Star Wars Pinball VR | Quest Review

My love for pinball is well-known amongst our community. I’ve been hitting the silver ball almost as long as I’ve been holding an NES controller. And there’s absolutely no doubt that I’ve spent more hours playing digital pinball than literally any other game. Needless to say, I was very excited to try playing one of my favorite pastimes in VR. While it may not be the ideal method of play, it gives me “a new hope” for playing physical tables in a virtual space. Zen Studios‘ Star Wars Pinball VR was just what I needed to reinvigorate my love for the game, and I can’t wait to finish telling you about it so I can get back in the helmet and play more.

 

Stand Like a Statue

If you’ve ever played a physical pinball table, you’re probably already familiar with holding each side of the table with your hands. For digital players like myself, we’ve become accustomed to using a controller in our hands. But there’s something immensely satisfying about standing next to familiar tables, a feature which is now available thanks to virtual reality. I know I must look completely ridiculous to my wife wearing a VR helmet with my hands held out in front of me with very little movement. But I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, I’m in my very own Star Wars-themed man cave, enjoying pinball to my heart’s content.

Star Wars Pinball VR includes six remastered tables from the Pinball FX library and two previously unreleased tables. One of the new entries is based on The Mandalorian, and the other is themed around collectible toys from the Star Wars universe. As a huge fan of the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian table was an immediate favorite. The character narration during missions was a particularly nice touch, especially since the story beats were very familiar from the show. The “Star Wars Classic Collectibles” table is also much more than a novelty. It’s a trip down memory lane wrapped in a great table fans will appreciate as well.

I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t the ideal way to play pinball. The tables don’t look nearly as clean as their console counterparts. The ball occasionally disappears or teleports. The digital display is a bit tougher to read. But all that doesn’t matter. For the first time since I’ve been to the arcade (and it’s been a while), I feel like I’m standing at a real-life machine. And yet, that’s only the beginning.

Become Part of the Machine

Have you ever dreamt of having your own Star Wars-themed basement? You know what I mean, where you have no financial limit to what you can purchase and place on your shelves? Star Wars Pinball VR fulfilled that fantasy for me at a price that won’t make my wife consider divorcing me. See, this isn’t merely a pinball simulator. It’s a “fan cave” simulator, where you can plaster the walls with posters, put a stormtrooper or AT-AT walker on a pedestal, and even display figures of your favorite vehicles to your heart’s content.

Truth be told, I’ve never been one to spend time decorating anything in video games. This was a different story. I actually thought out which items needed to go where, despite the fact I can show it off to literally no one. It even has an R2-D2 jukebox that plays unlockable John Williams tracks from the movies. It’s like a dream come true for any fan of the films, both new and old.

Such a Supple Wrist

Rest assured that Star Wars Pinball VR is not merely a novelty. There’s much more going on here than simply playing a pinball machine in virtual reality. One of my favorite features is a career mode. Here you complete smaller “missions” at certain tables. For instance, you might need to reach a certain score in a specific time limit or with a certain number of extra balls. If you best that score, there’s an opportunity to reach two higher tiers. This allows you to play pinball in bite-sized chunks instead of a full game, and acts somewhat like the “earn three stars” system that we’ve come so familiar with in mobile gaming. It works so well here and feels very satisfying.

On top of all that, the mini games on each table gives a brand new experience, even if you’re already familiar with the tables. This time around, your perspective shifts to being directly on the table, and you even have 360 degree movement for some. So when you shoot the silver ball with Mando’s flamethrower, it feels much more like an arcade game than when you play on your flat screen. It makes those small moments much more special, and I’m pleased to report that they never get old. There’s even a total immersion mode that puts you right in the action as if you were inside the table itself. it’s truly something I never knew I wanted, but now I want it for all of my Zen Studios tables.

Star Wars Pinball VR Final Verdict

If it’s not already clear, I’m in love with this concept. Star Wars Pinball VR combines three things I love (Star Wars, pinball, and virtual reality) all into one package. On top of that, it lets me earn collectibles to display in my digital playroom. Even if you’re not a huge pinball fan, I highly recommend this being your first foray into the genre, assuming you love this universe. With that said, Pinball FX is still the preferred place to play digital pinball due to its higher quality. But the Star Wars ambience, career mode, and nostalgia love make this well worth the price of admission if you have the means to play it. Consider it your gateway drug to the addicting nature of pinball.

To hear me talk more about Star Wars Pinball VR, be sure to listen to Episode 344 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.

This review is based on an Oculus Quest version of Star Wars Pinball VR provided by Sandbox Strategies for coverage purposes. It’s also available on Steam VR.