Bally

The Shadow

Pinside Rating

This game received 640 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.315 _/10

8.315

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #49 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 8.797

Artwork: 7.508

Sounds/Music: 7.922

Other Aspects: 8.426

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 9 of us have rated this game.

8.711

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Found 347 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 347 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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9.500/10

3 years ago

HG

tondelshark

Pinside apprentice

Veendam

3y 12,250 10

What a blast!!Only negative thing about the Shadow is the Backglass imo.But..I changed it and made a really nice topper.
Entered the Final Battle quite often but never finished it.
Great shots going everywhere, phurba-diverter, great gimmick.

Fantastic game but very underrated (backglass)
Anyone for Peking Duck?

Will never leave my collection.

tondelshark edited previous rating on November 04, 2020.

7.932/10

3 years ago

DIA

mrossman5

Pinside+ Frequent

Warren, PA

6y 197K 3,172 7 253

So far, I am absolutely loving this machine. The Layout is fantastic as is the callouts and music. Great strategy and lightshow as well. Will be tough if I ever get rid of this one!

Edit: Game has really stood the test of time. It's difficult enough that it still feels exciting to get to the final battle. Really impressed that I haven't gotten tired of it yet.

mrossman5 edited previous rating on January 18, 2023.
mrossman5 has owned this game in the past.

8.676/10

3 years ago

JJB

jbovenzi

Pinside+ Addict

Sparks, NV

8y 112K 1,381 34

One of the best "B" games out there. I owned one and enjoyed it before I passed it on. Game has lots of variation on how to play (Battlefield, Phurba ramps, etc.)

Toys are cool. Battlefield and Sanctum are the fun part.

Art package is the best. The Art Deco is outstanding for the layout.

Extra buttons to switch ramps always annoyed me. I'm old school, only two buttons per pinball machine please. But with this game it is an extra challenge.

I rate it high as this is a sleeper game that everyone should own once. And no, I don't care that Alec Baldwin is on the translite.

9.676/10

3 years ago

MBC

radfordian3505

Pinside+ Frequent

Radford, VA

6y 89,550 763 9 52 1

This is my personal favorite bally table. Just imagine this perfectly kinetic table with a theme of big stature like Indiana Jones or die hard.this game would be a all time top 10. This game is bolted to the floor

radfordian3505 currently owns this game.

9.025/10

3 years ago

ILG

scaniaman

Inactive member

Stockholm

9y 12,500 1 2 12

Excellent, fast playfield layout with big variety of shots. Very cool ball lock. Battlefield to lit extraball is a great feature. Also the player-controlled ramp diverters are nice features. Challenging phurba video mode. Ruleset is on a good level, relatively easy to understand, but still quite a challenge to achieve the final battle. Cons? Translight design.

scaniaman currently owns this game.

10.000/10

3 years ago

RMG

Flash71

Pinside+ Frequent

Lewiston, NY

5y 95,300 1,362 22 26 4

Played this game a few times and now finally own it. What a mistake not getting this pin sooner. The layout and shots are great. So many ways to play this game wether going for high scoring or trying to get to the final showdown it’s a fun ride. The call outs are fantastic. Granted the movie was mediocre at best this pin excels in all aspects. The light show for an early 90’s pin is awesome. The Sanctum ball lock may be the coolest lock out there. Video modes and the upper battlefield really round out this game. I figured this may be a pin I get and play for awhile and move on but I will have a hard time moving this one out of my collection. Oh almost forgot. You need to find Aurich‘ s alternative translite and speaker panel. It’s incredible and a must have.

Flash71 edited previous rating on October 22, 2020.
Flash71 currently owns this game.

2 Pinsiders flagged this.

9.100/10

3 years ago

JMB

Barroso1845

Pinside+ Addict

4y 35,900 3 6

It's all been said before, but I have to reiterate how Challenging and fun this game is. Yes, it can be frustrating with quick drains off a missed left ramp shot, but so satisfying when hitting those ramp shots and controlling the direction with the second flipper buttons. Great upper playfield and sanctum lock is awesome.

8.164/10

3 years ago

MRS

Spasmads

Pinside member

5y 27,650 16 37

Can be frustrating sometimes, but actually have great lastability because of this..
Best lock and best upper playfield in pinball.

Spasmads has owned this game in the past.

8.719/10

3 years ago

DJG

SketchyMcDuff

Pinside member

Thornton, CO

4y 51,650 188 7 16 1

I've owned this for awhile and it's still a lot of fun! Sure it's based off of a terrible movie, but judged on its own merits, it's pretty frickin' cool (the Aurich package is a must, the original translite with Baldwin is hideous!). I love the upper playfield and the sanctum shot, it's got surprisingly decent animations (at least on a color DMD) and I really like having an "old school" game in my collection.

SketchyMcDuff currently owns this game.

8.619/10

3 years ago

BAM

Manny65

Pinside+ Frequent

Melbourne

7y 108K 3,628 16 12

This is a great game - one of my go to machines. Absolutely love the gameplay with the min-PF battlefield, ramp diverters and the cool ball lock with disappearing sanctum wall. My young son bought me the movie on DVD, so we now understand the modes better and B/W did a good job integrating the theme - it's just unfortunate that the movie wasn't hit as I'm sure the pin would be more higher rated if it had. The ramps are steep and can be brutal if the shot is not made, but in that it makes a more challenging and rewarding game. Best value for money

Almost forgot ... best mode ever on a pinball - the secret laughing duck mode

Manny65 currently owns this game.

