American Pinball

Legends of Valhalla

Pinside Rating

This game received 118 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.964 _/10

7.964

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #93 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.983

Artwork: 7.646

Sounds/Music: 7.683

Other Aspects: 8.036

Pinside staff rating

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

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Found 38 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 38 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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8.353/10

87 days ago

KIP

RKip455

Pinside+ Addict

Vinemont, AL

3y 54,900 58 34 1

I was pleasantly surprised by the game play, deep code and shot difficulty. The game has a fun and fast layout and I feel the theme is well integrated with the playfield design (I like the Nordic Viking theme). I felt, like most due, the animations are a bit weak but the music is very good and really does go well with the design. I'm getting one of these in a trade and I'm looking forward to it and will update my ratings once I play many games.

The playfield offers many good shots and features like 3 flippers, 2 ramps, a spinner, outer loop, scoop and Viking Longship model is a great feature which allows you to lock ball released later. Note: My ratings for the Game Design and toys are with respect to the Deluxe model. It’s my opinion that this pin has gotten poor reviews mostly because it's not a Stern. Which for me (as I own multiple manufactures pins)
RKip455

RKip455 edited previous rating on February 22, 2024.

7.257/10

4 months ago

TRN

NielsR

Pinside+ Frequent

3y 32,400 32 34

I played this machine at DPO. It was fun to play but i didn't like the quality of the toys and animations. For me it would be a game to play when i see it in wild but i wouldn't buy this machine.

8.271/10

6 months ago

TOM

Crile1

Pinside+ Frequent

Elizabethtown, KY

7y 99,800 2,099 14 31

This game is a sleeper hit in my opinion. Coming out at the end of Covid amidst a barrage of new games it got lost in the mix being a non-licensed theme. But give it a chance and enjoy the rush. The theme is cool. I’ve always liked mythology and the Norse gods are not as well known but I’m enjoying learning about them and they are all warrior based stories. The art is good in my opinion but some don’t like it. It’s definitely a nice change from Sterns which seem to all look the same. The gameplay is stellar. If I had to compare to one game it would be Iron Man. It plays fast with flow and ball control can be difficult. You can recover from most misses and with the loop in the right and the horseshoe on the left, most misses find their own way along a ball path. But the ball usually comes back at you fast. If you make your shots then you are caught in the flow. The right side ramp to the ship is a very satisfying shot. The rules are pretty good. Two overall paths to two wizard modes. Accomplish 8 tasks/achievements and go to Valhalla or battle all 16 mythological beings and start Ragnarok. There are lots of side missions that keep things going and 3 of the battle modes are multiballs. The lights are good with a couple of neat effects. The animations on the screen are still drawings and definitely the weakest link for this game. Callouts are “manly” and fun. The music is amazing. Especially the end of game song. It’s the only game where I let it play before hitting start again. Ball times can be very short but then after a few quick games you get into the flow and blow it up. What a rush. Give this one a try, especially in an environment where you can hear the music properly.

Crile1 has owned this game in the past.

4 Pinsiders starred this!

9.140/10

9 months ago

SCS

Angel

Pinside member

Mississauga, ON

16y 56,550 124 5 39

I've put in many plays on this machine; the level of fun, enjoyment and excitement are definitely there. The layout is straight forward, the orbit shots are challenging, the flow is fun and fast. Several battles, modes and multi-balls are there to be played. Always a blast to play. American Pinball's finest to date and great Riot design. Many think the art is uninspired, I would disagree, the cabinet, back glass and playfield are beautiful. The sound track by 2 steps from hell is great and very well integrated into the machine. The machine truly embraces the Viking theme and takes it to the next level.

Definitely, a machine that I want to own.

Angel currently owns this game.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.423/10

9 months ago

NIS

AGFREE12

Pinside apprentice

Unknown

4y 15,500 8 19

What a blast hands down the best American Pinball out there. Flow, speed, and difficulty. Executed perfectly to create intense experiences every time you press the start button. Its visually stunning and flows amazingly. Cannot get over that viking ship shot so satisfying. Love it so happy I have this game in my collection.

AGFREE12 edited previous rating on August 06, 2023.
AGFREE12 currently owns this game.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

8.395/10

1 year ago

LXL

Isochronic_Frost

Saratoga Silverball

7y 221K 9,441 108 1 1

Great work by the RIOT pinball team and by American.

