Swords of Fury

> "Lionman!"
>
> - Balrog

***Swords of Fury*** is a 1988 Williams pinball machine, digitally converted to *Pinball FX* by Zen Studios. Inspired by medieval adventure stories, the player joins the Lionman in an attempt to kill the Balrog by freeing the Titans. The game features four different flippers designed to make different shots. Other defining features of the table include self-adjusting difficulty after the player reaches 2 million points, and one of the most beloved soundtracks in pinball history.

## Multiball

The main goal of *Swords of Fury* is to start Multiball by locking 3 balls at the saucers behind the left spinner. The lock is always lit, and can be collected at any time during single ball play. Each lock collected also increases the left spinner value by 500 points, up to 2,000 points, for the rest of the ball. If the first ball hasn't been locked at the saucers yet, shooting the ramp when the middle exit is lit will lock a ball.

At the start of multiball, the **kickback** lights and all three balls are released in quick succession to the upper flipper, where the player has a chance to score the **Lionman Bonus** with a shot to the ramp. To defeat the Balrog and score the Jackpot, the player must shoot for the mini-playfield and complete the flashing MAGIC drop target, which moves from the left to the right drop target every 3 seconds (5 for subsequent attempts). The first Jackpot scored during a game is worth 1.5 million points; subsequent jackpots are only worth 500,000 points. After scoring the Jackpot, lit drop targets on the mini-playfield can be completed to score and increase the **MAGIC Value** - one drop target is required to score the first one, then 2, etc. up until all 5 are required.

Playfield scoring is also briefly multiplied during Multiball. For the first 10 seconds all 3 balls are in play or until the player drains down to 2 balls, all scoring is tripled. For the first 10 seconds the player keeps 2-ball Multiball alive, all scoring is doubled. Playfield multipliers do not apply to the **Lionman Bonus** or the Jackpot.

After draining down to a single ball, the lock at the left spinner relights and the player can repeatedly lock 3 balls to start multiball; the difficulty never increases.

## Perks

* **Kickback**: The left outlane kickback is lit at the start of each ball, and can be relit by starting **Multiball**.
* **Bonus Multiplier**: The bonus multiplier can be increased by +1x by collecting a **MAGIC Value**, collecting an **AVENGER Value**, or shooting the ramp when the lower exit is lit. Reaching 7x bonus qualifies the **Special**, which can be collected the next time the MAGIC Value is scored.
* **Ramp Exits**: There are three exits that the ball can take from the ramp; the top exit sends the ball to the mini-playfield, the middle exit sends the ball to the saucers behind the left spinner (and locks a ball for **Multiball** if applicable), and the lower exit sends the ball back to the upper flipper (and increases the **bonus multiplier**). The lit exit changes with every inlane switch hit.
* **MAGIC Value**: The currently lit MAGIC Value can be scored by completing all five drop targets on the mini-playfield, or simply by shooting the flashing drop target if **Multiball** is active. The MAGIC Value starts each game at 150,000 points; the lowest possible MAGIC Value is 50,000 points, and the highest is 250,000 points. Shooting an unlit drop target on the mini-playfield or draining out of the mini-playfield reduces the MAGIC Value by 50,000 points, while shooting the spinner increases it by 50,000 points. Collecting a MAGIC Value also advances the value of the **Lionman Bonus**.
* **Ogre's Alley**: At the start of the game, one outlane and one U-turn entrance is lit to advance the Ogre's Alley value, while the other outlane and U-turn entrance is lit to score the Ogre's Alley value. Ogre's Alley starts at 20,000 points, is advanced by 10,000 points with the first three advances, then 50,000 for the fourth, and 400,000 for the fifth - meaning that at max value, Ogre's Alley is worth 500,000 points. The lit shots can be toggled with slingshot hits.
* **Lionman Bonus**: After starting **Multiball** or collecting an **AVENGER Value**, the center ramp is lit for 7 seconds to score the Lionman Bonus. This bonus starts each game at 100,000 points, is retained until the end of the game, and can be advanced up to a maximum of 1 million points by collecting the **MAGIC Value** at the upper drop targets. Once the player has reached 2 million points, the Lionman Bonus only lights for 3 seconds.
* **AVENGER Value**: Complete the AVENGER standup targets, either with direct hits or by rolling through either return lane, to score the currently lit AVENGER Value. This starts each game at 50,000 points; the second AVENGER completion scores 150,000, the third scores 250,000, and the fourth scores an **extra ball** and resets the sequence. AVENGER can also be instantly completed by rolling through either return lane, then quickly shooting the Magic Tunnel within 7 seconds (3 seconds if the player has scored at least 2 million points). Scoring the AVENGER Value also lights the **Lionman Bonus**.
* **Extra Ball**: Extra balls can be collected by scoring every 4th **AVENGER Value**.
* **Special**: After advancing the **bonus multiplier** to 7x, the next completion of all five MAGIC drop targets will score a Special.
* **End-of-ball bonus**: Bonus is switch-based. All switch hits add to the bonus; both sides of the spinner U-turn are a quick way to add to the bonus, as the return lanes light each spinner for 3x and 200 points is added to bonus per spin. End-of-ball bonus maxes out at 99,000 points, as per usual with late 80s Williams releases, multiplied by the bonus multiplier.

## Tips

* Like Zen's previous 80s Williams release, *Space Station*, Multiball should be the main priority - it's easy to activate, simply requiring three shots to the left spinner saucers, and even if the player doesn't score the Jackpot, the lucrative Lionman Bonus is a nice substitute. Multiball is also important as it is the only way to relight the kickback on this table.
* Maintain the MAGIC Value by repeatedly shooting the spinner U-turn if it reaches a low value. After scoring the Jackpot during Multiball, it can be worthwhile to shoot for the mini-playfield and repeatedly cash out the MAGIC Value to score points and increment the Lionman Bonus.
* If you only need one standup target to complete AVENGER, go for it - extra balls are awarded at every fourth AVENGER Value.

## References & Easter Eggs

* The "Lionman!" callout would go on to be referenced in several Spooky Pinball titles; *Total Nuclear Annihilation* has "Lionman!" as a fake mystery award, and *Rick & Morty* uses it as one of Rick's nonsensical "catchphrases".