Spectrum

Pinside rating

This game has received 42 approved Pinsider ratings. 8 more approved ratings are needed to get a rating and for it to be eligible for the Pinside Pinball Top 100 ranking.


Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 2 of us have rated this game.

7.585

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Found 19 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 19 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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6.660/10
68 days ago
Very unusual game. The first thing you notice is what is missing. There are no pop bumpers, ramps, shooter rod/lane, slingshots, or outlanes. There are plenty of saucers and drop targets, with a few spinners. Launching your next ball by holding down the right flipper button, and watching for balls launched from the two saucers down the inlanes takes some getting used to.

The rules are different and throw people off, but it's not really that complicated. You guess the color code by hitting the colored drop target banks. The game will give you hints too. If you mess up and guess wrong, you will cycle back and your previous wrong guesses are visible and serve as hints for what not to guess. Scoring could use some balancing. I feel that wrong guesses are too valuable.

The art, sounds and speech are very retro in a good way. This is not a great game for a small collection and casual players may become confused. When people came over to the house, I had to explain this one to players more than other games. I can see why it didn't do well in arcades. However, it's a great example of trying something new and it is fun once you figure out the rules.
8.136/10
1 year ago
This game is quite simply the most beautiful machine ever made.

The game rules are insanely difficult to play, but the game is great to play when relaxed and just following the speech and the feel. I have no real understanding of the ruleset, but was able to crack 2million by just following the flow of the game, speech & flashes.

It doesn't have the lastability you may be after but in a bigger collection this game rocks. The sound is awesome and trancey, but its the artwork which blows this one away - it is incredible. A total masterpiece. I respect all its quirky rulesets & pf options, its a truely unqiue piece
7.703/10
1 year ago
I have owned 3 of these Spectrum's and enjoy to play them. This would not be a good first Pinball machine to own.
6.192/10
4 years ago
To play this game well you need a combination of professional level accuracy and a degree in quantum calculation. The game has something to do with predicting color codes and then shooting those specific colors at those specific times. Good luck with that. If you are great at trapping and shooting and don't bobble the ball a lot like most players, you stand a shot. On the other hand if you can let go and quietly accept that you'll never understand the rules let alone be able to take positive action on them then you can sit back and enjoy this game for what it is underneath.... a truly unique wonderful looking machine that plays like no other. No outlanes? No problem. No ramps? doesn't matter hit a ball here.... it reappears there. great fun and a backglass that is reminiscent of the early art of atari. I definitely recommend a go around on this.
7.675/10
5 years ago
Spectrum may not be the smoothest or most intricate game to play, it is true. The layout is fairly simple and the lack of outlanes, paired with the balls waiting in the wings to make a single-ball game return to your flipper smoothly is quirky at best. However, there is one thing about Spectrum that is the make-or-break factor: it is a pinball iteration of the game Mastermind.

If you are not a fan of Mastermind, you will likely not enjoy this game. However, if you DO enjoy Mastermind, this combines the challenge of guessing the code with shot accuracy. A colored drop target bank constitutes a "guess" for a color in the four-color sequence; the playfield will display your guesses, making the corresponding light flash if your guess is correct. You can use saucers in addition to logic to narrow down which colors to aim for, and completing the sequence gives your score some hefty benefits.

The crux of enjoyment for this game, again, is whether or not you enjoy Mastermind and are willing to play that game translated to the playfield. Personally, Mastermind is one of my favorite games, such that, when I happened upon it at ReplayFX, I spent a good amount of time playing it over and over (provided no one else was looking to play) and returned to it often. I wouldn't want it as the solitary game in my collection, but I would love to have one.
5.736/10
6 years ago
Wow, I thought this game would be so much fun. I even bought a deck and primped her all up. Was so let down. This game is one that really requires sniping skills, and thus, for most players, it's unplayable. It's not really pinball as much as a unique type of board game...with a pinball. I worked hard to restore this one, and could not wait to let it go. I know there are others out there who like this game but for them, it works in their large(r) collection(s). There's a reason there are so few of these, and it's not that the market was bad...
7.794/10
7 years ago
Game can be a bit too slow and easy if set up stock. Too easy to control the ball, not enough danger (the 'outlane' kickers especially feel like a wasted opportunity since you can just hold the flipper up). So I replaced half the plastic guides with bouncy rubbers, raked it to 7 degrees, and removed the hold on the flippers so you can't cradle, and now it's a pretty fun game.

