Nice different game, which is fun to play. Its form is really interesting. It is funny to play a widebody machine after this one. Tokens are a really nice addition. This machine proves that Pat Lawlor is a #1 designer.

I think this game gets extra kudos for all the unique parts to it. Smaller playfield. Combo of board game and pinball. Magic token feature, fast play for its size, easy to play for a beginner.

Such a fun little game once you understand the rules. Play pinball skillfully to setup the board game for best chance to get into the Vault. All kinds of depth and interactivity between boardgame and pinball features. Well-designed playfield plays like a standard game in small footprint. Hearing a token hit the glass never gets old.

Donuts, the stuff dreams are made of!

I received a very nice Safecracker pin as a gift and I was thrilled at first because of how rare they are and how nice it was. Very original pin and enjoyable at first. The interaction with the backglass game is very well done. However, the actual "pinball play" is not very good. The small playfield and small flippers were entertaining for a little while but really started to get old with some time because the actual pinball game play does not vary much and the rules are not deep. Sold it after a couple years and no regrets.

I wanted this game for a long time and bought one from Germany got it home turned it on and the best fun I had with it was selling it again at a huge loss. Expected more gameplay than it delivered. I am a Pat L fan but not on this game

This should have been made in a "full size" cabinet. Great game, lots of fun to play and easy to follow. pf looks crowded in the small can and it sometimes feels like "toy pinball". Token dispenser is one of the best features in pinball. (IMHO)

It's a fun machine, it's footprint is much smaller than most, and that makes it unique. It's a quirky machine with some good gameplay. Wouldn't mind having one.

I like the artwork and theme. Original & unique design is impressive. It is fun to win a special token and see it drop out of the lower backbox and roll down the glass. I'm ok with the smaller size machine. The flippers are less than 3" long, but still long enough for good flipping action.
Assault the Vault game play also good. I give it a thumbs up.

Safe Cracker is a fun game that can fit in tight spots (which is good, since that is what I had for it). It designed to be a bar game and the call outs are very "adult" to say the least. I think the game has fantastic humor.

I view the board game as being attune to a video mode which was popular in the 90's, only it is far cooler than a video mode. You can't call yourself a pinball player till you earn a magic token and have it roll down the glass and pop into your hand. The Assault the Vault mode after you earn a token is really cool. A timed mode that will kill your flippers when you run out of time.

I want to try this game with the one inch diameter balls. I have not done this but heard it is awesome. Will probably give it try next year like that.

If you see this game some where, play it. It is really cool and there is a lot of stuff packed on that playfield.

A very unique game, i love the theme but i think it's a pity that it hadn't been produced in standard size. Backbox animations and global artwork are great. Not a top pin but a collectible one as it is unique and pretty rare.

Fun, at least the first go.. last ability is questionable. It's unique, but the gameplay is meh.

I'm a huge fan of this pin. I think the entire design is well integrated and clever. If ATV was tied in to the main game it would be such a great game but this aspect of the game is really annoying IMO. A favorite of guest and I did a playfield swap in mine in 2012 making it a wicked fast pin. If you get a chance to play one give it a chance, it will grow on you.

Safecracker is makes a number of things work that never really worked on so many other titles. A smaller PF. A timed game. A separate game on the back box integrated with the game play on the pf. Modes that pays out coins and this game is somehow still not affiliated with the mob. These ideas have not worked before, and certainly not in conjunction with each other.

The Good:
A great game in a smaller space. Drop targets everywhere and not a single shot that doesn't have a purpose. Lawlor rules with the execution of built up tasks are here. Don't choke! The board game adds a bit of strategy (and luck) to the tasks at hand. Assault the Vault is another game INSIDE the software of this deck. A vari-target that makes you ask yourself... can I nail this shot? An incredible art package on a game that just oozes character. You must always keep your eye on the clock. A brilliant design and implementation of gameplay. Work that PF spinner on the left and the rest of the game opens up!

The Bad:
Timing out... but it's all part of the game! Do not be fooled by its smaller size, this game is HEAVY! Not enough of these tables were made.

Takeaway:
If by any chance you are finding this game too easy, set the table to the extra hard settings and see how long your game lasts. This design ate me alive when set up bouncy, fast and nasty. I'm serious, a 90 second game was reason to celebrate. A timed game would seem to go against Lawlor's philosophy of when the ball is on the table it is always in danger of draining. However, with the timed gameplay rules... this is not the norm. Bear witness to more Lawlor brilliance in action. I had a chance to buy this game for 2k a few years ago, and passed on it. This mistake still keeps me up at night thinking about... if only... Play one or get one (if you can)! Po-po loves his fried dough.

