Theatre of Magic

> "The next performance is about to begin!"
>
> - Announcer

***Theatre of Magic*** is one of the three Williams pinball tables released in the third wave of Zen Studios' Williams pinball collection, available for *Pinball FX3*, the *Williams Pinball* mobile app, and *Zen Pinball Party*. It is a magic-themed pinball table that challenges the player to pull off astounding magic tricks to become a Master Magician.

## Objectives and missions

The goal of *Theatre of Magic* is to become a Master Magician by completing 4 objectives, listed directly above the lower flippers. These four objectives, from the left to right side of the playfield, are **Theatre Hurry-Up**, **Multiball**, **Midnight Madness**, and **Illusions**. Each completed objective increases the **end-of-ball bonus** and can be repeated as many times as necessary, even if they have already been completed. Once all four objectives are lit up, **Grand Finale** will be lit to start at the center loop, which will also reset all progress on the objectives.

The four objectives are as follows:

### Theatre Hurry-Up

This objective involves spelling THEATRE at the left ramp to start a hurry-up at the magic trunk. Letters in THEATRE can be collected at any time during play outside of Multiball with a shot to the left ramp. Once seven shots to the left ramp are made, the trunk will rotate so the side with a hole in it faces the player. Shooting the ball into the trunk within 10 seconds will score the hurry-up value, which starts at 50 million points and increases by about 10,000 points per bumper hit for the entirety of the session. After the second hurry-up is collected in a game, the timer for subsequent hurry-ups will be reduced to 5 seconds, making them tougher to collect. (*The player only needs to spell THEATRE to complete this objective - the hurry-up is optional.*)

### Multiball

This objective requires the player to start 3-ball multiball, by locking two balls at the center loop then shooting the magnetic side of the magic trunk to begin the multiball.

#### Lighting the Locks

At the start of the game, all 5 letters in MAGIC will be unlit. The player can collect letters in MAGIC by shooting the center or right ramp when the "SPELL MAGIC" inserts in front of them are solidly lit. Once all five letters have been collected, the lock will light at both sides of the center loop to lock two balls behind the trunk via a post that diverts the ball. (*Multiball locks become tougher to light later on; the second multiball will force the player to alternate between center and right ramp shots, and the third multiball onwards will relegate MAGIC letters to the right ramp only.*)

The locks can also be lit by scoring a Secret Ball Lock the first time in a game (*described further in the **References & Easter Eggs** subsection*), or by collecting "Spell MAGIC" off of the **Haunted Basement** random award.

#### Jackpots

The player can start multiball after locking two balls at the center loop, and shooting the magnetic side of the magic trunk. During multiball, the magic trunk will rotate so that the side with a hole in it faces the player. A 100 million point jackpot will be available at the trunk for the first 7 seconds of multiball; once it times out, it will revert to a normal jackpot. The jackpot value starts at 50 million points, and all ramps and orbits (*except for the center ramp*) will increase the jackpot value by 5 million points, to a maximum of 255 million. After collecting a jackpot, the player must hit the target side of the trunk three times to rotate the trunk again and collect another jackpot; every jackpot collected during the current multiball will increase the number of hits required by 1. Multiball ends when the player drains down to a single ball.

### Midnight Madness

This objective requires the player to start the Midnight Madness mode by advancing the clock to 12 o'clock, with shots to the right orbit.

#### Advancing the Clock

Every shot to the right orbit during non-Multiball play will advance the time on the clock by 1 hour; the first shot will set it to 1 o'clock, so 12 total right orbit shots are needed to advance the clock to midnight. Reaching 6 o'clock the first time in a game will light an **extra ball** or score 40 million points if an extra ball has already been lit this way.

The clock can also be advanced 2 hours from a trunk **skill shot**, 1 hour from a captive ball skill shot, and 3 hours from a Haunted Basement **random award**. The Haunted Basement can also instantly advance the clock to midnight.

#### Mode Scoring

During Midnight Madness, the magnetic side of the trunk will rotate to face the player. In this hurry-up mode, the player can shoot the magnetic side of the trunk as many times as possible to score 2 million points multiplied by the current hour; the clock starts at midnight, and decreases by an hour every 5 seconds. Once the clock hits 4 o'clock, all shots will score 10 million points. The mode ends as soon as the clock hits 1 o'clock, and the progress towards starting the mode will reset.

### Illusions

The most difficult objective in the game, this objective requires the player to accomplish 8 magic illusions. Each illusion is a 30-second timed mode; some can be completed, but others can't. Illusions can only be started during single-ball play by shooting the magic trunk three times, then shooting the side with a hole in it to start the illusion; they can also be started from the trunk **skill shot** or from a **Haunted Basement** random award. The left flipper changes the currently lit illusion from the top of the left column to the bottom, then to the top of the right column. Illusions carry over into multiball play, and progress towards all other objectives can be made during illusions.

