Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

> "Welcome, young Skywalker. I have been expecting you..."
>
> - Emperor Palpatine

***Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi*** is one of the three tables released for the *Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force* DLC pack, originally released for *Zen Pinball 2* and *Pinball FX2* and later ported to *Pinball FX3*. The table adapts the conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy, as the Rebel Alliance escapes the clutches of Jabba, and Luke & Vader are forced to come to terms against a greater evil.

## Main objective

Complete five scenes from the eponymous film, then take on Emperor Palpatine in a 4-ball multiball mode.

### Starting scenes & general info

To start a scene mission, shoot the center sinkhole four times to spell JEDI. The player can then select any mission they desire using the flippers and launch button.

The missions on this table are split into different sections; each completed section acts as a checkpoint in case the player fails the next part of the mission. A bonus score determined by how many **Ewoks** the player has collected is scored upon reaching checkpoints, which maxes out at 25,500,000. All mission sections are timed for either 60, 45, or 30 seconds, with successful shots during select missions adding 5 seconds to the timer, and the timer stops if the ball is in the bumpers. All five missions must be successfully completed to qualify the **wizard mode**. Winning three scenes lights an **extra ball**. If the player fails or wins a scene, they will be given five seconds to shoot the center sinkhole to instantly either replay the mission they failed or start the next mission. Each scene won adds 10 **Ewoks**.

**Endor Multiball** and **R2-D2 Multiball** can be started during missions as long as the mission isn't a multiball, or if the mission animations take priority over the playfields used for the multiball modes; for instance, R2-D2 Multiball can't be started during **Scene 2**, as the second section of the scene involves powering the droid back up; and no multiball modes can be started during **Scene 3**, as the second section of the scene is a video mode.

### Scenes

* **Scene 1**: The Alliance rescues Han Solo from the carbonite he was frozen in.
	+ *A Gift for Jabba*: 45 seconds for phase 1, 30 seconds for phase 2. Get the droids to Jabba's palace by first making 6 randomly lit shots for 10,000 x the number of seconds remaining, each lit shot adding 5 seconds to the timer; the lit shots can only be made once each. Then, knock on the door of his palace by hitting the left standup target three times - for 1 million points each - in 30 seconds, to win the section.
	+ *The Rescue Mission*: 60 seconds. Lower the carbonite block by sending the vari-target all the way back, scoring points dependent on the strength of the shot. 10 seconds are added to the timer after pushing it all the way back. To melt the block and win the scene, the player must then make 30 disc spins, each scoring 100,000 points.
* **Scene 2**: Luke attempts to survive a Rancor attack and escape the Sarlacc Pit.
	+ *Fight with the Rancor*: 45 seconds. Defeat the Rancor by shooting all three holes - the left sinkhole, the center sinkhole, and the speeder sinkhole - for 1 million points each. 30 seconds will be added to the timer, and the player must then help Luke escape the Rancor's grasp by making 40 bumper hits, each scoring 10,000 points, to win the section.
	+ *The Execution*: 60 seconds for both phases. Luke must escape the Sarlacc Pit and join back up with the Alliance with R2-D2's help. Shoot the disc 35 times within 60 seconds to get R2-D2 in position, with each increment of 15% scoring 150,000 x the increment. Once the "position" reaches 100%, the timer will reset to 60 seconds and the player must complete a 2-way combo sequence of center ramp & crossramp shots three times for 1 million points each. Successfully escaping the pit and deflecting all three blasts wins the scene.
* **Scene 3**: The Alliance takes down the Death Star II's deflector shields and begins the attack on Endor.
	+ *Operation Tydirium*: 30 seconds. Transmit three code segments to shut down the deflector shields by shooting the ball into the Tydirium ship at the left ramp, then pressing the launch button to eject the ball from the Tydirium so that it hits the flashing shot. Each shot during the mode scores 500,000 points and resets the timer. The third shot will always be at the center sinkhole, and must be shot to win the section.
	+ *Speeder Bike Chase*: Untimed. The rebels arrive on Endor and must take down invading Stormtroopers on their speeders. The ball will be sent to a small playfield with two ramps and a center sinkhole; shooting the ramps moves the speeder left and right, while shooting the sinkhole fires a laser. Each Stormtrooper must be shot three times to win the section. If the player's speeder hits a tree five times, the section will end in failure; each hit also reduces the points scored for defeating each Stormtrooper by 250,000 points.
* **Scene 4**: The Battle of Endor commences! Both of these sections are unique in that they are untimed, 4-ball multiball modes that only end if the player drains to a single ball.
	+ *The Battle of Endor*: Untimed 4-ball multiball mode. Hotwire and destroy the Endor shield generator by first shooting four randomly flashing lanes for 500,000 points each; then, make 50 hits to the targets on the shield generator playfield by using the right flipper to rotate it. The playfield is accessed with every other ramp shot, and each target hit scores 1,000 x the number of hits remaining. The final 8 hits must be made using all eight of the targets.
	+ *It's A Trap!*: Untimed 4-ball multiball mode. The Alliance is ambushed by a surprise TIE Fighter attack! Take down 12 TIE Fighters for 100,000 points x the number of balls in play each; they travel around the various lanes of the table, and must be hit with the ball to be defeated. After they have been destroyed, shoot the remaining balls into the center sinkhole or speeder sinkhole for 1 million points each to win the scene.
* **Scene 5**: The Emperor forces Luke to fight against Vader as the Alliance reaches the Death Star.
	+ *The Duel*: Mostly untimed, though the fourth phase is timed. This is a long section with various shot sequences that must be completed to defeat Vader:
		- Hit any flashing Vader target 5 times for 200,000 points each. The Force propels the ball towards the flippers quickly with each shot, so be careful.
		- Challenge Vader by scoring 10 hits on the magnetic disk. Each spin scores 100,000 points.
		- Shoot the left ramp, then the vari-target, then the spinner to escape. Each shot scores 500,000 points.
		- Within 10 seconds per throw, avoid the lightsabers by shooting either flashing orbit - the left or right orbit - for 500,000 points. Failing this phase three times ends the section in failure.
		- Hit the flashing Vader target five times, each hit scoring 1 million points.
	+ *Into the Death Star*: 60 seconds. First, make five randomly flashing shots while avoiding the TIE Fighters that rove around the playfield lanes. Each shot scores 25,000 x the number of seconds remaining. 10 seconds will then be added to the timer, and the player must first lock a ball on the magnetic disc, before knocking it off with a second ball to destroy the Death Star II and win the scene.

