Bally

Gilligan's Island

Pinside Rating

This game received 90 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 6.841 _/10

6.841

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #279 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 6.876

Artwork: 6.953

Sounds/Music: 6.313

Other Aspects: 6.871

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 1 of us has rated this game.

6.356

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Found 50 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 50 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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1.717/10

9 months ago

CAM

DeputyDrain

Pinside member

Saint Paul, MN

<1y 31,400 145

Unappealing in almost every way

DeputyDrain edited previous rating on January 05, 2024.

6.733/10

9 months ago

DRD

Until recently I didn't give this game much thought.

The layout is quite primitive and the only real shot that's remotely enjoyable is the ramp. The turntable is the best feature and only real redeeming quality of this game. It's actually a pretty unique idea and probably the only reason I could see myself returning to this machine.

The gamecode is very linear and feels almost like something a whitewood would have. Collecting the items feels like a chore. The "Get Seltzer to Kona" mode is by far the best feature of the gamecode and that's a real pity. Especially for a WPC game of the dot matrix era this game feels inappropriately narrow. The majority of the System 11 games has a more interesting ruleset for me.

The artwork is quite good, although I've seen a lot better looking WPC games. But it certainly looks better than most of Stern's film based machines between 2000 and 2010.

All in all, this is a subpar game due to the narrowness of the gamecode and the simple layout. The artwork and turntable are quite nice though. I can understand if somebody likes this game as a fan of the theme but it's no game for me.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

7.646/10

1 year ago

ABF

Sheev_Palpatine

Pinside+ Frequent

5y 108K 828 71

Love the theme but the code seems so lackluster.

9.276/10

1 year ago

???

servo74

Pinside apprentice

Debrecen

2y 5,000 6

I love this game! It's a beautiful machine with lots of fun.

6.202/10

1 year ago

>>>

Polypin

Pinside+ Frequent

1y 69,800 140 28

And okay game with simple rules and a fun rotating shot from the volcano, Gilligan's Island is approachable and easy to learn. However, I find that the shots are relatively slow and overall gameplay variety suffers from a simple rule set.

Hindsight is 20/20 when comparing this game to modern games. Even though, other system 11 games of the era seem to shoot faster and have deeper rules than GI provides.

If you're a fan of the theme, I don't think it'll disappoint, but it won't win over serious pinballers who are not theme fans, or new to the hobby in my perspective.

Play location: Fiesta Lanes in Tucson, AZ.

9.558/10

2 years ago

???

Micha84

Inactive member

Unknown

2y 8,500 10

Toller Pin , der echt unterschätzt wird. Der bleibt im meiner Sammlung

7.039/10

2 years ago

JEZ

zebpin61

Pinside+ Frequent

3y 73,050 558 15

GI brings back fond memories of both the TV show and games from the '90's: The game feels and plays light, easy. My youngest sums it up best in one word: "chill". By current standards the sound is so dated but so familiar to early SS games.

4.121/10

3 years ago

???

Rebeldawg

Inactive member

Rome, GA

3y 8,250 3 11

I had the opportunity to play this game at the southern fried gaming expo in atlanta and was very disappointed in this game. while the theming for the game was nice - in general it was repetitive without alot going on and became very tired of the game very quickly. Maybe i had higher expectations for the game but in the end i didnt enjoy playing it and would not look to add it to my collection.

7.492/10

3 years ago

EJH

ehex9

Pinside member

Saint Albans City, VT

4y 46,650 5 6 179

I don't know why but I love the theme and artwork on this game. Just makes you want to play it.

4.931/10

4 years ago

JAS

John_Smith

Pinside apprentice

Unknown

4y 9,150 2 6

This game IS boring in my opinion. There are only 3 redeeming factors from this pin:
-Theme
-Spinning volcano shot
-The unique TILT screen.

2 Pinsiders flagged this.

5.387/10

4 years ago

???

qbert1021

Pinside member

Oakville, MO

5y 32,900 1 11 42

Not a very fun game. I played this game probably 15 times over two days and never enjoyed myself. Shockingly boring for a 90's Bally.

qbert1021 edited previous rating on July 02, 2020.

3 Pinsiders flagged this.

7.847/10

4 years ago

CWS

Rougarou

Pinside member

6y 36,650 48 3 7

This game is definitely under rated in my opinion. Yes, gameplay is simple compared to others from the time, but simple does not mean bad in this case. Scoring centers around Kona's Treasure and Jungle Runs by shooting center ramp but rotating island feature allows variety in how the ball is fed back. This is an easy game to understand and enjoy. The theme, music, and callouts are also great and fits perfectly with the shots and objective.

Also note that if you own this game you can adjust percentage of multiball reward from 3% (factory default) up to 25% so that players can enjoy this feature more often.

Rougarou currently owns this game.

6.473/10

4 years ago

BOD

Crazysurfkid

Pinside member

Halifax

5y 26,800 41 5 10

Gilligans is a great (entry) pinball. The rules aren't so deep. Simply collect 7 items for the recipe and start the volcano mode.
Multiball is a random selection, albeit only a 2 ball one.
The layout is quite cool. How many tables have a volcano that turns (altering every shot), or a volcano drop shot?
Also, it's a fast table and lots of fun.

