Pinside rating

This game received 253 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.987 _/10

7.987

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks 3rd in the game group "Black Knight: Sword of Rage". The group itself ranks #49 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.708

Artwork: 8.331

Sounds/Music: 7.994

Other Aspects: 7.778

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 5 of us have rated this game.

8.188

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This title is part of group: "Black Knight: Sword of Rage"

Black Knight Sword of Rage
(Pro)

Black Knight Sword of Rage
(Premium)

Black Knight Sword of Rage
(LE)

Found 106 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 106 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 5.

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8.661/10

42 hours ago

CRC

rodcom

DPC

Exton, PA

16y 86,050 231 28 47 1

Great game. Brutal hard. PTO better than premium and LE

rodcom has this game on the wishlist.

9.200/10

42 days ago

???

Sweetwillie

Pinside member

Virginia Beach, VA

2y 42,800 51 15 18 1

I played the pro in an arcade and decided I had to buy one. Shoots smooth and really fast. Rules are deep enough, but very easy to figure out. I Had read some negative things about it, but I could not disagree more. Great game!!

Sweetwillie currently owns this game.

8.072/10

67 days ago

TRN

NielsR

Pinside+ Frequent

2y 30,900 21 31

A nice machine. We played this machine at Pinside and we did enjoy it. We didn't come to far since we played a few fast games. We've seen the topper of this machine which is one of the best once ever made. We also think that the premium version would be better for us since the Pro version feels a bit empty. But it is a very nice fast game to play and I really like the black knight in the middle with his rotating flail (or whatever it is). I would say I would love to own this machine but maybe a premium/limited edition with the topper would change my mind.

9.300/10

88 days ago

DRD

DrDrain

Pinside member

8y 42,400 57 115

Black Knight Sword of Rage is one of the most unique games of the last few years. It feels similar to WPC-95 games like Attack from Mars in that it is a very easily understandable basic ruleset. But of course this game is much more advanced, which is to be expected after almost 30 years.

The layout is perfect and every shot feels absolutely satisfying. It is Steve Ritchie's best design (yet).

In terms of music this game will probably only appeal to you as a fan of metal, but it is very fitting and a worthy successor to Black Knight 2000's awesome score.

The only real arguable flaw is the narrowness of the game code. After a while it can get a bit repetitive, but there are many highlights of the game that you want to witness again and again. I would have loved seeing Lyman Sheats programming this gamecode, but they still did a very good job. Just not perfect in my opinion.

Overall it is a truly special game that I want to play over and over again. Games like this are very hard to find. Stern did an outstanding job!

DrDrain edited previous rating on November 24, 2023.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.660/10

3 months ago

GER

Rumtastic

Pinside member

Unknown

8y 19,650 7 7 54

This machine is as good as a pinball machine can be for me.

It has easy rules that you can understand without studying the ruleset (not like Godzilla). One can maybe say that the depth of the game is a little bit shallow. But even my son who is a real pinball wizard has fun to beat the Black Knight over and over again. The shots are well placed (Steve Ritchie never fails) and rewarding. The music is the best original pinball score I've ever heard (it helps to be a Metalhead :-)).

The Black Knight is the best toy I have ever seen in any pinball game. It is so much fun to bash the flail and the shield.

Overall the game is so much fun that I can play it again and again! It will never leave my collection :-)

Rumtastic currently owns this game.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

7.840/10

3 months ago

ROB

stompeN

Pinside+ Frequent

Virginia Beach, VA

<1y 32,300 39 4 8

I put a few tokens in this one not expecting too much. I don’t really see this for sale much or talked about on pinside. I actually really enjoyed this pin. I loved the theming and the music. The knight is really cool looking with the glowing eyes. This pin was pitched really steep on location. It was brutally fast and chaotic and I loved every minute of it. Ball times were short overall but getting a few extended plays every once in a while made it worth it and kept me coming back for more.

stompeN has this game on the wishlist.

7.814/10

4 months ago

JAM

jroakland

Pinside member

Oakland, CA

13y 60,050 106 7 111

Nice flow, very smooth, fun to play, fan layout..., not my fave but it's good...looking for a premium to play..will re rate after I play pro gain and much more than just 25 games......

8.600/10

5 months ago

ZEN

Ollulanus

Pin-Tweak

6y 85,800 1,344 40 2

Man this game feels good to shoot. Shots are just challenging enough to feel rewarding, just easy enough that it still feels fair when you whiff and drain. And this game DOES punish missed shots. It's just damn fun, and you miss out on very little without the upper pf - not much to do up there, and while I do like the lock mechanic and game saving minigame, I'm not sure it's worth blocking the view for. I'll pump quarters in either and will bring one home at some point, but I'd probably give a slight edge to the pro.

9.900/10

7 months ago

???