Rules are kinda frustrating and feels like you’re chopping wood all the time, but I still enjoy this game

9.100/10

1 year ago

???

Sweetwillie

Pinside+ Addict

Virginia Beach, VA

2y 43,800 63 18 21 1

Recently purchased this. Really fun to shoot. Flows great. Pretty loaded. I would say this shoots as good if not better than any other pin I have. Really good bang for your buck…great music also…

Sweetwillie edited previous rating on February 16, 2023.
Sweetwillie has owned this game in the past.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

7.008/10

1 year ago

TOM

marioparty34

Pinside+ Frequent

5y 176K 1,471 123 3

Played only a few times, but would want to play a little more. Not sure if this is a game I would buy, but definitely play in the arcade.

8.943/10

1 year ago

MCM

Coindropper

Pinside member

6y 89,050 613 8 12

Fun game to shoot. Needs to be setup and level just right to get smooth shots, but once dialed in, it is nice and smooth. I really like the theme, and not sure why some bash on the art, I think it looks great! The rules are very easy to understand, but still challenging and adds variety with all of the different battle modes. I think Riot and AP knocked it out of the park with this one.

Coindropper edited previous rating on December 12, 2022.
Coindropper currently owns this game.

6 Pinsiders starred this!

8.280/10

1 year ago

JAL

Dwboca

Pinside+ Frequent

3y 79,550 481 35

Just took it out of the box. Learning shots and rules. This is my initial impression after about 50 games.

Update. What a fun game. Unique shots, understandable modes and rules! Thats huge for me...
Fun call outs though I wish I could turn off the hurry up/ ball start callouts. Those come so often they get annoying. Pinside thread has game creators involved so if there is an issue or coding problems they can address it.
American pinball makes quality machines , it doesn't respond to emails about problems.

Very fun and lasting game, with satisfying shots and approaches objectives. Very much recommend especially for upgrades at the price!!

Dwboca edited previous rating on April 18, 2024.

8.492/10

1 year ago

ECW

Ecw0930

Pinside member

Fredericksburg, VA

4y 69,550 1,018 2 113

Great fun. And beautiful. A very deep game with a lot to do. Shots are smooth,makeable and repeatable. Yet hard enough that you e got to be on your game. One of the best new games out. Very solid feel to it. Lights are well done. Ramps and everything are great. Fun game to flip!

9.280/10

1 year ago

DAV

dsmoke1986

Pinside member

Royersford, PA

10y 69,050 1,790 3 22

I have had this for about 3 months now; put some quality plays into it. Fast and flowy; still figuring out the ruleset, as it's a mode heavy type of game, enough variety in layout that it doesn't feel like chopping wood. AP built their past pins like tanks and this is no different, very impressive feel.

I love the playfield and cabinet artwork, and the soundtrack as well...not sure why, but it reminds me of the TurboGrafx 16, can't explain why, but has an RPG'y early 90's feel to it...Gets better the more you play it, I highly recommend.

dsmoke1986 has owned this game in the past.

9.000/10

1 year ago

BZK

Blackzarak

Pinside+ Frequent

Lakewood, CA

5y 90,800 392 22

Valhalla is definitely a sleeper pin, has great flow with many shots. It has bunch of mechs and scoops to rival sterns and it’s built like a tank. I would recommend to try this pin and enjoy the rocking music.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

8.916/10

1 year ago

GRC

Charlemagne1987

Pinside member

Land O' Lakes, FL

4y 101K 1,027 12 14

The artwork is fair, but the music is awesome and the game play is incredible. It’s a fast-paced, high energy game. Very addictive!

Charlemagne1987 currently owns this game.

9.600/10

1 year ago

QRS

Slacker_Quacker

Pinside+ Pro!

2y 75,550 199 13 7

I am by no means an expert pinball player, so take my rating with a view from the novice/intermediate player skill level. That said: This game rocks!

My wife and I have put about 100 games on it so far and love it! There is so much to do and the music is incredible. It is very approachable and forgiving, which is good for newbies like my wife and I.

The shots aren't hard to make (I just have terrible timing), and even if you miss you are usually still building towards other modes and events.

The callouts can be cheesy, but they are clear and easy to follow.

The light show is great and very easy to tell which shots you need to make to complete a goal.

