Star Wars: Masters of the Force

> "You must feel the Force around you."
>
> - Jedi Master Yoda

### Number of flippers

6 (3 on main playfield, 2 on the holocron mini-playfield and 1 on the Sith alchemy mini-playfield)

### Wizard mode type

Victory multiball (mini-wizard mode), time-limited victory multiball (true wizard mode)

### Number of multiball modes

3 (2 Light, 1 Dark)

***Star Wars: Masters of the Force*** is a pinball table based on the intense clash between the light and dark sides of the Force throughout the *Star Wars* saga, originally released in the *Heroes Within* DLC pack for *Zen Pinball 2* and *Pinball FX 2*. The player gets to relive the most intense lightsaber battles between the Jedi and the Sith, and can choose to either support one side of the Force or fulfill the prophecy of the balance between the two.

## Objective

Either release the full power of the Force by defeating the practitioners of the opposite side in three lightsaber duels, or bring balance to both sides of the Force and fulfill the ancient prophecy through completing all six - all while maintaining your presence on the Light or Dark Side.

### Light & Dark Sides

*Star Wars: Masters of the Force* is thematically split into two halves to reflect the battle between the light side of the Force and the dark side of the Force. Various scoring features described in this document all depend on the objectives the player has accomplished. The player starts at "balance", right in between the sets of three light and dark side inserts. Completing **Light Side duels** or **Yoda's Hurry-Up** will advance towards the light side, and completing **Dark Side duels** or **Emperor's Hurry-Up** will advance towards the Dark Side.

### Starting duels & general duel information

To start a duel, the player must make shots up the center lane to erase the letters in the word "FORCE" on the display by hitting the spinner; each letter requires 10 spinner hits to solidly light. Once all five "FORCE" inserts are strobing, an alarm sound will play, and the next shot up this lane will begin a duel determined by which flipper was used to shoot it - left flipper for Dark Side, right flipper for Light Side. At the beginning of a duel, the ball will immediately be magnetized to the dead space just above the flippers.

At the end of the first phase of the duel, a value will be scored based on the current state of the Force *(ie. completing the first phase while at balance will score 1 million, while winning the first phase of a Dark Side duel while at level 3 Dark Side will score 20 million points*). During the second phase of each duel, the player will be prompted to attack the enemy by hitting his drop target 10 times on a 60-second time limit, with each hit moving the drop targets on the table, scoring 1 million points, and adding 5 seconds to the timer.

Once a duel has been won, it cannot be repeated until any of the **wizard modes** are started. If the timer runs out during any phase, the duel ends in failure, and the state of the Force will remain unchanged. The three duels for each side of the Force must be completed in order.

### Light Side Duels

* **Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn vs. Darth Maul**: Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi encounter the Sith apprentice Darth Maul, armed with a deadly double-bladed lightsaber and sent to defeat the Jedi and thwart the liberation of Naboo. The two Jedi duel the Sith inside a spacious power generator complex full of catwalks. After hitting the drop target of Darth Maul three times, red laser barriers in the complex will block off the duelists, bringing the duel to a brief halt. The player must hit and remove the right laser barrier, then hit Darth Maul again, followed by the same procedure for the left laser barrier; this must be done within 30 seconds per laser barrier. Once both barriers are disabled, the duel continues. Qui-Gon is forced to fight Maul by himself and is mortally wounded, prompting Obi-Wan to boldly face Maul alone. The player helps him win the final duel and knock Maul down into a pit by repeatedly hitting the drop target of Maul until his health bar shown on the scoring display reaches zero.
* **Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda vs. Count Dooku**: During the first battle of the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker and his master Obi-Wan Kenobi chase down Sith apprentice Count Dooku, aiming to capture him and bring him to justice. The player helps the two Jedi duel Dooku by hitting his drop target 4 times to begin the second phase. After the required hits are made, the two standup targets will move to the center of the track and the player will have to make a difficult shot to the crossramp to start the next part of the fight, where Anakin powers down some of the lighting and causes the table to darken. Dooku's drop target will move faster, and the player must hit him 3 more times while overcoming the limited visibility within a 30-second time limit that doesn't reset for each shot. Yoda will then finally arrive to challenge the Sith lord, and the player must help Yoda hold his own against Count Dooku by hitting Dooku's drop target until his health bar on the scoring display empties completely.
* **Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Sidious**: Luke Skywalker is tempted by Darth Sidious to finish off Vader, whom he fully knows to be his true father, and join the dark side. Luke refuses to give in to his hatred, and Sidious is now determined to kill him. During the first phase of the mode, three shots to the reactor shaft must be made to refuse Sidious' temptations within a 30-second time limit that extends by 10 seconds for each sinkhole shot; a cutout target of Darth Vader will move around and might block the way during this phase. After making all three reactor shaft shots, the cutout target of Darth Sidious must be hit repeatedly until his health bar on the scoring display reaches zero to finish him off once and for all.