Crazysurfkid currently owns this game.

6.436/10

5 years ago

SFV

Hammerhead

Pinside member

Melbourne, ON

12y 109K 2,849 15 18 2

I feel I need to defend Gilligan. Like I've read elsewhere, Gilligan is a System 11 game in a WPC89 cabinet. It's not very deep, but the island mech gives a lot of shots which keeps it interesting. The fact that Multiball is a random Lagoon award is unfortunate, yes. The unbalanced scoring is unfortunate, yes. But it's still a hoot to shoot, and I found myself always looking to play another game. The only reason I sold mine was to fund another purchase, I could see Gilligan returning to my basement again down the road.

Hammerhead has owned this game in the past.

7.845/10

5 years ago

DAV

Golgotha

Creekside Hideaway

14y 81,050 645 12

The DMD is a bit lacking. How many times have you tried to explain the rule set to friends only to have them stare at you in total confusion? This game gets the most play in my game room. Super easy explanation. collect these ingredients and then get Kona to burp! Done. The shots are not too hard. Its super easy to understand the games goal. One bummer is that the two ball multi-ball is not tied to an achievement but a random award. That is a shame. The game is easy to really get hooked. The rotating island is a cool feature. The DMD graphics could have been much more creative. "Nice Coconuts". Its a winner in my game room.

6.204/10

5 years ago

CUZ

mcuzz

Pinside member

8y 117K 500 137

Good theme, not great artwork. Shallow rules and boring gameplay. Pass

6.278/10

5 years ago

RCT

unlockpinball

Pinside+ Addict

8y 81,300 310 31 1

Interesting layout and great for beginners. Its a system 11 type game in a WPC 89. The rule set is way simple and straight forward. Not much animation on the DMD screen. The game is enjoyable for a few plays. Everyone loves Gilligan!! Decent shots to make, but overall its on its own island and over time will drive you coconuts!!

8.501/10

5 years ago

???

locksmith

Pinside member

10y 90,300 831 53

Just plain fun. Not deep by any means but the shots are great.This game really brings me back in time more than any other pin.Try one if you can find one.You will be surprised.

locksmith edited previous rating on February 02, 2019.

7.328/10

5 years ago

KAR

northerndude

Pinside+ Frequent

8y 114K 4,876 22

I truly like this game, I don't necessarily love it, but it's fun! It serves it purpose just fine. It doesn't have the deep rules, BUT it has the shots. I like them. The rotisserie ramp selection is great and gives options. The only thing weird is the unbalanced scoring, all they had to do was level it out a bit and voila! good to go.
My family loves playing it, the wifey, the teens, and myself. We will have fun with it for a while.

8.088/10

5 years ago

PSN

Paul1478

Pinside member

Peachtree City, GA

9y 51,050 86 3 39

I know this game is hated, so when I ran into in while I was staying in NJ for a few days, I played it.
I liked it. more of my money went into this game than Ghostbusters by a LONG shot. I can see how it may get old after a while but I would rather have this than a Ghostbusters. personal preference.

8.463/10

6 years ago

BRG

IdahoRealtor

Pinside member

Eagle, ID

13y 137K 6,797 12 10 1

I like this pin a lot. Took me a while to find one. Great looks. The layout is smooth and very unique. Love the turntable. Love the theme and sounds. Cool skill shot and Lagoon mystery award. The simple ruleset makes the pin very approachable, great for casual players and wife/kids. The 50M jackpot is probably unbalanced, but it is not that easy to achieve - doesnt bother me one bit. This one is a keeper for me.

IdahoRealtor has owned this game in the past.

4.875/10

6 years ago

BJD

Arcadefan

Inactive member

Saint Albans, NL

7y 39,900 111 18

I dont really like this game

5.427/10

6 years ago

???

FarFromHeaven26

Inactive member

Unknown

6y 42,050 319 7 28

Thought by some to be underrated. Loving the television series as I do is a big plus of course. Ramp and spinning island a terrific highlight, though I can't deny it does get boring fast. Owned for one year and then sold.

FarFromHeaven26 edited previous rating on April 01, 2019.
FarFromHeaven26 has owned this game in the past.

2 Pinsiders flagged this.

6.711/10

6 years ago

M R

mrossman5

Pinside member

Pittsburgh, PA

6y 197K 3,323 8 255

Underrated. Gets too much hate but in all reality it’s not that great. Played it twice at Ohio show and was one shot away from beating it. Moving thing is cool but rules aren’t. That one sound is also extremely annoying.

2 Pinsiders flagged this.

7.277/10

7 years ago

JSG

Fusionwerks

Pinside member

Lincoln, AR

7y 24,900 15 10

I liked this one simply because I loved Gilligan's Island as a kid. Played this one a lot at the Las Vegas pinball hall of fame. Simple rule set, funny sound effects, cool "jungle run". Just a simple fun game to play.

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