The music is probably the best in pinball and that's not hyperbole. They hired a band who specializes in epic background music. It's so good I wish this machine had a jukebox mode so I could listen to it while doing the dishes or folding laundry. Whether shooting a ramp or slaying a mustard stain, this music makes it feel like a legendary task.

The art is definitely stylized, but I found it grows on you after a while. I could see somebody reskinning it in the future, but I have definitely seen worse.

I can see how this pin might not be the best for routing. The first impressions of the art are not great and not being able to hear the sounds and music well would take away a major part of why this pin is so great. I would still recommend dropping a few buck into one on location if you find it.

Slacker_Quacker currently owns this game.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.283/10

1 year ago

DAD

GranpaDave

Pinside+ Frequent

Xenia, OH

5y 85,800 386 38 41

I have been called a Stern fanboy and it is hard to deny as I have all of the Stern Spike 2 games except for two (and that will probably change within the year as I collect them all). I am trying to explore the other manufacturers: have a JJP GNR and TS4 at home, have had a WW (borrowed from my son) as well as a Houdini (sold last month), Hot Wheels, R and M, and Alien. Later this year I plan to spend some time with Wired Al from MM-looks promising.

Hot Wheels is severely underrated-great code and shooter. Houdini is beautiful but shots are too tight-animations are ok. Alien is a great game and a league favorite, but has inconsistent hardware and software issues. My son discovered a small hardware tweak for the R and M flippers and now the flow is fabulous- can make that left ramp shot from a cradle!). My 6 year old grand daughter loves this machine (although most of the callouts are bleeped out).

So I took a chance with LOV.

I ordered the game and of course read all I could about it. It is a home brew from Riot pinball and I was certainly taking a chance. How can Riot compete with the big budgets at Stern and JJP? After reading many (mostly negative) comments I was concerned. American pinball was not hitting a lot of home runs with non licensed themes.

My game arrived in April.

Pros: Excellent build quality-outstanding value. Mirrored back glass, excellent sound system. Great artwork (initially not a fan, but it definitely grows on you like the rest of the game). The shots and flow are really good. My favorite combination of shots include straight up the middle ramp, followed by the spinner shot, followed by the ship shot. It is very repeatable and very satisfying. Unlike Houdini, the shots are actually quite makeable, but do require practice. Code and strategy are quite good. There are a couple of bugs, but overall excellent code work. This game holds up well in home league play. Some excellent mods- lighted boat ramp from Mod couple should have been an OEM piece. The 3-D Slingshot mods from Tilt Graphics (designed by “Joe”) are amazing- hand painted- look and feel like molded pieces although apparently 3-D printed. My hardcore pinball buddies are very impressed.

Cons: The animations are pretty basic at best. I found the callouts repetitive and annoying. However, after three months, I don’t mind them at all and they actually are pretty helpful for focusing on shots. Non licensed theme is ok, but does grow on you. I initially had a problem with the trough eject, but removed a rubber piece within the trough and it now works wonderfully well. The game like all other games does require some tweaking. One of the bugs I discovered is when I have two stacked multiballs with all six balls in play and let them all drain to get them to auto eject, the game locks up. I have not tried to repeat this.

I am retired and play a lot of pinball (and banjo, but that is for another forum…). I play in pinball leagues and have played almost all of the top 300 games. I guess to be a true expert, I should have a podcast/play IFPA tourneys and be a distributor which I do neither. So take my comments with a grain of garlic.

Recently I have been reading about various strategies for this game and that’s part of what makes it so great. I also really enjoy the shots. It does help that so far I am undefeated in league in this game! Of course, that will not last. American Pinball needs to connect their games to the Internet either via Scorbit or some other type of system. Some more code tweaks and more extensive animations would make this a top ten for me, but it is not quite there.

By the way- the music is epic- Two Steps from Hell really kicks it- the end of game theme music is excellent heavy rock (I am a 63 year old granddad rocker).

Overall this is a great game, but you need to spend some time with it. I do have a soft spot for the non-Stern pinball manufacturers, but Stern is really killing it with few exceptions. Godzilla, Elvira HOH, JP, etc. are outstanding. Is LOV at this level? Not yet, but could definitely get closer. I look forward to hopefully more LOV code…

Cheers!

