Kickback

> "Kickback! Reminds me of *KickBeat*, another fine game from the fine people at Zen Studios. Where's my check?"
>
> Deadpool, *Deadpool*

The **kickback** is a single-use, automatic ball-saving mechanism that propels the ball from an outlane if it falls there. The difficulty and method of activating a kickback, as well as the type of mechanism used for the kickback, varies across tables.

Many real pinball machines with this mechanic utilize just one kickback, leaving one outlane unprotected, to increase difficulty and profit. However, many of Zen's own original and licensed virtual tables use two kickbacks; Zen has justified the use of dual kickbacks by having a "single paywall model" for all of their tables, in which players pay a single price to play a table as many times as they like.

## Activation and maintenance

There may be one or multiple ways to earn kickbacks, depending on the table, but they usually light by completing target banks on older Williams / Bally tables, or from spelling words at the return lanes on Zen original tables. Certain tables may withdraw unused kickbacks earned by the player if a ball is lost before they are used; this is typically done on tables with easy-to-light kickbacks. Conversely, tables where it is more difficult to earn a kickback may allow the player to keep them across balls until they are used.

## Types of kickback mechanisms

There are varying types of kickback mechanisms. It is important to understand where the ball moves next once a kickback is used, as different tables have kickbacks that send the ball to different places.

* **Standard kickbacks**: A standard kickback simply launches the ball back up from the outlane where it just fell through, following the outlane guide and sending it diagonally across the playfield; these kickbacks are usually installed in the left outlane, and can be seen on tables like *No Good Gofers* and *The Getaway: High Speed II*. On Zen tables, standard kickbacks will typically aim the ball to make a shot from an upper flipper; tables like *X-Men* and *Star Wars: Droids* have kickbacks that behave this way. Other tables, such as *Portal* or *Mars*, have kickbacks that simply launch the ball towards the opposite slingshot.
* **Subway kickbacks**: This type of kickback simply drops the ball underneath the playfield, then ejects it through a scoop further up the table. This type of kickback is almost never seen in physical machines, but can be seen in many original Zen tables designed by Peter Horvath, including *Alien Isolation* and *Jurassic Park: Pinball Mayhem*.
* **Diverting kickbacks**: This type of kickback functions as a slanted, single-use barrier that redirects a ball from the outlane into its neighboring inlane, before rolling to a flipper. These types of kickbacks were used frequently in 80s tables like *Space Shuttle*, and have been used in Zen original tables like *Sorcerer's Lair* and *Alien vs. Predator*.
* **Virtual kickbacks**: On tables that lack a proper kickback path, the outlanes may light for a feature that behaves like a kickback, but sends the ball into play from the plunger lane. While more common on very recent pinball machines, *Junk Yard* and *Venom* both have these types of kickbacks.
* **Other types of kickbacks**: Besides these three common variants of kickbacks, there are other ways kickbacks can be implemented. For instance, *Theatre of Magic* and *Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi* both use automatic, magnetic kickbacks that save the ball from outlanes. The left kickback on *Jaws*, the Wheel Save, is a manually-operated subway kickback that can only be used by completing a mini-game.