The eight illusions are:

* **Tiger Saw** - The tiger saw has the power to cut anything in half. Shoot the captive ball to score 15 million points per shot until time runs out.
* **Levitating Woman** - Repeatedly shoot the center ramp to help the woman on the display keep floating. The first shot scores 11 million points, and subsequent shots add 1 million more.
* **Trunk Escape** - Escape from an underwater trunk. Four shots to the magic trunk target, scoring 17 million points each, are required to escape successfully.
* **Spirit Cards** - Shoot the spinner through either entrance to the center loop to magically shuffle the cards; the first shot scores 800,000 points per spin and further shots add 300,000 points more.
* **Safe Escape** - Figure out the correct combination to escape the safe. Shoot either entrance to the center loop to find one part of the three-part combination; the first two shots score 20 million, and the final shot scores 30 million.
* **Metamorphosis** - Shoot the right ramp over and over to watch the lady on the display transform into more and more outrageous things. The first shot scores 12 million points, and subsequent shots add 4 million more.
* **Strait Jacket** - Struggle out of the strait jacket by shooting the left ramp or right orbit, both of which will send the ball into the bumpers. The bumpers score 6 million points each, and 10 bumper hits are required to successfully finish the illusion.
* **Hat Magic** - The trunk side with a hole in it will be active in this mode, where repeated shots to the trunk will score 15 million points and pull a random object out of an hat.

### Grand Finale

Once the player has accomplished all 4 objectives, both sides of the center loop will light to start the Grand Finale **wizard mode**. This 60-second timed mode requires the player to spell "MAGIC THEATRE" by making any ramps, orbits, or the trunk itself to collect letters. Each letter scores 50 million points, with a 500 million point bonus for completing the two words (for a total of 1.1 billion for completing the mode!). **Special** will also light at both outlanes to score an **extra ball** during this mode. After the timer runs out or the two words are completed, the four objectives will reset and the player can progress towards starting Grand Finale again. (*Starting Grand Finale will cancel currently active **illusions**, but it can be started during both **Midnight Madness** and **Multiball** with no penalties.*)

## Side modes

*There are no proper side modes on this table, excluding two that can be earned from **Haunted Basement** and will be described in their own section.*

### Tiger Saw Multiball

There is one optional multiball mode on this table, which can be started at any time and requires a ball to be locked before starting it. To start Tiger Saw Multiball, the player must first "vanish" the ball by shooting the captive ball three times, then shooting the left ramp to vanish the ball for 40 million points. Subsequent Tiger Saw Multiball playthroughs during the same session will require six hits to the captive ball to light the vanish lock. Lighting 3 vanish locks in a session will light an **extra ball**. If the ball has been vanished and the player starts the regulation Multiball, it will begin with 4 balls in play instead of the usual 3. Once the player drains down to a single ball, they will have to vanish the ball again by shooting the left ramp.

After vanishing the ball, either shooting the right orbit or the bumper rollover lanes will start the 2-ball Tiger Saw Multiball and release the ball from the vanish lock. All shots to the captive ball during Tiger Saw Multiball score a jackpot, starting at 30 million points and increasing by 10 million per shot up to 70 million points. Progress towards spelling **THEATRE** and advancing the **clock** can also be made during this multiball, which ends when the player drains down to a single ball.