20SidedDies

Pinside member

Exeter, PA

<1y 17,750 6 1 6

Out of all the pins I’ve played this has got to be the most enjoyable experience. The lighting is beyond superb, and the animations on screen are some of if not the best out there.

Some people say this game is hard and I don’t understand that. It’s the most fair pin I’ve played. When you aim a shot you make it. The playfield design is so well made. After practicing on this machine the combo shots you can make are EXTREMELY satisfying.

The entire game flows like melted butter over creamy mashed potatoes.
Playing this game is a feast for the eyes and brain.
The modes are so fun, you feel like you are actually battling the monsters.

Let’s not forget about the music! Best soundtrack out there. If metal isn’t your thing it has an alternative soundtrack, that’s pretty amazing.

Plus it has the black knight 2000 soundtrack which is means it has the best music ever created on it.

If you get a chance to play this game (seems to be more and more rare to get a chance to play on a pro) I HIGHLY recommend it!

20SidedDies edited previous rating on May 04, 2023.
20SidedDies currently owns this game.

3 Pinsiders flagged this. 3 Pinsiders starred this!

8.052/10

7 months ago

DIA

mrossman5

Pinside+ Frequent

Warren, PA

6y 197K 3,060 7 252

This game may not be the most loved, but I believe the Pro is a good value. The VUK to left flipper mod vastly improves the game and should have been in it originally. Great music but rules may get repetitive rather quickly.

mrossman5 has this game on the wishlist.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

8.676/10

8 months ago

AWT

wtuttle

Tuttle Pinball

9y 91,550 389 4 59

Love this pin. Kudos to Stern for finding a way to release an original title and not a license.

TAUNTING! Love it.

Pro > Premium, IMHO.

wtuttle has this game on the wishlist.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

8.800/10

8 months ago

EPH

falky

Pinside+ Frequent

Rochester, NH

1y 27,900 11 7 14 1

Punishing game that's made me a better player. Guests always gravitate to this game because of the sounds and knight. Creatures/monsters to battle are well done. Really enjoy the retro multiballs.

falky has owned this game in the past.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

8.428/10

9 months ago

JOX

Joxxx

Pinside member

Fondi

3y 23,250 11 14

Fast! Hard! Fun! If you fail a shot all you can do is pray. Sometimes could be very frustrating. The only version that I love is the pro without a mini playfield. Stern should have worked more on the code.

Joxxx currently owns this game.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

8.540/10

10 months ago

WWJ

WJxxxx

WWJ Pinball

11y 87,550 1,199 111

Like all of the BK series, it is very right flipper dominant.

Rules/scoring aren't very well explained, either on the playfield or the screen.

Fun for a few games, but certainly not a keeper for me

WJxxxx edited previous rating on November 20, 2023.

8.592/10

11 months ago

DON

DC747

Pinside+ Frequent

Leawood, KS

6y 22,000 3 12

The pro version is better than the premium. The upper playfiled simply slows the game down. The pro is an awesome shooters game. Music is cool and perfectly matches.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

8.364/10

11 months ago

TMM

RadDad247

Pinside member

Eagle, ID

2y 22,500 2 1 46

I dig it. Not sure what's really going on story wise. Some of the shots are rewarding, but overall there's not any "oh cool!" moments. The layout looks easy, but it's surprisingly hard to hit some lanes.

RadDad247 edited previous rating on August 14, 2023.

6.648/10

1 year ago

NUU

Pinroom

Pinside apprentice

Oetwil An Der Limmat

1y 7,750 8 7

I was lucky to get rid of this. Very little variety and you have to take big risks all the time to shoot in a middle or black knight, otherweise points stay low. Pure stress.

Pinroom has owned this game in the past.

2 Pinsiders flagged this.

9.520/10

1 year ago

PTL

Deepblue89

Pinside member

2y 40,650 10 29

I haven't played the Premium/LE with its signature Black Knight upper playfield, but man, the Pro is just so fun to play that I don't think I am missing out on very much. Gatekeepers in hobbies can sound like babies sometimes. Just because a machine has the name "Black Knight," it doesn't mean it needs an upper playfield to be a great game.

Sword of Rage Pro retains enough notable features from the previous Black Knights anyways, such as the best theming for the machine being the best in the series and the return of the excellent Magna Save feature. This game looks and plays amazingly. It has the funniest callouts I have heard on any pinball machine that I have played. It outdoes Medieval Madness it its medieval humor. It even references the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I cannot help but appreciate such goofily self-aware comedy.

Gameplay wise, this game has more lanes than a Los Angeles highway. They're super fun to shoot during the timed game modes, all of which have intriguing ways to complete them to defeat the monsters. The Black Knight toy with its revolving weapon, center target, and interactive shield, make it one of the neatest toys on a Pro machine. Hitting any three of those targets carries a high risk/reward due to how close they are to the flippers.