GranpaDave currently owns this game.

7 Pinsiders starred this!

9.036/10

1 year ago

GIG

Giggi1

Pinside member

Bodelshausen

3y 38,150 13 41 17

Better music than most of the music pins

8.620/10

1 year ago

JJL

DJY2J

Pinside+ Frequent

Indianapolis, IN

6y 48,800 180 5 21

Have owned it for about a month. Got out of the gate slow as I didn't really know what to do. I play to figure out rather than read a rules sheet before.

The more i play the more it draws me in. This game has a lot of cool stuff. The sound and music is awesome if you're into metal, which I am.

I'm still figuring out how to dial it in a bit better so it's a but smoother shooting. It's my fault and not the games.

It's fun battling the monsters and I like each one has different music. Some of the call outs are cheesy but it's not detrimental to the game.

I have my games stacked next to each other so I don't see the art so I don't really care if the cab art is good or bad.

I think this is a VERY slept on game at the moment and will get much better with time and more recognition as well. This is APs best game.

This also gets my vote for best bang for your buck on owning a machine. Comes with so much out of the box

DJY2J has owned this game in the past.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

9.156/10

1 year ago

SSD

PinFan4Life

Pinside member

Tampa, FL

12y 63,400 570 14 47

Really enjoying this game. My first AP game and the quality of the build and support is very top notch. Regarding the game itself: I love 3 flipper fast flow games with multiple ramps and good combo shots and this game checks all of the boxes for me. Lots of great variation in gameplay and modes to shoot for that are all unique. Love the under playfield magnet and upper left flipper boat ramp shot to lock ball. Tons of great shots in this game…keeps me coming back for more, can’t play just one game and move on. Only criticism on this is that the animations could be better. They seem to be too “cartoonish” for me, but not a big deal really.

If you get the chance, give it a try. I think most will really enjoy it as I do.

PinFan4Life has owned this game in the past.

8.576/10

1 year ago

???

alexander5815

Pinside member

Wien

3y 37,750 31 56

nice game. well done engineering-work. very good flow, very nice combos; this game is a real great combo- master:) it plays very well, and the different combos want you to play again and again; lastability 9/10.
unfortunately the rules are quite confusing at the moment. beat the legends is self-explanatory, the rest unfortunately not. code and ruleset have to improve much. you must know exactely what to do, the ruleset is not very intuitive.
sounds&speech are taken partially from houdini and hot wheels:(
all in all good game. code and ruleset have to improve much!

alexander5815 currently owns this game.

9.280/10

1 year ago

NBS

Nstone4425

Pinside member

Layton, UT

3y 82,300 322 8 19

I really enjoy Viking culture so for theme this pin nails it.

So many modes there are many ways to come at this pin.

The biggest thing about this pin that stands out the most to me is how many side missions there are. It reminds a lot of playing Zelda and completing side quests. I get so wrapped up in trying to complete the side quests I almost forget the pin has modes.

Layout is great and hitting combos is simple and rewarding. The ship ball lock is way cool. Reminds me of Turtles but about ten times more satisfying.

Artwork and sound is top notch. Lighting is really great.

Lastly one of the best parts of this pin is American Pinball is very responsive to questions or issues. They're heavily active on the forum as well.

Nstone4425 has owned this game in the past.

4 Pinsiders starred this!

7.797/10

1 year ago

JLC

ScreaminSauce

Pinside+ Addict

Orangevale, CA

6y 58,150 128 5 15 1

Here's what I like about this game:

There is great variety in the 16 different battles (modes). Each one uses different shots on the playfield to prove your skill.

The flow of the table is fantastic. Shots lead to combos so well that my wife remarked that she felt pretty badass when it happens.

Music from 2 Steps from Hell is fantastic, and works very well with the theme of the game.

Voicework per battle is varied and main callouts are helpful (love that deep bass of Jorgumandr)

The concept of using weapons to unlock battle tiers gives you a great reason to work specifically on that task. Since the weapon is randomly lit, it also gives you a good bit of practice trying to nail the main shots in the game.

Winning a battle leading you right into another battle gives you a feeling like you are in a gauntlet of survival, chaining bonus points along the way.