8.828/10

3 years ago

DOG

Big_dawg

Inactive member

Sarasota, FL

6y 27,150 3 11

This to me is one of my all time favorites. If not for the theme this game is a easy top 5 greatest pinballs of all time. The battlefield playfield is one of the coolest toys in pinball and doesn’t slow the game down at all. The ramp/ball diverters is one of the most innovative designs and something that adds another layer to the game. Most importantly the game play is a 10/10 this Brian Eddy’s masterpiece.

8.412/10

3 years ago

ALX

Razze79

Pinside member

Stockholm

4y 23,900 1 4 14

Great game! Not a game for beginners. Tricky shots and you need full focus as a player.

Razze79 has owned this game in the past.

8.759/10

3 years ago

BJL

SNES

Pinside+ Frequent

8y 90,300 1,218 7 1

I’ve had this game a couple of months now and it is a blast to play! I picked up three games at the same time and this is the one my family and I keep coming back to. Every time the last ball drains we want to start again. I’ve purchased a bunch of mods and add ons for it (I’m not normally a mod guy) because I am a huge fan and can see it in my collection for a long time. The ramp diverters are fun and so is the upper playfield. I LOVE the way the sanctum shot works. Super cool!

9.225/10

4 years ago

PPH

Phesson

Paul’s Parts

Chesapeake, OH

5y 57,800 204 5 8

Upper playfield and ramp diverters are fantastic gimmicks. This game has a bunch of shots and with no popbumpers to slow things down, it is really fast! Beautiful playfield and cabinet, with an Aurich translight it is a beautiful machine. The original translight is a stinker. It has become a family and friend favorite. Plenty of modes and a deep ruleset make this one a keeper.

Phesson has owned this game in the past.

9.600/10

4 years ago

ZZZ

Kjarkur

Pinforge

Bremen

4y 30,800 59 6 21

Great machine. Always fun to play and has lots of interaction.

Kjarkur edited previous rating on June 19, 2022.
Kjarkur has owned this game in the past.

8.118/10

4 years ago

ECW

Ecw0930

Pinside member

Fredericksburg, VA

4y 69,550 1,016 2 113

This game rocks. Top 10 for fun. Great ideas, shots, gimmicks, toys, playfields.

Great game.

Ecw0930 edited previous rating on January 23, 2022.

9.620/10

4 years ago

BUZ

buzz11

Pinside member

Gold Coast

12y 33,000 5 29

Outstanding,,, love this game ,Strangely underrated ,,,but in a lot of collections . Now it’s in mine !

buzz11 currently owns this game.

7.755/10

4 years ago

JNS

TecumsehPlissken

Pinside member

Longwood, FL

9y 115K 2,558 10 103

this game will give you a lot of bang for your buck & has one of the Coolest ball locks in all of Pinball

9.192/10

4 years ago

KEV

NC_Pin

Pinside+ Addict

7y 90,550 1,480 16 32 1

Definitely a fun game. The Shadow may have my all-time favorite playfield layouts. It is loaded with shots - none of them are especially tight, but a misfire can drain quickly. Everything is pretty unique between the pong-style upper playfield, to the player controlled ramp diverters to the ball lock in the Sanctum... it is all so unique. I really wonder if someone like Stern would even attempt to make a game like The Shadow again?

A few notes
- Not a great game for beginners. The game plays fast, and the rules are always the most obvious... i.e. most of the casual players never use the ramp diverters

- The game is under-rated because of the theme and the backglass (IMO the playfield and cabinet are fine). There are plenty of updated translites (with Aurich's being my personal favorite). As for the theme.... It's ok... for what it is... the music and call-outs are actually pretty good. The crazy thing is that with the right translate (like Aurich's) and a few well placed upgrades (lighting and powder coating and such)... this game can look awesome...almost menacing.

- The Sanctum is prone to wearing out. The PF is thin in that area so that the magnet can grab the ball.

- Others have mentioned it, but if you have issues with the wleds on your ramps by a set of Mantis ramps.

NC_Pin edited previous rating on March 30, 2021.
NC_Pin has owned this game in the past.

7.416/10

4 years ago

???

Nixpaints

Pinside member

Littleton, CO

6y 34,800 68 8 22

Fast challenging pin. So much going on every time the ball comes down to the flippers. One of the best video modes ever. Fun but didn’t last long in a smaller collection.

Nixpaints has owned this game in the past.

9.083/10

4 years ago

???

Vettefixer

Inactive member

Antioch, CA

5y 10,500 3 6

Super fun game I’m glad i added to my collection, now i just need aurichs translight set ,, help me find one !!!!

Vettefixer currently owns this game.

9.260/10

4 years ago

DLL

Corntaters2

Pinside member

4y 26,900 4 8

I'm barely a year and a half old in this hobby; I just received my beautiful restoration of this game a month ago; I've barely scratched the surface of learning to interact with it and I'm having so much fun; and thus the score leans towards the max. Will time and more experience temper it down a bit? We'll see. I'm thinking this is a keeper already...

Corntaters2 edited previous rating on December 23, 2019.

7.478/10

4 years ago

TOM

marioparty34

Pinside+ Frequent

5y 176K 1,453 123 1

I could never quite get into this game. I know some people really like it. Has some innovated playfield ideas, but doesn't have the one more play aspect for me.

8.040/10

4 years ago

KAP

NY2Colorado

Pinside member

12y 62,550 1,384 15

Fun game, definitely need more time on this one.

8.373/10

4 years ago

???

Pinchild

Pinside member

Eagle, ID

5y 54,800 737 12 44

I sold this pin once and never again it is always going to be a keeper in my collection.

Definitely when you're better 90's era pinball machines.

All around fun to flip!

Pinchild has owned this game in the past.

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