Pinside rating

This game received 181 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.933 _/10

7.933

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #76 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game design: 7.977

Artwork: 8.266

Sounds/Music: 6.712

Other Aspects: 8.106

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.

8.109

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Ranking history

An overview of this machine's ranking over the last years. Lower is better.

Rating history

An overview of this machine's rating over the last years. Higher is better.

Found 86 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 86 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 4.

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4.395/10

31 days ago

ECW

Ecw0930

Pinside member

Fredericksburg, VA

1y 40,900 142 1 75

I was a HUGE fan of this film when I was a kid.

Not so much the pin. It seems to be a theme of this age pin. The upper playfield thing.

This game kind of sucked. Even after I got into it and tried to stick with it. Nah... It's not Black Knight bad... but it's close.

9.621/10

33 days ago

DAV

Gritty

Pinside member

Cinnaminson, NJ

9y 88,100 506 63

My favorite solid state game from this era. Excellent theme, art and sounds. Plays fast and has that one more game feel. This is one of those games that really needs to be leveled properly to play right.

9.389/10

39 days ago

BIL

billsgto

Pinside member

6y 44,350 67 51

One of the most frustrating games ever made but it's hard to turn it off. I enjoy the sounds, speech, and difficult shots that challenge me.

7.312/10

43 days ago

RHS

SLAMT1LT

Pinside member

Caerphilly

11y 56,650 318 36

For it's time, this is a decent game of pinball. Very fast split-level play. But so difficult that frustration can easily leave you feeling unsatisfied with the experience. Flash Gordon is an epic theme worthy of a remake but seems unlikely to happen. Flash Gordon without the Queen soundtrack? Not possible with the primitive tech they had back in the early 80s. So stick your Walkman on while your play. Flash-Ah-Ah! I would own this pin for sure, if I had the room.

9.305/10

61 days ago

JST

Pinheadpreacher

Pinside member

Evansville, IN

<1y 25,550 14 7 8

One of my favorite games from that era. If it had multi-ball, it may have been the best game from the early SS games. The speech is excellent for the time-period and goes well with the game. I still get a chuckle at the end of a game and Ming says, "Try again, earthling." Plenty of variation with different possible strategies with the in-line drop targets, the upper playfield, and the other drop targets. The single "sentry" target is a unique concept. The game can be brutal but it keeps you coming back with plenty of shots. The 15-Second 2X, 3X, or 5X playfield scoring is neat along with the speech that goes with. Some people get annoyed with the strobe light but I like it and it doesn't bother me at all.

Pinheadpreacher currently owns this game.

8.676/10

69 days ago

QQ

Isjack

Pinside member

Minneapolis, MN

7y 63,050 1,140 9 11

Love it!

The flow from the upper playfield with the two ramps, the tight right inlane target shot, the goofy middle saucer and unpredictable pops in the middle of the lower playfield. Always want to play another game.

Such a unique layout that would never be produced in today's era of safe ramps and cluster pops tucked in the back.

Isjack edited previous rating on January 14, 2021.
Isjack currently owns this game.

6.696/10

3 months ago

NIC

Ghostly

Pinside member

2y 27,650 11 2 55

I enjoy this game. Very challenging, I find myself coming back to it, even in a gameroom full of DMDs. So it must be doing something right.

Not a huge fan of the artwork though.

I will adjust this rating as I play this game more. Right now I think I have it listed a bit too low.

Ghostly edited previous rating on December 01, 2020.
Ghostly has this game on the wishlist.

8.624/10

4 months ago

PLG

nplg

Pinside member

Columbus, OH

<1y 34,800 31 5 6

If you find one, buy it. You will master one game and drain every ball on the next, then "try again earthling". Such beautiful randomness. Dual spinners. Three banks of targets. Three ramps. Dual direction saucer. Not a dead spot on the playfield.

Had me at "Flash!" when I first played an early production version of this game in 1980 (with the "Sounds Plus" and "Vocalizer" boards). Beat me to death in those outlanes, but what a game integrating upper and lower playfields into the ruleset.

Had to have one. Bought one a year after release and still have it along with the original receipt.

nplg edited previous rating on December 14, 2020.
nplg currently owns this game.

7.510/10

5 months ago

STV

jooky

Pinside member

Mississauga, ON

8y 25,650 19 2 6

One of the toughest drain monsters out there. Watch the Bowen tutorial. Sold me on one!

9.773/10

6 months ago

SCC

mrgone

Pinside member

Sacramento, CA

9y 104K 4,839 3 50

One of, if not the best single ball, early solid state games.
Fun! Has the one more game thing going for it.
Super hard but very satisfying when you have a good game.

mrgone currently owns this game.

8.396/10

6 months ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

2y 242K 6,470 11 260

One of the best pins of its' era. Split playfield, in-lane drop targets, mirrored-backglass, fair scoring, and plenty to do.
It is also quite difficult...which I love.

The one thing it seems to get knocked for is the sound. Unfortunately, they just couldn't do much with it in that era...which is a shame because Queen did all the music for the movie (they are one of my favorite bands of all-time). The opening bars of Queen's Flash Gordon title song are played, which make me smile everytime.

Daditude edited previous rating on September 04, 2020.
Daditude has this game on the wishlist.