Each shot is leveraged evenly throughout a game (meaning there is no 'one' shot that you are constantly asked to make )

There are a lot of side objectives!
- War on Land modes
- Rampage
- Raiding Party
- War of the Clans
- Collecting Thor's hammer (instant win in most battles)
- Collecting a Valkyrie (spot ya a shot in a battle)
- War at Sea (boat multiballs)
- Escape the Kraken
- and others I haven't encountered yet (Raid I believe is another)

The shot layout favors both lower flippers evenly... meaning both flippers have plenty to shoot for and each have a ramp that will setup the other flippers.

The Kraken magnet provides some really interesting interactions, like throwing the ball through the inner loop, or up the center ramp, or holding it in place during multiball

Valhalla wizard mode is a gauntlet of collecting all the weapon targets, and can be gotten to in an above average game without too much difficulty (see below)

I always want to play 'one more game' ... 'this time I want to try and get a giant combo score on Rampage'... 'I was one task away from Valhalla! One more game - I am sure I can get there'

---

Here's what I believe can be improved:

There are some edge cases where shots made at the last second can cause odd behavior with lights & progress.

The viking-ship hold coil (where balls are locked) can bind due to a number of reasons:
- Not centered, mushroomed coil sleeve, spring issues around c-clip
- Thankfully these are all fixable and AP has been more than helpful in sending parts and taking suggestions

The ball kickout can reject a lot, and lead to oddly delayed (longer) multiballs due to ball save.

The God of War task to qualify the Valhalla wizard mode can feel a bit unfair (on default settings). To achieve you need to:
- Get a super skill shot (shot to the boat)
- Complete the rollovers 2x
The issue with this is that there is no easy way to get the ball up to the rollovers on default settings. There is a setting where combos will enable the hammer when an orbit is hit, which mitigates this, but I am not sure why it is off by default.

---

Overall - I really enjoy this game, and my lineup is better for having it.

ScreaminSauce edited previous rating on May 27, 2023.
ScreaminSauce has owned this game in the past.

4 Pinsiders starred this!

9.340/10

2 years ago

RK

tigzzz

Pinside+ Frequent

Silverthorne, CO

4y 69,150 118 13 21 3

This game is very interesting because it plays very differently than most others. My son played one game on it and walked away frustrated. I think because he is used to newer stern games that he has been mainly playing he didn't give it the time it needed so that he could learn the different geometry, flipper angles and type of shots. My first game felt a bit off as well, but I kept playing and by the 4th or 5th game I started to get in the groove and what an amazing groove it is. This game has flow, it has tight shots, it has easy shots and it can get really hectic and fast. I love the theme integration. I really don't understand why some are knocking the graphic package because I think it is fantastic. Super cool back glass too. I love the toys and magnets that mess with the ball. I love the music when there is music. I wish it had more, but alas I do prefer music pins in general. I don't love the call outs and wish they had gotten different voice actors in a couple cases as I find the voices of some of the battles a bit annoying. Integration of the shaker is excellent, sounds are excellent, and most importantly the game is really fun. I bought this to put on location, but it is going to stay in my game room a bit longer than expected.

tigzzz currently owns this game.

7.635/10

2 years ago

MAT

mpdpvdpin

Pinside member

Providence, RI

6y 95,050 4,445 7 97

Got a chance to put some time on this game at Jackbar in Brooklyn recently. To my suprise it shoots great and the layout is super fun. What absolutely kills me about this game is that it truly deserved a revamped art and animation package. AP should have invested some time and money into this before releasing. New playfield art, new backglass art, new animations, better sculpts …the whole thing. Such a shame. Excellent homebrew! But unfortunately falls flat in comparison to the larger manufacturers and even APs own games. I would have been a buyer if they took this game from great homebrew to a full industry competitive professional release.

3 Pinsiders flagged this. 2 Pinsiders starred this!

9.688/10

2 years ago

???

calprog

Pinside+ Frequent

Anaheim, CA

11y 86,550 1,487 44 36

Finally got a chance to play LOV. Wow was I impressed. It is really a fun shooting game. The music is great. Cool theme and playfield design. The art work is also super cool. I like it! I was pleasantly surprised with this game. Riot and American pinball hit it out of the park. Hopefully I will own one someday. With all the parts issues the game is hard to get. Order placed! If you get a chance to play the game give it a whirl. You will not be disappointed.

calprog edited previous rating on April 27, 2022.
calprog currently owns this game.

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