Back to the Future

> "Are you telling me you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?!"
>
> - Marty McFly

***Back to the Future*** is one of three tables in the *Universal Pictures Classics* mini table pack, released in 2017 and available for *Pinball FX 3* and the macOS version of *Zen Pinball 2*. It is based on all three installments of the *Back to the Future* trilogy, directed by Robert Zemeckis. The pinball machine chronicles the events of the film trilogy, depicting the time-traveling adventures of teenager Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett L. Brown, who invented a groundbreaking time-traveling machine in the form of a heavily modified DeLorean.

This is the second pinball adaptation of the *Back to the Future* film trilogy, with the first being Data East's *Back to the Future: The Pinball,* released shortly after the third film in 1990.

## Table overview

### The upper half of the table

A large orbit wraps around much of the upper half of the table. To the right of it is a dead-end lane that spells DELOREAN, where a miniature toy version of the time machine is usually parked. The end of that lane is another sinkhole that comes into play when the toy moves away from that lane. There is also a reverse scoop to the right of this lane and a target post shaped into a plutonium canister used to fuel the time machine lies in between them. The reverse scoop can drop the ball onto a short crossing habitrail, or down another habitrail that leads to the right inlane.

The right orbit is gated by a flag shaped into a U.S. quarter coin, and part of the orbit is covered by a miniature model of Hill Valley's courthouse, which plays a critical role in the climax of the first film in which Marty uses it to collect lightning as emergency fuel for the time machine to get back to his time. The back wall has a desert theme to reflect the adventures McFly had in 1885 during the events of the third film. The ball can drop from the orbit near its apex into a bumper area with three rollovers that spell DOC, the nickname Marty gives to Dr. Brown. The bumper area has two one-way exits: a left exit that drops the ball in front of a spindisk under a replica of the machine's flux capacitor and a right exit that rolls the ball down the right orbit.

Within the large orbit are four different lanes. The leftmost lane is a dead-end lane, where either a skateboard or hoverboard varitarget lane can be pushed and struck. A left mini-flipper is installed between the left orbit and this varitarget lane. To the right of it is a ramp that leads into the flux capacitator, which has two entry ramps and two exit ramps. The left exit ramp brings the ball either in front of the varitarget lane or the second left inlane, with the former putting the ball right beside the mini-flipper so that a cross shot can be lined up to hit the capacitator's other entry ramp, a crossramp that arcs over the bumper area on the way there. The right exit ramp is a longer habitrail leading to the reverse scoop's right inlane habitrail.

In between the two ramps is a spindisk that can be spun to generate the energy needed for time travel. Four target posts that spell TIME are also located on the upper left quadrant of the table, with the first post in front of the mini-flipper, the second and third ones positioned at the corners of the left ramp's entry and the final one placed on the left corner of the crossramp. Between the crossramp and the right orbit is a special, dynamic target area that changes depending on the current time setting. If its missions do not demand that shots be made there, three drop targets representing welcome signs for Hill Valley will be present that can be knocked down to visit a particular landmark in Hill Valley.

The walls of the table feature landmarks from Hill Valley, with the left wall featuring the front of Café 80's, a popular dining area in the town. The back wall also contains a screen that can change to reflect a scene from the current time setting. A long, diagonal drop target track spans from in front of the skateboard/hoverboard varitarget to the entry of the reverse scoop lane, where drop targets representing characters from different time settings can pop up for the ball to hit.

### The lower half of the table

Two figures representing the main protagonists of the trilogy, Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett L. Brown, stand on the sides of the table. Dr. Brown stands on the right side of the table, which contains a door where he may go through to move to the back of the table for some scenes. A lever is also placed next to the door. Beneath the platform where Dr. Brown stands is a hidden shaft that the ball can fall into if the player attempts to shoot the reverse scoop with insufficient force. This shaft forms the upper part of the plunger shaft and leads to a sinkhole in front of the one-way exit gate of the lower half of the plunger that lies outside of play. This sinkhole pops the ball back up onto the right habitrail.

In front of Marty's figure is a one-way exit hole that drops the ball down into the leftmost inlane. There are two rebounds, each containing an analog gauge from the time machine's dashboard. There are 5 return lanes, three to the left and two to the right, that spell MCFLY, Marty's last name. There are two low-power spring-loaded kickbacks, one in each outlane and two flippers. There are also five lamps that light up to indicate the current score multiplier level.