### Destroy the Emperor

After winning all five scenes, one last shot into the center sinkhole will start the wizard mode, **Destroy the Emperor**. During this 4-ball multiball mode, lasting 60 seconds, all ramp shots charge the balls with force lightning and increase the values for shooting any of the three sinkholes with the lightning-charged balls by random amounts between 100,000 - 200,000 points. Once the 60 seconds expire, the player must finish off the Emperor once and for all by shooting the balls into the reactor shaft under the disc, with each shot scoring a hurry-up value starting at the amount of points the player won during the first phase of the wizard mode. After the remaining balls are locked, the scene progress and **Ewoks** collected reset.

## Side objectives

Hurry-ups are split into their own section.

### Hurry-Ups

Shooting the right orbit causes the bumpers to progress towards lighting one of the five 30-second timed hurry-up modes. Bumper hits randomly change which hurry-up mode is lit, and they can be started by falling into the speeder hole from the bumper area. 15 bumper hits from the right orbit are required to light each hurry-up, and they can't be replayed until all five have been won. Completing all five hurry-up modes will light an **extra ball**. Each completed hurry-up adds 250,000 points to the Sarlacc Pit end-of-ball bonus.

* **Feed the Worrt**: Shoot three randomly flashing lanes to feed the Worrt. Each shot scores 100,000 x the number of seconds remaining.
* **Salacious Crumb**: Find Salacious Crumb, hidden at a random flashing lane. Each shot Salacious isn't hiding at scores 100,000 points more than the last. The value starts at 500,000 points.
* **Haggling with a Hutt**: Repeatedly shoot the spinner to increase the value on the display, which maxes at 50,000, by 1,000 per spin. Once the timer expires, the value on the display is scored x100.
* **Floating C3-PO**: Shoot the vari-target to cause C3-PO to float. The vari-target slowly returns back to its default position; each switch the vari-target registers scores up to 200,000 points.
* **Super Death Star**: Shoot the disc repeatedly to score big. Each spin scores 100,000 points + 100,000 per spin.

### Side modes

* **Speeder Mode**: Each shot to the speeder sinkhole scores a letter in the word SPEEDER. Once SPEEDER is completed with seven shots, the next shot will start the Speeder Mode, which has the same rules as the *Speeder Bike Chase* section of **scene 3**; this time, however, there is no limit on the amount of Stormtroopers to defeat, and each one scores a set value starting at 500,000 points + 500,000 points per speeder. Defeating 10 speeder bikes across several attempts at this mode in a session lights an **extra ball**.
* **Dark Side of the Force**: Each spinner spin fills up the words DARK SIDE on the display. Once the words are full (with about 50 spins), a 30-second timed mode will start where the lighting on the table becomes pitch-black and the magnetic disc activates. Each disc spin scores 10,000 points + 10,000 per spin until time runs out. The value resets each time the mode is started.

