Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (Standard)

Pinside rating

This game received 149 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.249 _/10

8.249

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks 3rd in the game group "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory". The group itself ranks #1 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game design: 8.365

Artwork: 8.024

Sounds/Music: 7.997

Other Aspects: 8.358

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 2 of us have rated this game.

8.6

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This game is part of a group

Note! There are multiple versions of this game!
This is "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (Standard)".
The other versions are: Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (LE), Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (CE)

Ranking history

An overview of this machine's ranking over the last years. Lower is better.

Rating history

An overview of this machine's rating over the last years. Higher is better.

Found 64 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 64 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 3.

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Ratings sort order Type of ratings to show in list Exclude ratings flagged as "bogus" Keyword or username search

7.178/10

2 days ago

KOJ

koji

Pinside member

Surrey, BC

3y 56,300 408 18 27 1

I love the theme, and the integration seems like the effort was there, but it just did not come together as cohesively for me as something like Wizard of Oz for example.

Definitely a technical achievement, of light effects.. interesting shots, but didn't quick 'click' for me.

9.324/10

2 days ago

QRK

fattdirk

Pinside member

9y 114K 4,983 12 1

Wonka is a pinheads dream. Has that typical lawlor flow with butter smooth shots all over the playfield. The rules have such a nice variation that gives you multiple ways to approach the game. Stacking is where this game really shines and if you get multiple things going at once the light show is like your own lil ride on the Wonkatania.

This game is a pinball masterpiece. You won't be disappointed.

9.516/10

3 days ago

CIP

tonycip

Pinside member

Rocky River, OH

8y 63,050 1,396 12 20 2

I don't like the theming the movie is creepy. But I'm a pinball fan and the game play is excellent it's what you come to expect from jjp.

tonycip has this game on the wishlist.

8.140/10

5 days ago

DMG

dgpinball

Pinside member

Aldergrove, BC

9y 86,400 1,641 135 71

I wish I could rate this game higher, because I do think it is an excellent player, perhps one of Pat Lawlor's best, but the theme is just not my cup of tea, which makes it very tough to even try to be subjective. Re-themed, I think this could be a fantastic pin, but as it sit's can only truly be appreciated by those who enjoy the theme.

9.147/10

26 days ago

ATU

Kidkoffee

Pinside member

Toledo, OH

7y 25,300 37 2 8

All around great game. Huge Gene Wilder fan, and I grew up with this movie, so I’m definitely a little biased on theme. The rule set, flow, and all around play is amazing. This is my first JJP. No issues so far after playing it heavily for a few weeks now, but I did have some problems out of the box. The sound quality is also pretty bad imo, and there are no mixing adjustments in the software to make it better. For the price, I expected more here. I’m more of a player than collector, and I have young kids, so I recommend the SE to anyone on the fence. I don’t think the upgrades really add anything significant enough to justify the hefty $2-4k more, and I highly recommend using your savings to add a subwoofer. A relatively cheap and easy upgrade that takes this experience to a new level more than any toys/other mods can. That said, if money were no object, I’d have a CE all day...:) An underrated pin for sure. Wonka fan or not, give it a few spins and I guarantee you’ll agree!

Kidkoffee currently owns this game.

6.980/10

28 days ago

SYD

Onwallst

Pinside member

Denver, CO

5y 81,050 546 90 1

This and dialed in only jjp game I don’t enjoy.

5 Pinsiders flagged this rating/review.

9.578/10

29 days ago

DAV

Gritty

Pinside member

Cinnaminson, NJ

9y 88,100 505 63

This is one of those games that will grow in popularity the more people get a chance to play it. This game has it all with great shots, flow and mode depth. Not crazy about the cabinet art and they could have done more with theme integration with the video display.

9.560/10

30 days ago

DLG

Chief_G

Pinside member

Midlothian, VA

<1y 35,400 12 4 21 2

Awesome game!

9.720/10

72 days ago

DAD

Twofloyd

Pinside member

Fort Wayne, IN

3y 52,200 7 40 6 4

Seriously such a pretty game and looks awesome love the bigger lcd and still wonder why other manufacturers aren't following suit. The game play is so good and reminds me of the movie constantly. Top 5 pinball for sure imo.

