could play a mean pinball. Song references aside, Legends of Pinball is a faithful representation of the game we all know and love, with of course, a hero of Neopia twist. Strap on in, and let’s blast into a fun journey of knowledge and strategy with the Legends of Pinball game.
Basics
With your left and right arrow keys as your respectable traditional pinball flippers (the left and right CRTL keys if you have them can also work as the opposing pinball flippers), your aim is to accumulate as many points as you can. The down arrow key is used to launch the initial ball to start the game. To continue on with the pinball flippers, there will sometimes be more than the two pinball flippers on the bottom. For simplicity case, the pinball flippers located on the left will be controlled by the left arrow key, and pinball flippers located on the right will be controlled by the right arrow key. Five balls will be given at the beginning of a level, per level, and if you run out of those five balls? It’s game over for you, pal. Try to avoid that, however, no further points are gained for balls remaining, so don’t be too worried about ball loss. Play around with strategies, see what works best for you when it comes to point accumulation. Speaking of which, on to the point
Points
In order to proceed from level to level, one must hit a designated target on the top of the screen at least three times. It’s in your best interest, however, to get as many points as possible per the four levels given, to not only maximize your payout, but to also try to get a trophy! With an averaged ratio of about 2.15 points per 1 Neopoint, with a score of about 2150 earning you a profit of 1000 NP, it can be an easy game to get a hang of to bring home the big bucks. Practice makes perfect, after all!
Pinball Bumpers on the first two levels earn you five points per hit on the first two levels. However, when you move onto the last two levels, they’re only worth four points per hit. Try to stretch out your time wisely. An additional 60 points per hit of the top target will be awarded a maximum of three times before transitioning to the next level, with 100 points awarded for simply finishing a level. It’s very easy to finish this game, however, as mentioned earlier, it’s in your best interest to gain as many points per level as possible.
Level 1.1
In order to progress to the next level of the game, you must hit the top three hangars at least once. Traveling through the tunnels will earn you ten points. The smaller side bumpers will earn you nine points per hit. As exhibited, there are three pinball flippers. The upper left one should be used to get the left hangar target, but should be avoided until the player wishes to progress to the next level. It’s seen as the easiest to control, target achieving wise.
Level 1.2
In order to progress past this level, you must hit Gorix and/or Cylara at least three times. They are considered moving targets, since both of their characters will be walking around. Keeping this fact in mind, don’t worry so much about trying to hit them. Focus on accumulating points within the board, you’ll eventually end up hitting Gorix and/or Cylara regardless of intent. In the upper left hand corner, you may notice a dark circle lined in red. If your ball gets stuck in there, it’ll remain stuck for a few seconds, before being released. This will trigger one of your five balls to come out of the reserves, giving you the option to play with duel pinballs. While having two balls on the field can gain additional points, it’s important to not let them fall through the cracks, otherwise, you’ll have no pinballs at all. We can’t have that, now can we?
Level 2.1
To progress to the next and final level, hit the target of the Draik Soldier with the pinball 3 times to wake him up from his slumber. This will result in him lowering the drawbridge to the final level! The black hole of sorts that we spoke of in the paragraph above is represented by the wishing well. However, notice the sleeping Turmy in the upper right hand corner? He’ll eat your ball if you hit him! You need not worry though, dear player. Simply click his head, and he’ll spit out your ball. He’s not cruel, after all.
Level 2.2
In order to end the game, you must hit Jeran, with his shield not protecting him, 3 times. The torches are magical, in the sense that they act like a buffer from balls falling into the drain. This is the easiest level, in many players’ opinion, to gain points. The manhole in the upper right is our black hole in this level. Do your best to gain as many points as you can, before you call it quits and start gunning for Jeran. However, please do keep in mind and remember, that once you hit Jeran a third time, it’s game over. Ensure that you get all the points you want before you start consciously try to hit Jeran as a target in this level.
Cheats
While there are no magical codes to give you additional points, or to reset the targets you hit, here are some parting tips before you go out on your pinball journey! The “P” key on your keyboard can pause the game, so you need not worry if you need a snack or have to use the bathroom. You’re taken care of! In addition, while in the real world, we make sure that ball flings out as quick and wild as possible, it’s best in this game you just give it enough power to just make it onto the board. It makes it a bit easier to control, and you’re not as likely to hit all of the targets that enable us to go to the next level. Lastly, keep your eye on the ball. This is not the game to get distracted on. It’s easy to grow careless as levels progress, but it’s simply not going to carry you far into victory. Always be aware of the targets you hit, and try not to get your ball into a sticky situation that results in the gutters.
As per always, good luck, dear player!
Or shall we say, dear pinball wizard!