## Multiball modes

* **Endor & R2-D2 Multiball**: The major ramp shots alternate between sending the ball to the left side of the playfield, and the right. Sending balls through either of these exits 10 times total (+1 per activation) qualifies a mini-playfield: a holographic R2-D2 mini-playfield on the left side, and a shield generator mini-playfield on the right side. Making five loops on the R2-D2 mini-playfield using the flipper, or hitting all eight shield generator targets by rotating it, will start a 2-ball multiball where repeating the same process used to start the multiball scores jackpots starting at 500,000 points, increasing by 100,000 per jackpot. Both multiball modes stack with each other, making a 3-ball multiball mode possible.
* **Tydirium Multiball**: During normal play, sending the vari-target all the way to the back of its lane qualifies the left ramp to lock a ball in the Tydirium shuttle for 10 seconds. After locking 2 balls this way, the player can choose whether they want to start the multiball, or wait until they lock up to 4 balls to start it, using the flippers and launch button. The goal of Tydirium Multiball is to score jackpots worth 250,000 x the balls the multiball started with by shooting the vari-target, then shoot the left ramp for super jackpots worth 2x the value.
* **Death Star Multiball**: Shooting the center ramp 9 times to spell DEATH STAR qualifies the locks for this multiball, which can be collected by scoring 10 spins at the disc. Locking 4 balls this way causes the platform under the Death Star hologram to raise, spinning all four balls magnetically before releasing them to the flippers. The left and right ramps and orbits score jackpots during this multiball, which start at 500,000 points and increase by 10,000 points with each disc spin. After all four jackpots are collected, shooting the center ramp scores a super jackpot worth the total value of the collected jackpots + 1 million per collection, and relights the jackpots.

## Perks

* **Skill Shot**: Plunge the ball so that it rolls over the flashing area on the playfield; this can be either the bumpers, the right orbit entrance, or the spinner exit. Skill shots score 500,000 points.
	+ Plunging so the ball is sent directly to the lower flippers, without scoring a skill shot, lights the right ramp to score a super skill shot worth 1 million points for 5 seconds.
* **Ball Saver**: The ball saver is activated for 15 seconds at the start of every new ball, and at the start of every **multiball** mode. The ball saver can't normally be reactivated.
* **R2-D2 Save**: Spelling R2-D2 by rolling over the left return lane four times qualifies the R2-D2 bumper at the bottom left of the playfield; if the bumper is already lit, each completion will qualify a "pushback" that sends the ball back to the bumper if it exits early. Hitting all five standup targets using the bumper instantly saves the ball and returns it to play, with a bonus of 1 million points per pushback that wasn't used to save it.
* **X-Wing Kickback**: Rolling over the right return lane four times qualifies a kickback at the right outlane. Kickbacks stack until they are used.
* **Bonus Multiplier**: Every 15 (+5 per multiplier) bumper hits, the bonus multiplier will increase up to 9x. The bonus multiplier can be held to the next ball from a random **JABBA Award**.
	+ **Sarlacc Pit**: The Sarlacc Pit bonus is increased by 250,000 points, to no known limit, each time a **hurry-up** is completed.
* **Ewoks**: Ewoks can be scored in various ways; 10 are scored from completing **scenes** or from the **JABBA Award**, 5 can be scored by completing the top lanes, and 1 can be scored by hitting some of the scattered standup targets throughout the table. Each Ewok adds 100,000 points to the mission bonus, collected each time the player successfully reaches a checkpoint. Up to 255 Ewoks can be collected.
* **Combos**: Shooting flashing ramp sequences during normal play scores combo points, starting at 100,000 and increasing by 50,000 per combo.
* **JABBA Award**: Five shots to the left standup target spell JABBA and lower the target. Shooting the sinkhole will then score a random award, which can be one of the following: points (between 1 million - 20 million), starting **Speeder Mode**, activating either **kickback**, increasing or holding the **bonus multipliers**, collecting the current end-of-ball bonus, awarding 10 **Ewoks**, or lighting an **extra ball**.
* **Extra Balls**: Extra balls are collected at the right standup target, and can be lit by winning three **scenes**, playing all five **Hurry-Up** modes, by scoring five consecutive loops on the R2-D2 mini playfield, by defeating 10 speeders during the **Speeder Mode**, or as a random **JABBA Award**.

## Tips

* The missions are a quick way to score consistently big points on this table. They may not seem big at first, but as you complete more and more missions, the points for completing each one increase. The wizard mode also accounts for around 100 million points per completion.
* If a ball's about to exit the bumpers on the left side, give the game a good nudge. This feed has the potential to send the ball to the left slingshot and can be very dangerous with the difficult inlane / outlane setup on this table.
* Death Star Multiball can be very big if you can keep it going, as the super jackpot value never resets and all it takes are two orbit shots to light it for collection. To make the center ramp easier to shoot, avoid using the upper right flipper and let the ball settle on the right flipper.

## External links

* Official table trailer
* Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin
* Official table soundtrack on Bandcamp (tracks 7-12)