Pinside rating
This game received 380 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.946 /10
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 8.188
Artwork: 7.63
Sounds/Music: 7.522
Other Aspects: 8.073
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 7 of us have rated this game.
Found 214 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 214 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 9.
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8.265/10
4 months ago
Winter Garden, FL
Ripley’s is a fantastic game that gets dinged a little bit for not being the most popular theme. The execution of the theme is about as good as anyone could do, but it’s definitely limited by what it is.
The shrunken head is one of the cooler toys in any game. And, being a Lawlor design, the game is pretty packed with gimmicks and shots.
In my opinion, if this exact same layout would have instead been themed as Beetlejuice (including the shrunken head) it would be a top 15-20 classic game.
The shrunken head is one of the cooler toys in any game. And, being a Lawlor design, the game is pretty packed with gimmicks and shots.
In my opinion, if this exact same layout would have instead been themed as Beetlejuice (including the shrunken head) it would be a top 15-20 classic game.
9.316/10
4 months ago
One of the truly underrated games, from a player's perspective. Many different shots with different degrees of difficulty and risk. A less skilled player can visit continents and reach most of the same goals as the more advanced player, albeit while earning fewer points along the way. There is a degree of strategizing to employ for bigger scores that is just about right -- not too complicated, not too simplistic. The more skilled player can spend a long time trying to reach the continent of Atlantis or Frog Frenzy. I'm not sure I will ever get there unless I start working more seriously on my skills. Consecutive games played by the same player can produce drastically different game times. Rarely do I have good game that doesn't include one evil ricochet side drain or some disastrous "just missed" carom. It's not overly complex, but it never gets boring. A top ten game for me; it should be a top fifty game, at the very least, on Pinside. The silver lining is that it remains a relative bargain compared to other games of this caliber and fairly 21st century vintage.
6.425/10
4 months ago
Loaded with toys, solid build quality, great theme, and a really cool looking package. The playability, on the other hand, is terrible. The shots feel clunky and lackadaisical, and the game is just *way* too easy. I'm not a talented player, but after 7+ minutes on ball 1, I got bored and just let it drain.
8.084/10
8 months ago
What is wrong with pinball people? This game is an absolute pleasure to shoot and very different from many pinball machines. 6 pop bumpers, drop holes, ramps, magnets. What more do you people need? Buy it play it you won't be disappointed.
8.360/10
1 year ago
I remember playing this when I was little as well. It used to be available at one of the Pizza places where I live and it eventually got removed. When I saw this machine on Sterns Pinball Arcade however, it got my attention. This is what initially drew me to getting the collection in the first place. Getting on track, my favorite part about the game is the humor and the design of the game. It provides a fair challenge, though. I never got a perfect Ripley wizard mode segment except on accident. One time, I had my best run going, but because we were preoccupied by other things, we weren't paying attention to when the Xbox shut down and we lost my progress. But overall, this is a funny machine that takes me back to the days when I played it as a young child.
8.250/10
1 year ago
Ghent
I love this game. Currently have it in my small collection for about 6 months and it's still my favorite. The rules are very deep and collecting is a decent challenge for me. Collecting all RIPLEYS letters or frog mode has still proven impossible, but that's what engages me because I want to achieve those some day.
Playfield layout is good, but not excellent. As a Lawlor design, it has all typical features like a shot through the pops, scoop at the bottom of the playfield, upper flipper, ... But it feels less solid or flowy than Whirlwind for example. The upper pops always feel cramped and the ball almost always just dribbles out to the left, which feels awkward to me. Not that many toys, but I do like both magnets. All in all, not perfect but still very enjoyable and challenging.
The theme was unknown to me but I've grown to like it a lot. The pin feels like undertaking an adventure, exploring continents and collecting things. Incandescent bulbs also fit perfectly as they add to the gloomy/tropical theme. The music is pretty catchy and I also like the callouts and shrunken head, as opposed to some people. The artwork on the playfield and translite looks great to me, the cabinet is pretty unimaginative and could be better.
In summary, not the perfect game but definitely one of the deeper and challenging ones. This one will definitely stay in my collection for quite some time.
Playfield layout is good, but not excellent. As a Lawlor design, it has all typical features like a shot through the pops, scoop at the bottom of the playfield, upper flipper, ... But it feels less solid or flowy than Whirlwind for example. The upper pops always feel cramped and the ball almost always just dribbles out to the left, which feels awkward to me. Not that many toys, but I do like both magnets. All in all, not perfect but still very enjoyable and challenging.
The theme was unknown to me but I've grown to like it a lot. The pin feels like undertaking an adventure, exploring continents and collecting things. Incandescent bulbs also fit perfectly as they add to the gloomy/tropical theme. The music is pretty catchy and I also like the callouts and shrunken head, as opposed to some people. The artwork on the playfield and translite looks great to me, the cabinet is pretty unimaginative and could be better.
In summary, not the perfect game but definitely one of the deeper and challenging ones. This one will definitely stay in my collection for quite some time.
8.809/10
1 year ago
Ripleys is highly underrated. It's a pretty deep game but not so deep you need a 100 page book. The shots are fun, especially the left orbit between the pops. The shots feel similar to Dialed in, or vice versa. The Penguin jackpot shoot is so satisfying because it's so damn hard. A colordmd really makes the animation pop. Its bizarre and unusual, and thats what makes it fantastic.
Swansea
8.220/10
2 years ago
It's hard to call this anything other than Stern's Twilight Zone, and for me as a Pat Lawlor fan but generally not a Stern fan, I think it does the job. The rule sheet is a novel, and the modes are cool, and for those who'd like a more forgiving and better lit approximation of TZ, this works!
Pros: Unlike a lot of Stern machines, there is a bigger variety of toys and pathways, and the modes are pretty good. The depth of rules is also bananas, and a lot of the shots are rewarding, so it's easy to spend a long time with the machine.
Cons: Unlike Addams Family or TZ, the alternate flipper shots didn't feel intuitive, and the sheer breadth of things to do is a bit dizzying. The barcade that I played this at only had it for about 3 weeks, so I may revisit this if I find another one.
Pros: Unlike a lot of Stern machines, there is a bigger variety of toys and pathways, and the modes are pretty good. The depth of rules is also bananas, and a lot of the shots are rewarding, so it's easy to spend a long time with the machine.
Cons: Unlike Addams Family or TZ, the alternate flipper shots didn't feel intuitive, and the sheer breadth of things to do is a bit dizzying. The barcade that I played this at only had it for about 3 weeks, so I may revisit this if I find another one.
Gouda
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