### Dark Side Duels

* **Darth Sidious vs. Yoda**: Yoda travels to the Senate building in Coruscant to take on Darth Sidious, who had recently declared himself emperor of the galaxy. During the duel, Sidious uses the Force to throw a Senate platform at Yoda, which the player accomplishes during the first phase of the mode by making a strong shot to the reverse scoop in front of the bumper lane within 90 seconds (this timer resets upon failing the first phase or making a weak reverse scoop shot). The reverse scoop will magnetize the ball to the spinning Sith Holocron toy, where the player has to press the launch button at the right time to launch the ball off of the toy towards the Yoda target. After a successful hit, Yoda will approach Sidious and the duel will commence. The player must then help Darth Sidious fend off Yoda by hitting the Yoda drop target until his health bar on the scoring display fully depletes.
* **Darth Vader vs. Obi-Wan Kenobi**: Darth Vader detects the presence of Obi-Wan aboard the Death Star as the rebels are about to make their escape, and the two engage in a duel. The player helps Vader track down Obi-Wan during the first phase by memorizing a sequence of four lit lanes that light up in succession, then shooting each correct lane in order within a 30-second time limit that resets for each successful shot. After tracking Obi-Wan down, the duel will start, and the player helps Vader finally strike down Obi-Wan by hitting the drop target of Obi-Wan until his health bar on the scoring display empties completely.
* **Darth Vader vs. Luke Skywalker**: After capturing Luke Skywalker's closest allies in Cloud City at the gaseous planet of Bespin, Darth Vader seeks to overpower him in a duel and convince him to turn to the Dark Side. During the first phase of the mode, Vader must use the Force to hurl three pieces of heavy machinery at Luke and the player must hit any of the bumpers 10 times total, followed by a shot to Luke's drop target once. After repeating this process three times (once for each piece of machinery), a drop target of Darth Vader will briefly move across the playfield representing his struggle to hold against the wind; the target must be shot once to commence the duel proper, where the player helps Vader defeat Luke by hitting the drop target of Luke repeatedly until his health bar on the scoring display empties completely.

### Wizard modes

There are two wizard modes on this table. **Full Power of the Force** is started by completing all three **duels** on a single side, then using the same flipper as the previous duels to start the victory multiball. **Prophecy Fulfilled** is started by completing all six duels, and takes priority over the duel selection. At the start of each wizard mode, a bonus is scored based on how many **holocrons** the player has collected - 10 million points per holocron collected, and 100 million points per complete set of holocrons.

**Full Power of the Force** is a 3-ball victory multiball where any lane on either the left or right side of the playfield - depending on the duels that were played to get to this multiball - awards a jackpot, worth 1 million points per holocron collected. The center orbit will only score jackpots if the player shoots it using the flipper that was used to start the duels that qualified the wizard mode. Progress on completing all duels for the corresponding side will reset after this multiball has been played, but the current state of the Force will be retained.

**Prophecy Fulfilled** is the true wizard mode, depicting Anakin Skywalker fulfilling the prophecy of balancing both the light and dark sides of the Force by breaking free from Darth Sidious' influence and finally killing him. This is a minute-long 4-ball victory multiball with a constant ball saver, where the player can shoot any lane to earn jackpots worth 2 million points per holocron collected, striving to earn as many points as possible before time expires, the flippers are disabled and all balls drain. *(During this mode, the special Balance of the Force diorama behind the table will rotate into view; when the mode ends, the diorama will show a redeemed Darth Vader killing Darth Sidious and becoming Anakin Skywalker in name once again.)* At the end of this mode, the table will properly reset all progress, and the player's Force status will revert to "balance".