Two rules tweaks would really improve it though:
1. make 'stars' (from guessing the code correctly) worth way more. 250k or 500k, not 100k. It's possible to win by just knocking down tons of drop targets thoughtlessly and building up your multiplier, but the game is better if you need to have aim and quick thinking
2. start with a column or two already filled in with wrong guesses. The game really gets going once you've already got some data to guess with, but in the beginning when you're just shooting randomly it feels a bit pointless.
4.276/10
7 years ago
Very odd game that didn't really draw me in
6.192/10
8 years ago
A strange game indeed. I like it for its innovation, there's no other remotely like it. The ball locks in one place and it releases another ball somewhere else. I was taken by surprise the first few times but eventually figured out that there's a method to the madness.
Due to this unique concept you never have much of a game flow which limits the fun factor in my book. Still one of those machines you absolutely have to play if you ever have the chance but it lacks on lastability to ever own.
There should be an innovation/uniqueness rating category which is the strength of this game.
7.005/10
8 years ago
What a special treat it is to play this game. I can see how it would have confused the bejesus out of location players during its initial release (resulting in many of the games going directly into the dumpster). Armed with a knowledge of the game from Internet research on how to “guess” the colours and advance the gameplay, this game is a pretty neat novelty. It is a game that benefits from watching someone else play (who knows what they are doing) or watching Todd Tuckey go through it on his fantastic Spectrum tutorial YouTube video. Its not something you'll be able to pick up by reading the apron card in a dimly lit arcade. I'm amazed at the “magic” of the kickout holes to serve the ball to the flippers and return balls back into play. The art, while pleasing, does nothing to make the game less confusing as it takes on an overwhelming, chaotic tone. I'm not sure if I'd be all that enthusiastic to own one of these, but to play it a couple times per year, it sure is fun!
6.587/10
8 years ago
"Where's the ball coming from this time? "

I asked myself that a lot my first few times through Spectrum. This machine earned a special place in my heart not because it is the most fun or fantastically themed game ever, but I rate it high for its innovation and bare challenge.

Spectrum was the first machine I played where the ball kicked out of the drain with the right flipper instead of using a plunger to get the ball in play. Also, it utilizes some interesting playfield mechanics -- the ball will "disappear" and another ball with pop out of a saucer without warning (after playing through a few times, I got used to watching the correct saucer for ball release).

The rules are a little shallow (hit the correct colors as it calls them out - not much to it), but this game would be a conversation piece in a collection - I'd like to have one someday if space allowed.
8.657/10
9 years ago
Why have I never played this until today? Totally awesome game. Completely unique, balls are loaded from every angle on this table...your ball "disappears" under a plastic and boom! You are fed another one. Took a few games to get used to but it blew my mind...tons of flow,

Also love the artwork.

Game rules are a bit confusing to start, but pose a challenge when you are trying to rack up a big score.

Great game, would love to own.
7.226/10
10 years ago
Interesting/unique game
8.268/10
11 years ago
Spectrum is a game that does not get the respect it deserves. Maybe that's because you really need to get to know the game and THINK while playing pinball.

The Pros:
Simple rules that keep you guessing. Despite what you may think about it being too simple... this table is a total shooter's game.

The Cons:
The ball feeds to the flippers still surprise me after a dozen plays. I find the audio to be distracting, they're supposed to be clues d@mmit!

The Takeaway:
This game represents a chance that was taken and was not a commercial success. Once you get to know it, and you like deduction games... this is as good as it gets for a game like this. I understand that this is not the definition of pinball fun for some people, but personally... I really like it. Find one if you can and play it! AGH! ...my brain hurts!
8.800/10
11 years ago
Know what you get if you consider buying this one : a very, very atypical machine. No bumper, no plunger, no skill shot, no slingshot, no outlanes ! But a true memory game and a beautiful backglass. I like it, but many won't...

Edit: A year after buying it, I still love it. Very challenging to get more than two stars with 3 balls.
4.294/10
12 years ago
Obviously a deep strategy type game, and that's it's downfall in my opinion... too much thinking needed of what to shoot for next... no flow at all...
6.502/10
12 years ago
Didn't really know what to make of this one. Once you had sussed that the balls would be fired back at you at speed, it was then just a case of trying to figure out what you needed to shoot for and I never quite managed that.
5.214/10
13 years ago
naah to clever for its own good-just don't like it at all.
6.232/10
13 years ago
One of the oddest games I've ever played. The way the game throws balls at you startling and cool at first, but easy to figure out. From there, it's a pretty basic pin.
There are 19 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 1.

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