Gorgar is a very deliriously macabre pin. I love most macabre things and I also really love heavy metal and there is a band called Helloween that made a song about this pin. So I really, really like this theme and I find the artwork to be really good as well. The backglass is just gorgeously dripping with malevolence and its use of colors is very effective. The same color scheme and art is extended to the playfield and you almost get a nice story on the playfield. Like the backglass the woman is sacrificed, but on the playfield you can fight and save her against gorgar. Like the backglass is the foreshadowing of an ominious future, one that can be avioded only if you can "Beat Gorgar". Easier said than done, because most of the time "Gorgar Beats YOU!". And that is the main gimmick of this pin the speech, only a handful of words, but that is all Gogar needs. Because, if you do play well enough he will say you not only hurt him, but you beat him. Or rather You Beat Me".
There is no real music in gorgar, but I like the use of the heartbeat while playing this pin. The better you do, the more you advance the game the quicker it speeds up. Simple rules, but effective and they require you to shoot and hit all the shots. I'm not really aware of any overpowered shot or strategy for this game that makes it unbalanced. Simple ruleset, but I like the old time rulesets. No MB. But, game is fun enough without it.
The main shot you will be going for though is probably the spinner, once you get that up.
The other shot is the Pit shot, but you need to build that up first. Has a magnet in it as well, which probably also was one of the first uses of a magnet in pinball. So this machine has a few firsts going with it. Obviously the callouts are limited, but I am judging it on what was available at the time, and this was the first talking pin. Also, Gorgar doesn't need to be chatty, he says just the right amount and that is all you need.
Fantastic art package and I really like the theme and how it all is connected from evil voice of Gorgar, to the heartbeat. Just really engrosses you in the game.
Also this is one of my favorite cab art for this era of pinball machine.
The game is fun to shoot, and while I wouldn't want to play one for hours on end, 15-25 minutes of shooting or playing is always fun for me. When I see it at expos I try to play a few games as well. If I ever get a bigger house, I hope to get a Gorgar machine. But, I really think you'd might want it to be a part of 8-10 pin collection. Think how well one would look right next to a Monster Bash, BSD, or any other horror themed pin. Fun to play game with a nice simple ruleset. Can't go wrong.
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