7.195/10

8 months ago

EJH

ehex9

Pinside member

Saint Albans Town, VT

<1y 32,250 8 53

Another classic 80's Bally with awesome split level play field. The Ramps are a little rough and clunky at times. Really fun and challenging though. Artwork package is nice with the red black and yellow color scheme. Cool Xenon flash lamp behind the back glass.

ehex9 has owned this game in the past.

8.982/10

1 year ago

DPC

dpapclare

Pinside member

Fredericton, NB

4y 35,300 86 10 25 1

My absolute favourite game ever! Always such a challenger and rewarding when you do well. Good scoring balance between the two playfield levels. Control is key and playing this game will make you a better player. Emperor Ming awaits!

dpapclare currently owns this game.

6.841/10

1 year ago

JNS

TecumsehPlissken

Pinside member

Longwood, FL

6y 112K 2,238 10 103

Great looking game with a gorgeous mirrored back glass , double level playfield & I loved the cheesey 80's movie , but this game is so brutal I have never really been able to Enjoy playing it

7.764/10

1 year ago

SJS

redhawk1689

Pinside member

Salina, KS

1y 22,650 12 2 20

This one cost me a fortune in quarters when it came out! It was a bear!! I eventually learned how to play it (and improve my pinball skills) which definitely improved my outlook on the machine! This was also my first multi-level machine so I am somewhat biased. This is not a good one for "newbies" due to it's difficulty, however! Rather, this one is good for honing your skills. Today, I would gravitate over to it if I found it in an arcade.

8.664/10

1 year ago

MSF

Nokoro

Pinside member

7y 108K 4,383 16

This is a fun, brutally hard pin. It has simple, well balanced scoring, with a few strategies to employ to maximize points. There are many things to shoot for. I love lighting the spinners and listening to the sound effects as I shoot them over and over again. The in-lane drop targets are great to shoot, and like the wood beast itself, present danger with every attempt. The upper playfield is challenging. The ball doesn't stay up there for long, but it is a critical aspect of the game. The art package is excellent, and the sounds are well done for the time. Overall, an excellent pin that truly has me saying, "Maybe just one more game."

3.842/10

1 year ago

SFA

KCViking

Pinside member

Lenexa, KS

3y 28,250 1 5 21

Not a fan of this game. The upper play field is poorly designed. No fun factor at all for me.

3 Pinsiders flagged this rating/review.

6.732/10

1 year ago

DWD

Graysonsdad

Pinside member

Hamilton, ON

2y 74,600 2,525 5 73

I dont usually enjoy upper playfields but this game is better than most

8.779/10

1 year ago

LGN

Loganpinball

Pinside member

3y 75,800 565 34

Very hard but fun machine. Artwork is great. For its time it must have been amazing.

8.535/10

1 year ago

GTX

gdonovan

Pinside member

3y 132K 5,247 50 2

Played for the first time this weekend; game has the "one more try" vibe to it and I did just that. Game is tough but not in a badly designed way but in a good way. It seeks to improve your pin skills with every game played as you learn the nuances of play. Well done! Artwork is excellent.

10.000/10

1 year ago

???

RUSTY1

Pinside apprentice

2y 10,250 6 17

A true classic. Hooked up a sub and now it's my favorite machine. Sounds on this game are the best. I like the 2 levels of playfield. Best theme ever. Doesn't get better than this pinball machine in my opinion. They need to remake it!

RUSTY1 currently owns this game.

9.137/10

2 years ago

AJ

SunnRAT

Pinside member

6y 100K 1,186 79

I really like this layout as there is nothing left to waste. Good variety of shots and all are satisfying if you can make them! 2 spinners, inline drop targets, 3rd flipper. Not an easy pin to approach and play, but after a few tries, I really found a rhythm and it was still a challenge. Great sounds. I love this era of pinball and Flash Gordon is one of the tops. It's one of the best solid state Bally machines from the early 80s. Fun to play solo or with others, because every player at some point will suffer from all the risky shots in this pin!

SunnRAT edited previous rating on June 02, 2020.

8.514/10

2 years ago

DAD

ss-pinball

Pinside member

Kalamazoo, MI

2y 54,550 468 6 31

Probably my Holy Grail pin.
the art is a bit busy--but most of the pins from that time are.
the game is brutal and unforgiving and then you want to play one more..and then one more...and then one more....

ss-pinball currently owns this game.

8.679/10

2 years ago

KID

MrFancy

Pinside member

Silver Spring, MD

2y 36,400 125 4 9

Beautiful looking game, brutal and cruel to play. Rewards concentration and skillfull play more than any pin I've ever played. Still, it has some very tight shots, lot's of unusual shots, it's very hard to control the ball and the outlanes are greedy. Once you learn it a littie bit, best strategy is to knock down the row of drop targets on the lower right to get the extra ball that's behind them. Still, bring a lot of quarters. Fortunately the ball save is very generous (JUST KIDDING THERE IS NO BALL SAVE). All that said pulling off a good game is very satisfying and this is one of my favorite pins of all time.

MrFancy edited previous rating on December 22, 2019.
MrFancy has this game on the wishlist.

7.434/10

2 years ago

BDJ

JerseyJay45

Inactive member

Ottawa, ON

5y 18,000 5 8

Very tough pin to play but satisfying when you finally eat her down. Good music and lots of nostalgia

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There are 86 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 4.

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