Bally

Bow and Arrow

Pinside Rating

This game received 32 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.736 _/10

7.736

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #147 in the Pinside EM Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.841

Artwork: 7.609

Sounds/Music: 3.136

Other Aspects: 7.762

Pinside staff rating

None of the Pinside.com staff have rated this game. Sorry, no rating from us.

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Found 20 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 20 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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7.569/10

9 months ago

VEE

Veemonroe

Pinside member

London

2y 55,550 205 7 176

Great fun EM with some spinners to rip and a wonderful 'collection' saucer on the top left. Very clear what to do, if you understand EMs/early SS, and has a strong element of skill unlike, say, Gigi.

Really enjoyed playing this one in tournament at Pinball Republic.

8.231/10

1 year ago

MRM

MikeyMcs

Pinside member

3y 27,500 11 9

I’m not much of a fan of 70’s games, particularly the 4-players. They all seem to be variations on the same game to me. That said, Bow and Arrow rises above the crowd. The double-spinners rock! I love the way they build the bonus. And being able to collect that bonus via the top-left kickout hole before the ball drains is, well, a bonus. It’s a shot I try to make over and over. Attractive artwork. Fun game!

MikeyMcs currently owns this game.

8.501/10

1 year ago

DT

metalguy

Pinside member

Milford, CT

4y 45,050 342 33 10

One of my favorite ems. Mine plays super fast. A very “easy game”. Rip the spinners for max bonus and pop the ball up top to the kickout hole for 10k over and over. And then extra balls on center target. But it never gets old and great for competitive play. I like this game on 3 ball. 5. Ball is just to easy

5.562/10

2 years ago

EJH

ehex9

Pinside member

Saint Albans Town, VT

3y 46,650 5 7 179

Typical Bally EM. Scrolling values at center target and top eject hole is a cool feature. Good game overall.

9.308/10

2 years ago

???

Elmerstinkkeman

Pinside member

Unknown

5y 17,400 2 7 23

I love this game. I had one then sold it but missed it so I bought another. Ripping spinners or collecting a maxed out bonus for 10000 points a shot is always rewarding.

6.244/10

5 years ago

???

JethroP

Pinside+ Frequent

6y 101K 3,132 9 14 1

Had this game for a short while. Never found it interesting enough to keep. So so.

JethroP has owned this game in the past.

7.232/10

5 years ago

BAD

Diospinball

Inactive member

Joliet, IL

6y 74,300 1,336 9 75

This is a double spinner game. I like the layout. Its fun to shoot. The theme doesn't really do much for me. The artwork is good, but I don't really care much for it. The rules are simple but fine. EM's are not for everyone, but I enjoy playing them. I think with a nice coat of wax and proper coil strength this game could be a lot of fun. Besides the two spinners there is a gate. Sadly the game I played the gate was broken. Not much innovation or toys in this pin. Some EM's had a lot of cool toys. But, with two spinners you don't need much. A fun game. And I think if you have the space and can find a working one. Might be worth it to add to your collection.... And I think it could even be a great candidate for a retheme...

9.465/10

6 years ago

BJA

lowbeau67

Pinside+ Frequent

Mount Washington, KY

6y 105K 1,211 5 6 1

First Pinball I remember playing when I was a wee lad. Loved it then. Just purchased a very nice solid example of one from fellow pinsider and it's been a blast playing again. Love the theme and the spinners. Just a great old EM that has always appealed to me. Little big man was one of my favorite movies when I was younger and this pin fits in the same vein. New rubbers and a good waxing and some leds and this machine rocks. This machine is a keeper for me.

lowbeau67 has owned this game in the past.

7.982/10

6 years ago

RIC

REMAXRick

Pinside member

Brownsburg, IN

6y 18,650 7 2 12

First game I ever played...and played and played and played. I have a special attachment to this machine to be sure, but it is still one of my favorite EMs. LOVE smashing the double spinners and collecting the bonus. The add of the bonus gate is exceptional for the age. I'm a sucker for games with "special when lit" because of this machine. Having it on the outlanes is evil as I'm still a sucker to give up the score to hear it pop out a free credit.

8.091/10

7 years ago

HIP

hipsmart

Pinside member

New York, NY

7y 41,050 36 1 33

This is a solidly good game. The spinner clicks are excellent. However, immediately going to the bumpers after a spinner usually means the ball rebounds and stops the spinner, darn it.

hipsmart has this game on the wishlist.

7.754/10

7 years ago

TIM

FirePower

Pinside member

12y 50,400 293 22 30

I recently had the opportunity to repair a friend's Bow and Arrow and got some games in during the refurb. Being a huge Bally EM fan of course I'm biased, but it is a really solid and fun machine. I think it is a prime example of a great late era EM that I'd be a happy to have in my own collection.