The aprons are designed to resemble the time machine's dashboard, with the left apron containing the plutonium chamber, which has a box of plutonium charges hooked to it. The box opens when kickbacks are available to use. The opposite apron contains a keypad and a display readout used to input the destination time.

### The plunger

The plunger is a straight shaft with a one-way exit gate that the ball passes through to enter the playfield. A hidden sinkhole is placed in front of this gate, obstructed by the platform where the figure of Dr. Brown stands. With great strength, the plunger will send the ball up the reverse scoop and drop onto the rightmost habitrail. The plunger shaft is designed to resemble the parking lot of Twin Pines Mall, where Dr. Brown first demonstrated his time machine to the world at the beginning of the first film. The plunger is designed to resemble the time machine's ignition system.

To perform a skill shot, the player must shoot the ball with just enough force that it gently goes up the reverse scoop and stops on the very short cross-habitrail. If done correctly, the ball becomes a "crackshot" and disappears, leaving a trail of fire like that of the time machine.

Alternately, the player can perform a hidden skill shot by watching for a blinking white light on the right inner wall of the table, then timing a shot with a weaker force than what would be needed for a skill shot so that the ball drops into the hidden sinkhole under Dr. Brown right at the moment that lamp is lit. This will raise a Wild Gunman drop target that can be struck for double points. It may take practice to pull it off.

## Objective and Missions

The objective of the table is to relive the events of the *Back to the Future* trilogy, journeying through various times and locations using the DeLorean.

The player will always be in a particular time period while playing this table, and before the first ball is launched, the player must decide which of the six time periods to visit first with the time machine. Once a time period is chosen, the player stays in that setting until its missions are completed successfully or all balls are lost, meaning that it is not possible to fail a mission and no progress is lost when a ball is drained. After all tasks in a time period are completed, the player must shoot the flux capacitor through either of its two entry ramps to choose the next time setting (or start the wizard mode once all periods are completed).

Each time period is split into two parts. The first half involves completing three tasks, which are each completed by hitting certain targets or lanes. Each task is further split into two phases: the mission phase where the shots have to be made, and a time-limited bonus phase that provides an opportunity to earn more points (which will end prematurely if the ball is drained). Once the timers for all three bonus phases have expired, the second half of the time period is a "finale" where the player is tasked with one final mission to escape the current time period.

The timers for the bonus phases of each mission can be increased from 15 seconds by 5 seconds (to a maximum of 60 seconds) by spelling "TIME" at the standup targets. The timers reset at the end of each ball.

The following time periods must be completed successfully in order to access the **Time Paradox** wizard mode:

Once all 6 time settings are visited, the wizard mode, **Time Paradox**, will be unlocked, and can be started up by shooting the flux capacitator one last time through its ramps. This is a 4-ball victory multiball (or 7-ball if all time settings were visited in the order of the films as listed above) where a time paradox occurs. Jackpots are claimed by hitting the toy time machine as it spins around in circles, while hitting lit lanes will raise the jackpot. After 8 hits to the toy, it will time travel again and reappear. Every sixth appearance of the toy will award massive jackpots equaling the previous five jackpots of its last five appearances.

## Side Modes

Strictly speaking, there are no side modes that can be started and completed for extra points, besides multiballs. This table also lacks a mini-playfield, a rare phenomenon for Zen's pinball library.

### Multiball

There are three multiball modes that can start at any time and can overlap with each other. If a mission is completed while any multiball modes are active, the player cannot advance to the next mission until all of those modes end.

* **Outtatime Multiball**: The power needed for one time travel run with the time machine is 1.21 gigawatts. After such power is generated with enough spins of the spindisk, it will then lock balls in to start the ride. The number of balls needed to start the mode begins at 2 and increases after one iteration of the mode ends, up to a maximum of 7, making it more difficult to repeat every time it is completed. The number of jackpot lanes available depend on how many balls the mode began with.
* **Flux Capacitator Multiball**: The flux capacitator is an integral component that makes time travel possible. Locking 3 balls inside it after several ramp shots to the device will start this multiball mode. The left capacitator ramp and the reverse scoop can be hit for jackpots. Once both are hit, a super jackpot is available at the crossramp, which doubles in value if it is hit instantaneously after both lanes are shot.
* **Skateboard/Hoverboard Multiball**: The skateboard and hoverboard are fast means of personal transport that Marty enjoys for a fun ride or a quick escape from adversaries. After the skateboard varitarget is hit several times, a second ball is immediately shot into play for a quick 2-ball multiball. Hitting the target one more time will activate a magnet that bonds the ball to the skateboard/hoverboard and it will move from its lane across the table. Hitting it will award a jackpot as the ball is knocked off the board, which then returns to its lane.