## Side objectives

### Hurry-ups

* **Yoda's Hurry-Up (Light Side)**: If the player hits the Jedi Holocron toy when the scoop side is facing the player, a hurry-up side mode will begin where the holocron will lower to expose the hidden sinkhole behind it. The player must shoot the hidden sinkhole sinkhole quickly to collect a hurry-up value that starts at 3 million times the current Light level. Every Light level also adds 10 seconds to the hurry-up timer.
* **Emperor's Hurry-Up (Dark Side)**: If the player hits the bumpers 20 (+10 per activation) times, the reverse scoop in front of the left lane will activate. The player can then make a strong shot to the reverse scoop while it is active to take the ball to the left habitrail, where it will be immediately magnetized to the Sith holocron toy and spun around wildly; one press of the launch button will release the ball. At the moment the ball is released, the player must shoot the crossramp to collect a hurry-up value starting from 6,666,666, decreasing to 100,000 points over 30 seconds.

### Holocrons

Both sides of the playfield have shots that access the Holocron mini-playfield, *as long as the opposite side of the Force is not currently dominating the table*.

* Jedi Holocrons can be found by repeatedly shooting the Jedi Holocron toy until it rotates to show a side with a magnet on it. Hitting the magnetized side within 15 seconds will capture the ball, dropping it into a VUK that feeds the holocron mini-playfield via one of four sinkholes in the Light Side diorama.
* Hitting the captive ball under the Sith Holocron toy will lower it. Shooting the Sith Holocron with enough strength, so that the ball jumps the ramp and lands on the curved path on the back-left platform, will allow the player to find a Sith Holocron.

Regardless of side, the goal of the Holocron mini-playfield is to hit all 4 saucers; the two left saucers are available by default, but to hit the ones on the right, the player must open or close the diverter gates to them by hitting the flashing standup targets on the right side of the playfield. After all 4 saucers are hit, the Holocron is acquired, which will score a value determined by the current Force position (ie. 1 million for balance; 10 million if one side is fully dominating) and add bonus points to the score collected at the start of the **wizard modes**. Up to 10 holocrons can be collected per side.

### Sith Alchemy

The Sith use the Dark Side of the Force to manipulate life and bring back the dead. If the player drops the ball into the lane left of the left outlane twice during normal play, either by falling into the sinkhole through a lucky bounce or by raising the left mini-flipper as the ball goes down the left habitrail so that the flipper diverts the ball, the ball will enter the Sith Alchemy mini-playfield. Each shot to the ramp on the mini-playfield advances the value for making the mini-playfield exit shot (from 1 million for one ramp shot, to 25 million for five), and the player's "alchemy level" will increase by 1 for each ramp shot made cumulatively before exiting the mini-playfield through the exit shot. Reaching alchemy level 5 will hold the **bonus multipliers** for the next ball, while making five ramp shots in a single mini-playfield attempt will light an **extra ball** at the sinkhole used to enter the mini-playfield.

