Bally

Theatre of Magic

Pinside Rating

This game received 1089 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.439 _/10

8.439

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #38 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 8.633

Artwork: 8.509

Sounds/Music: 7.824

Other Aspects: 8.48

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.

8.528

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Found 578 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 578 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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8.076/10

6 years ago

FRZ

fkretschmer

Inactive member

Frankfurt

11y 26,150 14 2 19

Beautiful game with great flow and fun modes. Unique toys that really feel like magic tricks (the trunk, vanish, magnets etc.) . Over time it becomes a little monotonous since many shots are aimed at the trunk and the strategy is rather limited. The playfield follows a classic fan layout. The Grand Finale wizard mode is rather lame and not very satisfying. Theme however attracts a large audience and is fun for both beginners and more experienced players. Playfield, cabinet,, dots and sounds are gorgeous. We owned it for a couple of years after which it got a little boring.

fkretschmer has owned this game in the past.

8.880/10

6 years ago

MMT

Maco

Pinside member

7y 23,500 1 3 9

Fun game for everyone, both beginners and better players. Perfect family theme.

Maco has owned this game in the past.

8.688/10

6 years ago

FAD

DrDQ

Pinside member

Easton, PA

7y 67,550 273 6 31

A classic, beautiful machine with a very nice theme tie in, a number of satisfying shots, combo shots, great flow and excellent toys, tricks and features. The cabinet, playfield artwork and light show are one of the best. The rules are good, but the finale isn't much but it’s still fun to play. Gameplay is very enjoyable and immersive on its own without focusing getting to the grand finale. Ramps and orbits are spectacular and its a lot of fun to get multiball flow going around the ramps and orbits. There is a lot more than just hitting the trunk, Orbit and ramp combos are great and the trap door shot is fantastic. I love this combo; hitting the center ramp to open the trap door, then hitting the right orbit at high speed followed up by a strong shot to the trap door before it closes.
This is a great game to go to after grinding it out on other more complex ruled machines. One of the best machines out there for more novice players, who can enjoy a a lot of what the game has to offer without frustrating drains.

DrDQ edited previous rating on March 21, 2019.
DrDQ has owned this game in the past.

8.712/10

6 years ago

NBC

javagrind888

PinCooz

Pflugerville, TX

6y 74,550 1,889 11 11

After about the 50th time playing it at the arcade I just had to have it. I love the use of magnets in pinball and this one has them in spades. The trunk has alot of neat functions game wise and gimmick wise. The ramps are fun and the game modes are clear (something I've seen too many machines struggle with). After buying it, I still play it at least ten times in a weekend, usually more. It just never gets old.

javagrind888 edited previous rating on May 02, 2018.
javagrind888 has owned this game in the past.

9.620/10

6 years ago

CPG

cgeggis

Inactive member

Carlisle, MA

10y 19,750 1 7

This is a great game. It's a lot of fun to play. I would recommend it. I think lastability and fun are two of it's strongest features. The sound and animations aren't as good as my absolute favorite games, but those features aren't the end all, be all. This game would make my top 10.

8.740/10

6 years ago

WXW

Lawlor_and_Order

Pinball 518

7y 81,400 38 112

I'm not sure what I can add to the discussion of ToM, but having played it to death when it first came out, it's always struck me as having excellent balance in the scoring. It has a wizard mode that's fun to work towards and which isn't so difficult as to be impossible but nevertheless is a real achievement. It's got good tournament chops and also plays well as a single player. As noted, about the only real criticism is the prevalence of maintenance headaches from the magnetic toys, particularly the trunk, and the degree to which a poorly-tuned Theater of Magic will just drive you ape, fast. It's far from the most temperamental machines of its era, but it goes from near perfection to horrors pretty fast, especially since it's got some drain zones on the outlanes and some STDM opportunities if flippers, ramps, plungers, and toys are off a bit.

7.796/10

6 years ago

SUS

Grayont

Pinside member

Encinitas, CA

6y 51,550 84 1 129

A nice fun classic pin. The modes are fun and the spinning crate is a cool toy. The ramps are nice and the game shoots pretty decently. Kinda overpriced but there is a reason. Solid all around.

Grayont edited previous rating on January 08, 2018.

8.352/10

6 years ago

KBG

Reznnate

Pinside+ Frequent

6y 89,800 801 61

This game is fantastic -- the voices are excellent and the shots flow well.

8.856/10

6 years ago

MIK

mjfisher

Pinside member

Boronia

10y 53,800 242 24 18

Love everything about this machine except for the ruleset fairly shallow and the wizard mode feels unfinished. However it's really fun to play and the toys and magnets along with the smooth and fast flow make this a great machine to have in a collection. Newbies gravitate to this and can make some progress (and usually the cool trunk multiball) so it's great for non-pinheads too.

mjfisher currently owns this game.

7.330/10

6 years ago

???

mazdadave

Inactive member

De Pere, WI

11y 13,150 1 8 10

Really like this one.

mazdadave currently owns this game.

7.286/10

6 years ago

BW

KingBW

Pinside+ Frequent

8y 116K 3,142 102 1

Fun game with some cool effects and gimmicks. Would play it on location every time if it was there. I think some of the cool effects would get old if you owned one though. The fun factor is there for me primarily because of the gimmicks. Overall "one of the good ones".