Pros:
1. Double spinners
2. You can collect the bonus via the kick out and at the end of ball!
3. Colors are good
4. The continuous motion of the lights is like getting the Bally Skyrocket effect throughout the game on a smaller scale - way cool for an EM
5. Trying to shoot the darn gate is really hard - but fun

Cons
1. The theme - I really like the Native American backglass and artwork, but I have a hard time connecting that look with pinball.
2. The A, B, C, D thing is kind of different. I guess I would have preferred Bally drops down there on the playfield.

Verdict:
1. Play it
2. I'd add it to my collection
3. I see it come up fairly normally locally - I think I need one!

8.535/10

7 years ago

???

gura

Inactive member

Munich

9y 9,900 1 11

The double spinner is pure fun and for an EM pin it has a lot of gimmicks like the spinning targets, the gate and the 4 bumpers. Furthermore it has a very colourful backglas. For me one of the best EM pinball ever.

6.725/10

7 years ago

TNT

sneakerpin

Pinside member

Somersworth, NH

10y 57,150 165 34

ABCD targets are mostly accidental hits. Making skill shots consist of timing the top kick out hole and perhaps hitting the bonus collect hole. Increase bonus by hitting the spinners, which is fun. Otherwise, I find the game bland, and my other EM's get more love. The artwork is really nice, however. Overall a decent EM.

sneakerpin edited previous rating on August 01, 2016.

7.380/10

8 years ago

AMK

amkoepfer

Pinside member

Toledo, OH

9y 162K 4,922 23 51

While the double spinner is fun, the game lacks lastability for me.

8.355/10

8 years ago

S

pinballholder

GoldenStatePin

Rocklin, CA

10y 102K 1,447 5 25

Love the look of this game and the theme. Love the spinner! Not sure how long it will last in my collection, but good, simple 4 player EM. First played it at Pin-a-Go-Go and knew I had to own it for awhile.

pinballholder has owned this game in the past.

7.166/10

9 years ago

JER

PinballMuseum

Pinside member

Myrtle Beach, SC

9y 31,300 3 37 8

Bow and Arrow is a classic. Love hitting the double spinners.

6.860/10

9 years ago

XOT

Outlane-Avoider

Pinside member

14y 77,300 570 268

I owned one of these for a short while, I remember playing it as a youngster in the arcades. I loved whacking those spinners to get the reels clicking round. Not much else to this game otherwise.

Outlane-Avoider has owned this game in the past.

7.904/10

9 years ago

ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

12y 163K 1,455 51 1011

Bow and Arrow is another solid game from the reliable and underrated designer Greg Kmiec.

The Pros:
Double spinners that will be seen again in the righteous Harlem Globe Trotters that lead to a very active garden of pop bumpers. The saucer in the upper left hand corner of the game is king for bonus collect as well as giving the player a moment of rest before the pinball madness resumes. Making the return lane is always satisfying. The art package is Christian Marche doing his non-pointy-people thing and making the horned poodle hunt look like an exciting event. 10 rotations of the spinner to add to the bonus means that ripping the spinners is fun, satisfying and worth the chaos in the pop bumpers that ensues after the shot is made. Build and collect bonus on the PF is always a great way to play pinball!

The Cons:
A-B-C-D targets seem to come to the player more by chance than by aimed shots. The B and D targets in particular are dangerous shots, so why take them if you don't need to? The Center standup is a sucker shot if I ever saw one. The return lane is accessed more often from the pops than it is from an aimed flipper shot.

The Takeaway:
A good, but not great game from Bally and Kmiecs team in late '74. Imagine what this would have looked like with a Dave Christensen art package?!? Find the SS version if you can!

Update:
I got the chance to play a REALLY nice copy of this deck and I have to say... I had a great time. This game once again cements my opinion that Greg Kmeic is one of the most underrated pinball game designers ever to have graced the silver ball. I absolutely love build/collect bonus games. If you can get the bonus maxed, you can just forget everything else that is going on with this table. I do wish that the bonus collect would reset the bonus to 1k. The little lip at the bottom of the left side from the saucer lane should tip the ball to the PF in an irregular manner/ towards the right sling, So you can anticipate the exit with nudging or take a chance with what the game gives you. Boy, those outlanes are DEATH! Lots of spinners and pops are loads of fun! Looking more closely at this deck, I see quite a bit of Harlem GlobeTrotters in the making.

Caucasian2Step edited previous rating on October 24, 2014.

8.141/10

10 years ago

CCD

ReallifePin

Pinside member

Salt Lake City, UT

11y 61,550 716 6 23

I wasn't sure about this one. I loved the backglass but the game itself looked a little blah. Once I played it for a while I really like it. It seems well ahead of it's time. Lots to do that will reward you with point and like others have said, those spinners are more fun than they have any right to be.

ReallifePin has owned this game in the past.

7.790/10

11 years ago

FXS

sulli10

Pinside member

Morristown, NJ

13y 129K 2,573 33 61

My first pin. I bought it in 1979 and gave it to a boys club in Florida. A great EM that I miss terribly (along with my youth)

sulli10 has owned this game in the past.

1

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