## Perks

* **Skill Shot**: At the start of every new ball, a skill shot will be able to be collected by shooting the trunk immediately after plunging the ball, which will award one of the cycling awards shown on the display. Every time a ball is locked, the skill shot will instead be at the captive ball, and will always advance the **clock** 1 hour. The awards are as follows:
	+ Points (10 million or 20 million)
	+ 2x Bonus (automatically advances **bonus multiplier** to 2x)
	+ Advance **Clock** (by 2 hours)
	+ Start **Illusion**
	+ 2x **Combo** (only awarded if an Illusion is already lit to start, doubles the shot values for combos)
* **Ball Saver**: At the start of every new ball, a 10-second ball saver will activate. Once it expires, it cannot be reactivated normally.
* **Hocus Pocus**: Hitting the "Hocus Pocus" standup target to the left side of the playfield during single-ball play will begin a 20 second timer for an automatic magna-save, which activates when a ball is about to drain down either outlane. The magna-save expires once it has been used, and must be relit by hitting the standup target again.
* **Bonus Multiplier**: Completing the two top rollover lanes will increase the end-of-ball bonus multiplier by +2x up to 8x, which is only good for the current ball. 5 million points are rewarded for completing the two lanes while the multiplier is already maxed. During Multiball and Grand Finale, shots to the left ramp will divert into the bumpers, making it easier to rack up the bonus multiplier.
* **Haunted Basement**: Hitting the standup targets flanking the center ramp a total of four times will light the center ramp to briefly raise the haunted basement scoop in front of the right ramp; the scoop must be made in 5 seconds to collect a random award, but the center ramp can relight the random award if the player misses the scoop shot. Once a random award has been collected, the player must relight the center ramp with more standup target shots. There are 10 random awards, listed from left to right:
	+ X Million (X = anywhere from 15 to 40 million)
	+ Midnight (instantly advances the clock to midnight and starts the **Midnight Madness** mode)
	+ Light Extra Ball (at the left ramp)
	+ Advance Clock (by 3 hours)
	+ Illusion (starts the currently flashing **illusion**)
	+ Spell MAGIC (collects all MAGIC letters and lights the **Multiball** locks)
	+ Digital Pinball (unique video mode - the display becomes a miniature pinball table, where the player must hit six targets with the ball using the flippers to score an **extra ball** or 40 million points on subsequent attempts)
	+ Trunk Magic (hurry-up mode - shoot the trunk hole in 5 seconds for 40 million points)
	+ Light Special (at the outlanes)
	+ Bonus X (+2x)
* **Spirit Ring**: Shooting the right ramp during non-Multiball play will light the right ramp to divert the ball to the magnet at the top-left of the playfield. 3 subsequent shots to the right ramp within 10 seconds of each other will score 10, 20, and 30 million points each.
* **Combos**: Shooting ramps and orbits within 5 seconds of each other scores combo points, starting at 2 million points and increasing to a maximum of 20 million points. Scoring "2x Combo" off of the trunk **skill shot** will double the combo values, making it easier to get to the 20 million value.
* **Special**: The outlanes can be lit for special by reaching the **Grand Finale** or by lighting them as a random award from the **Haunted Basement**. The slingshots toggle the outlanes between being lit and unlit.
* **Extra Ball**: Extra balls can be collected at the left ramp by advancing the **clock** to 6 o'clock, lighting 3 **vanish** locks in a session, or as a random **Haunted Basement** award. The Haunted Basement can also award *Digital Pinball*, which will instantly score an extra ball when completed.
* **End-of-ball bonus**: Bonus is calculated from the following, all multiplied by the bonus multiplier:
	+ 2 million x number of objectives completed (if none have been completed, just 2 million)
	+ 1 million x number of MAGIC letters collected
	+ 500,000 x number of THEATRE letters collected
	+ 1 million x current time on the clock (if it hasn't been advanced, 0 points)
	+ 4 million x number of illusions played
	+ 1 million x number of skill shots collected

## Tips

* If you're playing for score, just go for the left ramp. Going for the left ramp will get you THEATRE letters for a valuable and easy hurry-up, and weak shots will dribble into the bumpers and possibly advance the bonus multipliers; the end-of-ball bonus can be very big on this table. Shooting the diverted left ramp during multiball is also an easy way to increase the jackpot value.
* The Illusions are the toughest objective to complete thanks to how many shots are required to start all 8 of them. This can be made a bit easier by going for the THEATRE hurry-up, which spots a trunk target shot, or by shooting the hocus pocus standup target and rebounding into the trunk target. If you're close to starting an illusion, note that starting a multiball will reset all progress made toward starting it.
* If Hocus Pocus isn't lit, light it as soon as you can. The feature will save balls from draining down the outlanes, and can help negate the risk of going for the dangerous trunk target.

## References & Easter Eggs

* If the player makes a weak shot to the center loop, a "Secret Ball Lock" will be scored with a unique animation. The first time this is collected in a game, it will light the multiball locks without having to collect the MAGIC letters; subsequent secret ball locks just score 20 million points. A "DOHO" can also be seen at the bottom left of this animation.
* Holding the right flipper while starting a game will make *Digital Pinball* the first **Haunted Basement** reward for the current session, for 40 million points. If this is done in a multiplayer game, only the first player will play for 40 million, and others will play for an extra ball.
* The second animation in the **Tiger Saw** illusion shows the tiger sawing a pinball machine in half.
* During the **Metamorphosis** illusion, the fourth shot to the right ramp will show the lady turning into a cow; the fifth shot will show her transforming into the snack bar vendor from *Creature from the Black Lagoon*, who says "Here's your hot dog!".
* During the **Hat Magic** illusion, the third shot to the trunk hole will cause the woman to pick up a phone out of the hat, which plays the "MOVE YOUR CAR!" audio from *Creature from the Black Lagoon*.