Multiballs in Sword of Rage Pro are very rewarding to the senses. I have not played the original Black Knight or Black Knight 2000, but I have seen them played in videos to appreciate the source material of this machine. Black Knight multiball on Sword of Rage might be the coolest multiball in all of pinball as it harkens back to the original game and injects a heavy dose of nostalgia with its retro-themed music and sound effects. The LCD screen even mimics the original Black Knight back glass. Black Knight 2000 is the other Wizard mode on here, along with Black Castle, but I have yet to reach the former in my 60+ plays. While the Pro version does lack Catapult multiball, the flow and already-superb multiballs on the Pro make up for it.

As for the few disappointments, the mystery never yields anything interesting. Usually, it's just a few million additional points or an advance bonus. Once in a blue moon (it has only happened once for me), the mystery will give you a KNIGHT letter, but it won't happen when you're having a great game in which you're on your way to achieving Black Knight 2000 mode. That mode requires way too much to happen in a single game to reach. You essentially have to beat the game twice in one game just to get it. Even some of the most skilled players will have difficulty making it there. And I'm not talking Bowen Kerins or Jack Danger types. They're not skilled players. They're exceptionally skilled players, and some of us just aren't that good (yet).

So there you have it, losers. Black Knight Sword of Rage Pro rocks with its metal persona. If you whine about this game because it doesn't have an upper playfield like the Premium or LE, then you're just a big baby. BABEEBEEBOOWOOWOO!

5 Pinsiders starred this!

8.660/10

1 year ago

SEX

mpdpvdpin

Pinside member

Providence, RI

6y 92,300 3,939 8 96

This game is fun hard and fast. Great in a large lineup and damn near perfect for tournaments. The artwork is nothing short of complete badassery. I have grown to appreciate simpler games like BKSOR and Munsters recently after grinding out more deep and complex nearly exclusively over the past few years. This game is really just a blast to light up with a few friends over some beers and it is most definitely underrated. Prob one of my top 3 Ritchies.

mpdpvdpin edited previous rating on February 19, 2023.
mpdpvdpin has owned this game in the past.

9.400/10

1 year ago

KEN

Kenz

Pinside member

Unknown

8y 58,800 371 18 57

Still in the honeymoon period with this pin. So far the shots are super smooth and clear on what you need to do to progress thru game. Would love a topper. Have added a shaker and waiting for the flame speaker lights to get delivered. Music is awesome too!

Kenz has owned this game in the past.

6.461/10

2 years ago

WWW

Shadrac

Pinside member

8y 51,050 401 1 27

You can save a relatively basic and sloppy playfield layout with a good code, unfortunately this is not the case.
The layout is poor, the shots are all at the same level, it's the most basic fan layout i have ever seen. The Knight is ok. It's a good toy with a good interaction with the ball, but i prefer an Iron Monger with a magnet IMO.
Musics are great, especially the alternate soundtrack, better than the annoying Metal soundtrack.
Callouts sucks, especially Ritchie's callouts (Is it an ACDC pinball or a BK?)
Lighting is i think the best part of the game, perfect.
This game could have been saved but the code sucks, really really sucks.
Tim's code is really lacking in imagination, nothing exciting, we keep fighting until the final fight, no big payoffs, no big jackpots, a single mutliball is worth it and more... We can not stack the other multiballs, they are just there to make a few points (it does not exist since System 11...). No Frankly huge disappointment, to the point that I will not buy any more games coded by Tim Sexton. I know Lyman is hard to beat, but we mustn't mess around either. I much prefer the codes of Tron or Iron Man, simple and effective, and much more exciting, despite the fact that they are shallow. The code in BK is shallow and straightforward, but boring as it gets.
No thanks.

Shadrac has owned this game in the past.

6 Pinsiders flagged this.

7.307/10

2 years ago

DML

Shaqatak

Pinside member

Melbourne

2y 22,900 16 2 9

Not really my thing.
I think the theme doesn't resonate with me.
Could be because I didn't like the original when I was a teenager.

5.852/10

2 years ago

BAT

TBatti

Pinside member

8y 50,800 661 7 40

The pro version just doesn't flow well. It is a fast and punsihing game but that isn't why I havent rated it well. The rule set isn't well thought out and it's not a game I'd ever own but play on occasion on location.

TBatti edited previous rating on March 24, 2023.

6 Pinsiders flagged this.

8.992/10

2 years ago

AJS

joetechbob

Pinside+ Frequent

11y 124K 1,591 49

Really fun. Just wish it had deeper rules.

9.432/10

2 years ago

KOJ

koji

Pinside member

Surrey, BC

5y 112K 2,458 10 64

Played a lot of this on location. Great game for competative play, fast flowing shots keep you shooting through modes in a more focused way as opposed to the Prem and LE.

koji edited previous rating on March 09, 2023.

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