## Perks

The following perks can be activated during gameplay:

* **Back Again Ball Saver**: A 30-second ball saver is awarded at the start of each ball, with a shorter ball saver granted to the start of multiball modes. The ball saver can be reactivated as a random award from Dr. Brown. *(Note: Since the table deems that it is unfair for outlane drains to occur directly from hitting mandatory targets, a free ball saver will be awarded if such a situation occurs while there are no kickbacks available.)*
* **Plutonium Kickbacks**: Plutonium is the essential fuel needed to provide the 1.21 gigawatts needed for time travel. It can also fuel the table's low-power spring-loaded kickbacks to protect against outlane drains. Plutonium to power them can be obtained from hitting the plutonium canister-shaped target post between the DeLorean Lane and the reverse scoop, but the number of times the target post needs to be struck to get one will increase from 1 for each canister obtained. Unlike most tables, in which kickbacks are earned and used independently, plutonium charges will simultaneously power both kickbacks and the number of ones stocked in inventory will determine how many times either kickback can be used in total. Plutonium canisters for kickbacks will carry over between balls.
* **McFly Multipliers**: Spelling MCFLY on the return lane rollovers will start a time-limited opportunity to raise the score multiplier. During this time, up to five lanes (both orbits, the left flux capacitator ramp, the flux spindisk and the reverse scoop) will be lit. The player must quickly hit one of the lit lanes to raise the multiplier, but each lit lane can only be used once per multiplier increase, meaning that it will become more and more difficult to raise the multiplier. The multiplier level can also be advanced or held as a prize from Doc's award. The multiplier resets if the ball is drained without the multiplier hold.
* **Doc's Gift**: Dr. Brown helps Marty in his adventures. Hitting the bumpers a number of times will grant a random prize which include extra points, a ball saver, extra ball, a plutonium kickback charge, extra clock tower funds, a multiplier raise, a multiplier hold, double scoring and more. Spelling DOC on the rollovers above the bumpers will change the award to be given.
* **Bonus Time**: Spelling TIME on the target posts will add 5 seconds the length of the bonus phases of all the tasks in each mission's first phase. The length of the bonus phases is 20 seconds by default, but can increase up to 1 minute. Draining the ball resets the bonus phase lengths to the default of 20 seconds.
* **Double Scoring**: If the ball falls into the hidden sinkhole 10 times through weak shots at the reverse scoop, scoring will double temporarily for 30 seconds. This can also begin immediately as a random award from Doc.
* **DeLorean Award**: Hitting the toy time machine in the DeLorean lane 8 times to spell DELOREAN will award bonus points. The first time this happens, an extra ball will be awarded.
* **Hill Valley Award**: There are at least 10 famous landmarks in the town of Hill Valley, where Marty lives. The player can visit one and earn extra points if the current time setting does not require shooting the central toy area, by knocking down the 3 welcome sign drop targets there and shooting the ball inside the area they block. The 10th landmark visited awards an extra ball.
* **Save the Clock Tower**: The Hill Valley Preservation Society wants the courthouse's clock tower to remain damaged after it was hit by lightning in 1955 (an event that Marty leverages in the first film to escape back to his own time) and rendered nonfunctional as a part of the town's heritage and history in Marty's present time. Help the Society raise $100 to preserve the tower by spinning the quarter flag at the right orbit or raising some money from the Doc Award, which will eventually result in an extra ball.
* **Extra Balls**: Extra balls can be obtained by getting one from the Doc Award, raising $100 for the courthouse clock tower, completing half of the main missions, visiting all 10 Hill Valley landmarks or obtaining the first DeLorean score award. All Extra Balls are claimed by hitting the plutonium target post.

## Tips

* This table offers a few extra balls that you can earn, so make every effort to earn them so that you can survive all 6 missions and make it to the wizard mode. Shooting the right orbit frequently with varying force can eventually lead to two extra balls if you are diligent enough.
* Be considerate of when you want to activate multiball modes if you want to get through all missions faster because multiball modes will block you from going to the next time setting until they end once the current mission is finished. To avoid this problem, try to activate multiball modes during the first phase of a time setting mission.
* There is no time limit for completing each mission, so don't get into too much of a rush trying to beat each one. Make good use of flipper-trapping, as well as some trial and error to line up, practice and master precise shots to the lanes or targets you need to hit.

## See also

* Official table trailer
* Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin (PDF)