Update:
I recently had the chance to purchase a nice version of this game... and I passed on it. I really like this game, but it is too expensive for the amount of "game" inside of it. Would I ever purchase one? Maybe when my cost to fun ratio is exceeded by my comparative proportion of excess income, or I get a trade that I'm comfortable with. I love this game... but there are others out there that are as much or more fun for the money. Rip the Horizontal PF spinner whenever possible. Risk the shot... increase your scores. Scores updated accordingly.

Update v.2:
Got one in the stable and I am playing the heck out of it. Got my hands on some tokens and am playing the heck out of this thing. In a day and age where "EPIC" games can take an hour (or more...), this design aesthetic is a breath of short and fresh air. It currently has older ROMS in it and that will be rectified ASAP. I will say that even on version 1.4 of the game software, this thing plays like a champ. If I would have one issue with it, it would be the feed out of the pops SDTM. I may look into a 1 way gate for this coming out of that area. Very similar to the exit of the ball out of the pops on Wonka. With the clock always ticking it isn't as devilish as losing one of your 3 balls, but it is awfully random. Expect another review after this copy is tuned. This may be my favorite Lawlor game after TZ. Scored updated accordingly.

Here's why I have learned to TRULY love this game. It's time. The design team (R.I.P. ADG) tried to make a game that worked within a certain period of time with consistency. This is why many people do not like this game. I get it. For me, this is why I LOVE this game. It's time. When I have something to do or somewhere to go and I get the urge for "just one more..." and that one more takes 45 minutes... yeah. My calendar weeps. A game of Safe Cracker that lasts more than 3 minutes is rare. 5 minutes, I'm a pinball wizard. More than one coin dropping onto the glass in a single game... that has happened no more than 5 times since I have owned this game. When I want a game that is hot, fast and quick, Safe Cracker satisfies. Every time. Respect your time and play more Safe Cracker!

Update v.3:
With time, comes familiarity and understanding. And in some cases contempt. I have two very similar issues with Safecracker as I do with Willy Wonka.

1) The feed from the pops has a very good chance of going down between the flippers. The two feeds out of the flippers are both dangerous, but the speed and direction straight out of the pops is very dangerous and unpredictable. Me no likey!

2) Random awards by the software. Especially on the dice board in the head of the game. This makes the difference if you get into multiball or are able to spell V-A-U-L-T or not. Double-plus no likey!

Not a pure skill game. Definitely not a tourney worthy game (UNLESS you are playing assault the vault. Even then, still super chaotic and random). However, it is still a very fun game, just really chaotic and difficult to score consistently with given it's software ruleset. I believe this was an issue with the game. Multiple iterations of the software of the game are listed. When I first got it, the game still had v1.4 code in it. The current rom is v1.8. That means there were at least 3 other versions of code once the game had been released at 1.0. Took some time, playing and polishing! Not something that Bally/Williams did often in the 1990's. So, take Safecracker for what it is and enjoy it accordingly. I most certainly do!

Update v.4:
This game is designed to eat your money in less thank 3 minutes, every time. The ball coming out of the pops drains between the flippers about 20% to 30% of the time with consistency. Sometimes you may play longer, but reaching the game on the backboard once is the goal. Once in the backboard game, this game is RANDOM. You never know how many spaces you will need to cross. You will never accurately know what your dice roll will be. IF someone can teach me how to SKILLFULLY get the number roll that I want with consistency, I'd appreciate it. Because some stretches of that gameboard are just designed to get you off the board unless you roll one or two of the six numbers on the die. I will go for stretches where I can't get a coin out of the game for days. And other times I am able to run the board many times in a row. Whenever I get more than one coin... it's a celebration bitches! Are we percentaging the rules on the game board as well? Kind of feels like it. Will it stay? Yes. Will it be anything more than fun, probably not. It's a modern day luckbox with a fantastic layout. And if I ever meet that bank teller in real life, I'm gonna giver her a present she ain't gonna like!

The good news is, this game is still a whole lot of fun!

Scores adjusted accordingly.

There is nothing like this game! Nothing like seeing that token roll down the glass, bounce off the lock down bar and into your hand. Nothing like the game spitting token after token at you during token multiball. Honestly... This game is about as original as it gets but is more of a novelty item than a full size pinball machine. Lacking the rules and complexity of it's bigger counter parts.