Twofloyd currently owns this game.

9.124/10

4 months ago

JEF

SpinnerAddict

Pinside member

4y 46,050 308 6 32

Had the game for a few weeks now and I really like it. Shots are smooth and satisfying to hit. I did add the backboard and trough lighting (boy was this game dark in the back) looks so much better with that mod. My biggest complaint would have to be the big glaring empty space in the back left corner. The rules seem deep but hard to understand or I just have to play it more. All in all a good game and I’m glad I made the purchase.

SpinnerAddict currently owns this game.

9.268/10

4 months ago

NTR

TheFamilyArcade

Pinside member

New City, NY

8y 90,050 8,797 4 36

Update 2/22/21:

6 months in or so, WW has become one of my top 3 or 5 games all time. It’s wonderful and fun and unique, blah blah blah. It’s truly awesome!

I think there will be code updates that iron out some of the scoring issues - many mini modes just aren’t worth playing through - and hopefully make it easier to get deeper into the game. Frankly, does it matter how well you perform in various modes if you can’t cash in on that success in a Wizard mode you’ll never play?

But that said, the game fires on all cylinders and is a real masterpiece of pinball.
++++++++++

Just got it. Loving it. Have played probably 200 games. “Just one more” is common, but it can also be exhausting. When you’re done for the day you’re ready to be done.

It is waaaayyyyyyy better than I expected. Layout is great and it shoots super smooth. Rumors of Pat Lawlor’s demise are extremely exaggerated. I’m not really even a Lawlor guy, so for me it might even be his best shooting game.

Rules are robust and can be chaotic, but in a good way. So much can be going on at once. You need to pay attention. Hard to grasp and often frustrating, but really addictive as you start internalizing them and playing with more intention (but less thinking, if that makes sense).

I can see that scoring can seem unbalanced, but in truth, the player is in control of that. You control what the multiplier is and when you collect it. Play better!

The theming is controversial. I appreciate that some people want the movie to come more to life. But there’s a lot of movie in this pin. A lot of Willy Wonka. Clips and callouts galore. It’s just presented in a different way, which frankly works just fine for pinball. The game is creative and inventive. It’s really a scoring game - think ACDC - more than a mode based game. It’s less a journey than a series of creative - often difficult - challenges. I haven’t sniffed any wizard modes yet, so maybe it can get more “modey” (?). I’ve scored 6 million points - a decent score I think - but haven’t ever even gotten two Golden Tickets. This could become an issue.

There are a lot of reviews on this game that I think are misguided or perhaps misinformed. This game is unique. It’s truly different - a spectacular sensory experience - compared to any game I’ve ever played or owned. JJP makes a truly sensational pinball machine and experience. It makes me happy seeing it my game room. It just hits harder than other games. :-)

Is it perfect? No. What is? It’s pinball! And damn good pinball at that!

Will add more details after I‘ve played it longer.

TheFamilyArcade edited previous rating on February 22, 2021.
TheFamilyArcade currently owns this game.

9.560/10

4 months ago

BBE

hittheorbits

Pinside member

Bloomington, IN

2y 22,000 31

Fun, challenging game with lots of replay value.

6.058/10

5 months ago

ECW

Ecw0930

Pinside member

Fredericksburg, VA

1y 40,900 140 1 75

Maybe (I think so) the one I played wasn't a good example. I was looking forward to trying this pin. Not a Wonka fan, but as a pinball fan. This game kinda sucked.

The lighting is horrible. I mean bad so you can't see the back of the playfield. Start the game and you have no idea where you ball is coming from, can't see it. The entire back half is dark. Not dim.... DARK.

The one I played the flippers felt like rubber. No feel to them. No consistency. Sometimes it would fire a hard shot, other times it would just roll and float.

Shots are NOT laid out well contrary to what some ppl say here. The rules are NOT clear. The lights flash all over and it's hard to tell where to hit the ball. The only clear slot is the screen that says "hit it here".

I never got the hang of the upper flippers, but again, I think they just sucked.

Scoring is about as low as you can get. Not once did I get a multi all. Hitting the ramps did nothing. You have to use just the right place to drop a locked ball or it bounces off.

Very weird game. Not well executed as a pinball machine. Every other JJP is better, and it's not even close.