7.802/10

6 years ago

AK

Coolpinballdino

Pinside+ Frequent

9y 188K 4,800 477 2

Theatre is a good looking Game but I don't like it because the game is too easy.

8.440/10

6 years ago

???

Houdini

Inactive member

Unknown

6y 14,750 1 1 21

Great classic.

Houdini edited previous rating on October 10, 2018.

8.856/10

6 years ago

IAN

HEAD_boss_HOG

Pinside member

Murrieta, CA

6y 67,150 580 7 37

Great game with amazing play field and fun factor

I love games that are a fast experience yet allow the player to engage the modes and tHis gives the player a chance to really see the shots and where the game is sending them

Super awesome sounds and lighting add so much to the game. Amazing fallouts really add depth to the plays. I love the magical theme and art. For a player who loves accomplishing a game this is top 10 all time.
This game is a true piece of art. SometHing to keep you coming back every time even after you beat the game.

HEAD_boss_HOG has this game on the wishlist.

8.548/10

6 years ago

MCH

Pinkitten

Pinside+ Pro!

Williamston, MI

6y 136K 3,776 14 87

Classic, popular game with a really fun trunk toy. It's common for the trunk to be glitchy, or beaten up, but when this game is working right, it's really fun. Good theme and ambiance, kind of exotic, mysterious and carnivalesque. Good ramps, tricky shots (like into the basement). I consider this one of the first classic "modern" era pinball machines. This machine, along with Addams Family, Twilight Zone, and Funhouse, seemed to usher in a sort of revival of pinball in the early 1990's. Excellent game. This game has great flow. The two lock lanes, the ramps, the orbit shots. You can really get the ball moving and keep in moving in this game. The trunk is a nice break from the speed and chaos in this game, and it really has a perfect balance of a fast, flowing game with some nice breaks to start modes. This game deserves to be a top 10 game I feel.

Pinkitten edited previous rating on March 04, 2018.
Pinkitten has owned this game in the past.

8.400/10

6 years ago

RCT

CollinT

Pinside member

Beaufort, NC

6y 58,650 261 6 10

Awesome game, played a few times last night at Level Up in Raleigh. Really like the smoothness and overall feel. The theme is great and goes along with the artwork. Somewhat of a difficult game, would love to have it in the basement.

8.532/10

6 years ago

MLP

tabascoman77

Pinside member

6y 46,150 4 110

There's a lot to like about "Theatre of Magic". The playfield is gorgeous with unique ramps that resemble red rug-covered "stairs" and a beautiful "magic trunk" that gives you several different missions to play. It's incredibly polished and classy. The issue is that the trunk is the center of everything and the audio constantly reminds you of that. That's your #1 target every single time. Either that or the one or two ramps which are easy to hit. That and points are too easy to accumulate. A player with little to no skill with decent reflexes can hit 250M in about five minutes or less. It's so easy, you basically don't even need the missions. That said, it's a great table, reminiscent of "Tales of the Arabian Nights".

9.360/10

6 years ago

GAW

Ball_Shine

Inactive member

Melbourne

8y 20,900 170 8

Great machine. Will always stay in my collection.

9.500/10

6 years ago

SFS

sservas

Pinside member

Suwanee, GA

18y 41,250 8 8 10

Very fun game. The animations are really nice and the shots are smooth. Trunk is a really great idea and loaded with magnets. Top 5 in my collection for sure.

sservas has this game on the wishlist.

8.540/10

6 years ago

???

racecar85

Pinside member

Minneapolis, MN

7y 23,150 32 2 8

I would love to get this game. The theme is great, the trunk is fun. My six year old son was playing this game at Tilt and kept nailing the ramps, it was fun to watch. Not sure its as has the depth, but it sure is a fun shooter.

5.706/10

7 years ago

GRG

Grg

Inactive member

Auckland

11y 60,550 320 6 12

Has the eye candy factor that's for sure. Such a bummer the wizard mode is terrible.

Grg has owned this game in the past.

8.580/10

7 years ago

PPD

Boat

CPRepair

Calgary, AB

7y 107K 1,467 4 92 1

Bash toy/toy chest is a very cool and unique gimmick. Magnasaves are super cool. Ramps are satisfying. Lots going on here. Theme is great too.

8.760/10

7 years ago

RUS

Russell

Pinside member

Colorado Springs, CO

10y 111K 1,475 58

TOM's strength is the interesting layout and cool trunk gimmick. Rules are good. Overall, very strong package. I love the theme. Art is just OK. Definitely worth checking out. Love JPop layouts.

7.978/10

7 years ago

REW

woody76

Pinball Marketing

Nashville, TN

9y 142K 6,843 6 98

beautiful fun game, but got old quickly. Code is just not good enough to compete with the newer Stern/JJP games.

woody76 edited previous rating on February 01, 2018.
woody76 has owned this game in the past.

7.914/10

7 years ago

QUY

FatPanda

Pinside member

7y 141K 7,174 32

A great flowing game with nice shots, a cool trunk toy (with multiball startup sounds and lightshow) and great artwork on the cabinet and playfield. The rules are a bit shallow, and the modes really don't pay off or are necessary to play out (much like many other games of this era) but still add some variety. The final wizard mode is lackluster and kind of anticlimactic, but the game is still a good player. Non-pinheads generally like this game the most out of others in my collection.

FatPanda edited previous rating on March 31, 2020.

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