### Multiball modes

* **Quick Multiball (Light Side)**: Hitting the Jedi Holocron toy to reveal the side with a captive ball on it, then shooting the captive ball out of the Holocron with a strong shot, will begin a quick 2-ball multiball. The right orbit must be shot four times to light the Jedi Holocron for a 5 million point jackpot. After a jackpot is earned, the Jedi holocron will lower to reveal a hidden sinkhole that can be hit for a super jackpot worth 4x the value for about 10 seconds. The Multiball ends once either ball drains, the super jackpot has been collected, or the super jackpot has timed out.
* **Illusions Multiball (Light Side)**: The power of the Force grants Jedi the ability to recognize and create illusions. If the player shoots the right ramp 4 times to spell LOCK, the next shot to the right ramp will lock a ball in the Gnarltree. After 3 balls are locked in this manner, the Illusions Multiball will begin with the locked balls releasing and heading towards the right flipper. A jackpot worth 5 million can be collected by hitting the Jedi holocron toy, and hitting it again within 10 seconds immediately will award a super jackpot worth 4x the value. The bullseye target, followed by the sinkhole behind it, will light for 20 seconds to score double & triple super jackpots - worth 2x & 3x the super jackpot value respectively. Once the timer has run out for any super jackpot phase, another jackpot can be made available by shooting the right orbit four (+1 per jackpot collected during the current multiball attempt) times. Shots to the Jedi holocron that directly hit the center of the magnet in front of it will increase the jackpot value for the current multiball attempt by 1 million points.
* **Force Rage Multiball (Dark Side)**: The Dark Side of the Force amplifies the aggressiveness of those who practice it most. Balls can be locked for this multiball either by spelling LOCK at the left lane, then shooting it again; or by using the Sith Holocron toy's jump ramp to hit the target at the back left corner of the table for a fast lock. Once 2 balls have been locked in the saucers, the captive ball must be shot once more to start the Force Rage Multiball. A jackpot worth 5 million will be made available at the crossramp. After collecting the jackpot, a super jackpot worth 4x the jackpot value will be available to claim for 30 seconds (15 seconds if the player is on the light side), by shooting the jump ramp on the Sith holocron toy such that the ball lands in either the sinkhole at the edge of the Dark Side diorama, or the fast lock target. Sinkhole shots score super jackpots, while shooting the fast lock shot twice scores a double & triple super jackpot before ending the super jackpot phase prematurely. After the super jackpot phase has timed out, another jackpot can be made available at the crossramp by hitting the left orbit four (+1 per jackpot collected during the current multiball attempt) times. The jackpot value for the current multiball attempt can be increased by 1 million via strong left lane shots that pass the reverse scoop.

## Perks

* **Skill Shot**: The goal of the skill shot is to plunge the ball to the trap area for 500,000 points + 100,000 points per skill shot on the current ball, then use the upper right flipper for a chance to perform a super skill shot worth 2x the value by shooting the crossramp. A cutout of Luke Skywalker will pop out to show where the ball should ideally stop for the skill shot.
* **Ball Saver**: A 30-second ball saver is available at the start of each ball and multiball mode, but it cannot be reactivated for the rest of the ball once it expires. A free, short ball saver is activated at the start of each duel and every time an enemy drop target is struck during a duel, preventing unfair outlane or center drains from hitting the drop targets.
* **Kickbacks**: The Light and Dark Sides of the Force have unique protective abilities, protecting both of the table's outlanes. The left kickback is activated by hitting the TRANSFER and ESSENCE standup targets once each, and as a standard kickback, it typically sends the ball to the upper right flipper area. Conversely, the right kickback is a subway kickback that sends the ball into the bumper area; it is activated by pushing the Wall of Light varitarget on the right side of the table all the way such that it exposes a sinkhole, then shooting that sinkhole before the varitarget returns back to its default position. Both kickbacks remain lit between balls until used.
* **Bonus Multipliers**: The player can raise the bonus multipliers for each side of the Force by +1x by hitting the DARK or LIGHT standup targets from the upper flippers. Every time LIGHT is spelled, the Light Side bonus multiplier will increase, and every time DARK is spelled, the Dark Side bonus multiplier will increase. The bonus multipliers max out at 10x and are only good for the current ball, unless the player activates the multiplier hold by reaching alchemy level 5. Bonus multipliers for both sides will be granted if the ball is drained while both sides are balanced, but if one side dominates the other when the ball drains, the player will only receive the bonus multipliers from that side.
* **LIGHT & DARK Target Values**: The amount of points earned for hitting either standup target bank as a combo from either orbit can be increased by shooting the orbits themselves. The value for shooting the red standup targets after the left orbit increases by 50,000 when the player shoots the left orbit, while the value for shooting the Light target bank after the right orbit increases by 50,000 whenever the player shoots the right orbit. Both combos have no known score cap, and don't reset until the combo has been collected.
* **Reactor Shaft Bonus**: Every 5 shots to the reactor shaft score 100,000 points.
* **Reactor Shaft Combo**: If one side of the Force is dominating, the player can score a Reactor Shaft Combo by shooting the crossramp followed by an immediate shot to the reactor shaft. If the Dark Side is dominating, this will be **Superlaser**; if the Light Side is dominant, this will be **Proton Torpedo**. Each crossramp shot while the Reactor Shaft Combo is qualified increases the value of the combo, which starts at 1 million points, by 500,000 points until it has been collected; the first Reactor Shaft Combo in a game will also light an **extra ball** at the side corresponding to which weapon was used.
* **Master Combo**: A Master Combo can be executed by shooting the right orbit, the right ramp, the left orbit and then the crossramp within 5 seconds of each other and in order. In addition to the points scored for each combo in sequence, the Master Combo will add an additional million for a total of 1,600,000 points, and will light an **extra ball** at the Wall of Light varitarget the first time it is pulled off. Following the Master Combo, the combo shots can be repeatedly chained to multiply the combo values.
* **Super Spinner**: If the player lights all 4 return rollover lanes, the spinner at the center lane will become supercharged with raw Force energy for 30 seconds and any spinner hits will award 100,000 points. After the spinner is hit at least once, the super spinner timer will end if the spinner hasn’t been shot in about 5 seconds.
* **Extra Balls**: Extra balls can be lit by winning all 3 **duels** for one side of the Force, making 5 consecutive ramp shots in the **Sith Alchemy** mini-playfield, collecting a **Reactor Shaft Combo**, executing a **Master Combo** for the first time, or maxing out the **bonus multiplier** for either side at 10x. Extra balls can be collected by dropping the ball into the sinkhole blocking the Sith Alchemy mini-playfield entrance (if the method was related to the Dark Side) or repeating the activation procedure for the Wall of Light kickback (if the method was related to the Light Side or if a master combo was collected).