I'm hoping one day I play a WW that wows me and I'm like now this is how it should be. Haha but as of now, this game sucks.

8.800/10

5 months ago

RAP

RyanStl

Pinside member

St. Louis, MO

6y 78,050 1,690 1 93

This is a great looking game, but for me the shots are really hard, making it not as fun as it should be. I just could not progress throught the game. Maybe in a home use environment this would give a lot of pleasure to learn all the shots, but for me on location it doesn't pull me in.

9.860/10

6 months ago

OGA

Cabal73

Pinside member

La Mirada, CA

1y 30,000 6 3 16

I really love this game. I wish I could afford it so I could have at home. I travel 35 miles to play it at least once monthly.

This is my favorite Jersey Jack machine and one of the most faithfully perfect-licensed pins out there. Designers are quite obvious huge Willy Wonka fans because if there was a real chocolate factory this pin would be sitting there, awaiting visitors to play.

A big thank you to Jersey Jack and I hope to someday add one to my home pin collection.

-OGA

Cabal73 has this game on the wishlist.

5.658/10

6 months ago

RSQ

Pyromedic

Pinside member

Dacula, GA

8y 50,650 174 6 18

Love Willy Wonka, but honestly, just doesn't have the excitability for me. Good game, but lacks the wow keep me coming back for more factor.

4 Pinsiders flagged this rating/review.

5.690/10

6 months ago

WEB

Chuckwebster

Pinside member

Wakefield, MA

7y 65,800 342 39 60

i dread every time im forced to play this game in a tournament.

7 Pinsiders flagged this rating/review.

8.880/10

6 months ago

JRL

Pinballwizard20

Pinside member

Lancaster, PA

<1y 18,250 2 8

Great game however, waiting for cost to come down on this one.

8.640/10

8 months ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

2y 242K 6,448 11 260

Wonka has a lot of shots, deep play, great lighting, and that "one more time" feel. There really isn't much to knock on it. I do miss the extra features of the LE, however. It is worth the extra money.

Daditude edited previous rating on August 27, 2020.

9.900/10

8 months ago

RMF

MasterReese

Pinside apprentice

1y 30,650 2 3 63

This game is definitely one of the best games ever made and absolutely incredible. The theme integration absolutely spectacular. The animations are outstanding. I can this very confidently after playing it in a home environment. The only thing is that I have not played it to well and need to get the hang of it but I dont really think there is anything that I don’t like about this machine. I would love to own this someday.

MasterReese edited previous rating on June 25, 2020.
MasterReese has this game on the wishlist.

3 Pinsiders flagged this rating/review.

9.940/10

11 months ago

???

Nath1977

Pinside apprentice

Unknown

3y 10,750 38

The playfield layout is phenomenal, a ton of action and great use of the 4 flippers. One of the best lightshow in pinball. The rules are different of many others games i play, deep and fun. A real jewel . Near the perfection for me.

9.324/10

11 months ago

RC

Robhorror

Pinside member

Québec, QC

5y 46,650 1 13 45

WOW, is Always fun to discover a JJP machine. Very very fun, deep and beautifull. A lot of shot to do, not too easy. The animation and theme integration is awsome.

Robhorror edited previous rating on December 06, 2020.
Robhorror currently owns this game.

7.736/10

12 months ago

ZAC

zacaj

Pinside member

Rochester, NY

8y 139K 8,951 53 60 4

Pretty cool game overall. Could use more movie content. Scoring is horribly unbalanced and random though thanks to the super x and bonus collect.

8.040/10

1 year ago

MAT

mpdpvdpin

Pinside member

Providence, RI

3y 53,550 611 3 48

It’s fun...Great layout, lots of shots and a blast to play. Last-ability in a private collection is not great. Excellent game for all ages location. Earns very well.

mpdpvdpin edited previous rating on February 22, 2021.
mpdpvdpin has owned this game in the past.

9.210/10

1 year ago

MRO

MEROPARIS

Pinside member

Paris

9y 46,250 4 146

Great game , don t like the theme , but layout , flow , lighting are really awesome , fun game , would love to own it , perhaps it s even better than Dialed In ( and I love it too )

MEROPARIS has this game on the wishlist.

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There are 64 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 3.

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