I cannot imagine a more perfect pin.... after searching for this pin for over a year and finally finding one, purchasing it, and waiting months for it to be shipped to me I think I have finally found the absolutely most perfect pin money could buy. Granted it ended up costing me almost $19,000 once said and done, but it was money well worth spending.
The exterior of the machine in itself is a beauty, the artwork, the barnacles, the backglass, everything is beautiful. The ship in a bottle topper is the best I've ever seen in a pin.
The playfield layout is full of twists and turns and ramps and multiple levels of targets to achieve. The Black Pearl upper playfield is challenging to play as it sways back and forth and you attempt to launch a ball to a hole in a ship that's clear across the playfield. The pirates chest (I have the mod) is easy to get to, but it takes just the right amount of force to get the ball to land inside, unlike Hobbit where you are always going up the ramps. The magnetic mechanism in the upper playfield that starts shooting cannons is awesome to watch, the upper flipper hits so many additional targets that it is like playing a second pinball machine. The spinning disc does amazing things and prevents the lower playfield from becoming mundane. The left shots require timing and skill, including the maelstrom shot which harkens back to another one of my all time favorites Whitewater.
On to the video - this is an amazing component of the pin, and thanks to Jersey Jack for having the pinballs to make this happen... instead of sticking with the status quo, this brings a level of entertainment to the industry never seen before, and is a reason why I also love my Wizard Of Oz and Hobbit and Wonka so much. Video that is this well thought out, this stylish, this gorgeous really completes the game.
For gameplay, I am incredibly challenged yet never frustrated. I need to understand the ruleset more, but it is so nice that between balls I'm shown which shots do what, and this correlates with the video screen by blinking the lights for the shots on the playfield. Brilliant! I would have gone a step further and included actual videos above on exactly what needs to be done to achieve what goal.
Personally, this is absolute perfection and with this pin my life is complete. Jersey Jack, please keep taking my money away, please keep up with the themes... as long as you're making pins, you'll likely be taking my money. If it's $20K, so be it. This is playable art, perfect pinball, bringing pure joy to anyone who comes across this pin. But good luck finding one - there are only 200 of these and it will never be made again... and I won't be giving this up anytime soon, that's for sure... so now there are just 199 of this on Planet Earth, best of luck finding one... but if you do find one, know that you have a true treasure (and investment) on your hands!