## Tips

* It can be very, very difficult to reach and beat any of the wizard modes. If you want to reach the wizard modes that badly, be sure to turn on the kickbacks, and have the ball under control at all times to make difficult shots that might be required. The bumpers used during the third duel for both sides can be fed to by the reactor shaft, but also from the right outlane kickback - and nudging the table slightly right while the ball is in the area will score more bumper hits.
* If you’re playing for score, the game's two Multiball are where all the points tend to be, thanks to the many super jackpots that can be collected during them. During Illusions, remember to backhand the Jedi Holocron for the best chance at collecting the super jackpots. Try shooting for fast locks off of the Sith Holocron to start Force Rage, and cradle balls on the left flipper if you’re having trouble collecting the jackpot at the crossramp - and that the left orbit shots required to relight the jackpot can also be shot from the left flipper.
* Holocrons might be tedious to go for, but if one side of the Force is dominating, they can be fairly easy to come by and score 10 million points for collecting them. Ignore the Holocron feature until you've made it to level 3 on either side of the Force, then repeatedly shoot either Holocron to complete your set and score big points at the start of the wizard modes. Or risk it and get a huge bonus at the start of the wizard modes...
* After you win your first duel, or while one side of the Force is dominating, go for an easy extra ball and some decent points by making the Reactor Shaft Combo.

## References & Easter Eggs

* The layout shares some similarities to Gottlieb's 1995 *Stargate* pinball machine. Both games have an assortment of targets that can be hit with the ball (although *Stargate* uses drop targets rather than standup targets), an area below the left outlane with its own rules attached to it, a right lane that can be blocked by an upper flipper, and a complex layout that requires the player to put in effort to make every shot.
* The Sith Holocron is a jump ramp that lowers and allows the ball to access an upper playfield area, similarly to the slam ramp in *No Good Gofers*, which Zen later digitized.
* The Jedi Holocron's default magnetic behavior is reminiscent of the Magic Trunk from *Theater of Magic*, dropping the ball into a hole behind the shot.
* The zipper-flippers on the Holocron mini-playfield are a reference to the zipper-flippers seen in several early pinball machines, where hitting certain targets would greatly reduce the gap between the flippers and make it easier to keep the ball in play. Bally's *Fireball* is a notable machine to have this feature.
* The "bullseye" score for hitting the Jedi Holocron directly in the center is a rarely seen feature. Several 1990s Gottlieb machines like the aforementioned *Stargate* had bullseye rewards, and Stern's 2018 *Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast* features a bullseye target in a prominent, central position.
* The scream heard for collecting the reactor shaft bonus is the Wilhelm scream, famous for its use in the Star Wars saga.

## External links

* Official table trailer
* Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin
* Official table soundtrack on Bandcamp (tracks 24 - 34)