In a collection of pins 10 and up, this one is a must own!

Unique game that would be at home in a large collection. Timed gameplay is challenging and makes you hit your shots quickly. The small flippers adds a new dimension to your pin skills and takes sometime to master. The board game is fun and a nice opportunity to have a few sips of beer while playing. The token spitting out is great and is fun to watch when someone gets it for the first time. Great things do come in little packages. BTW one of the heaviest pins I have ever moved. I think it is made of lead...

fun once in awhile, but way to easy once you know the trick. Only game i've ever played, where you can get to the ending every single time you play it, not matter where you see it. Wayyy to easy for any staying power in my collection. When you can play for 2 1/2 hours on .50 . it's gimped.

I have to say, after playing a hell of a lot of NGG, TZ, TAF, and some WW and RS, as well as plenty of Safecracker... I think this is Pat Lawlor's best work.

The small playfield and tiny flippers really make the technical gameplay much more challenging, even ignoring the novelty factor of the tiny flippers (which can only make you a better player). The game also makes great use of interactive playfield parts; the budget space freed up by the small playfield was used well, with the 12 drop targets, very unusual post-on-a-spinner (which contributes an excellent dynamic to gameplay), and one of the few vari-targets on a DMD era game. Despite the smaller dimensions of the playfield, it feels more complex than most full-sized machines.

The timed gameplay almost guarantees more high-tension periods during a game, comparable to the time in a normal machine where you're on ball 3 with extra ball or multiball lit. In sudden death, the board game is effectively an extra ball, because you're very likely to get more time from it, one way or another. At the same time, the timed play also makes the game more accessible to new players.

The board game itself is kinda neat - it gives you a breather, and every time, there's that chance to get to the vault (and it's not entirely independent of your pinball play, since the cellar improves your chances in the board game, and good pinball skills will let you get back into it from dog/alarm.

And of course, there's the king of all pinball gimmicks - rolling a token down the glass to hit the player in the chest. Nothing compares to watching that happen to someone for the first time.

And getting to play wizard mode (ie, Assault on the Vault) independently of the game is, in my opinion, a good idea in general. One of the frequent failings of pinball game scoring is that wizard mode scoring is often not balanced well with the rest of the game. By separating the normal scores and the wizard mode scores, that problem is neatly sidestepped.

Also, I love the theme. The theme is self-explanatory, a silly take on the popular theme of bank robbery. And how many other pinball games show you garroting police officers and wrapping them up in a rug? "That was slick!".... "That was not a nice thing to do." Love this game.

An odd pin. Smaller than most, but has good play. The voiced timer stresses me out, but that makes it fun! The game I played did not have the "wings", so I don't know what they are for. The spinner target is cool as is the bribing the guards and the interactive backglass. I found it rather easy to get free games.

More of a novelty game than a true pinball game. Playing a board game on the backglass is just silly on a pinball machine.

The awesome feeling of surprise and achievement the first time you 'win' the board game and you're rewarded with a token rolling down the PF glass is unrivaled by any other machine. This game had me pumping quarter after quarter into it, in an attempt to win yet another 'magic token'.

Only played this game a few times, I remember it was fun, but the small size makes the playfield quite cluttered with no possibility of long shots.

This game hands down gets some serious applause for fun gadgets. Very innovatiove and fun with timed play, rather than ball play. It was such a great challenge to navigate the gameboard on the backglass. But triggering the token to roll down the playfeild glass, hit the lock bar and launch into your hand, was absoulte MAGIC! If you havent tried this one, it really is fun and unique. i guess thats why they called them Magic Tokens.

Not a lot of these games out there I think it was too diferent and under marketed at the time of release. Most games you play aiming for a replay score but I keep comong back to this one to win a magic token. This token idea is a winner with everyone that plays mine. Game play is timed so just because you can keep the ball in play doesnt mean your game will last longer. Great game if you see one play it, or if you can buy it.

Overall a pretty fun little pin to play. I was surprised that I liked but I did. When you crack the safe it flings a coin at you which is pretty unexpected. If you get the chance give it a play or two.

At first glance, Safe Cracker almost looks like it's some kind of toy. As soon as you play it, however, you realize that it's anything but. This is such a unique and fun game to play, and it's a reminder of just how clever Pat Lawlor is when it comes to pin design.