Moon Knight

> "I'll wear white so they'll see me coming."
>
> - Moon Knight

***Moon Knight*** is one of the four *Marvel* pinball tables released as part of the *Vengeance and Virtue* pack, and is the fourth and final table in that pack to be released in late 2011, available for *Zen Pinball 2*, *Pinball FX 2* and *Pinball FX 3*. It is based on the nocturnal superhero Moon Knight, who gains superpowers from the Egyptian god Khonshu after being betrayed and murdered and seeks vengeance upon various adversaries.

## Table overview

### The upper half of the table

The back left corner of the table features a rotating carousel of dioramas that the ball can enter into under certain conditions. The four dioramas include (in rotating, counter-clockwise order): 1) the entrance to the temple of Khonshu, the Egyptian god of vengeance, 2) a street alley containing the Black Spectre, one of the villains opposing Moon Knight, 3) the cockpit of the Mooncopter, one of Moon Knight's famous vehicles and 4) his hideout. On the opposite back corner is an Archimedes screw with a captive ball locked inside. It sits between the complex pathways of the left and right lanes of this table, with the left lane's path behind it and the right lane's path in front of it. Behind all this is a shooting gallery used for a mini-game, which gives Moon Knight the ability to wield his crossbow, with a door to the left where Bushman, the man responsible for the death of Moon Knight's original alter ego and his subsequent return as Moon Knight, enters the table to fight Moon Knight.

The right lane's path travels under a transparent ceiling towards the dioramas, but takes a sharp hairpin turn at the end that can take the ball down either one or two paths, depending on a diverter gate: a) a very tight hairpin turn that takes the ball up a higher path that's still inclined downward towards a raised pathway along the right table wall or b) a slightly looser turn that wraps around the righter turn to drop the ball into a bumper area described later on. The ball can also be trapped here briefly for certain modes. The left path behind the screw merges into the end of the tighter hairpin turn of the right lane to take the ball to the raised path, doing so near a figure of Moon Knight himself. Bushman can walk atop the transparent ceiling of both side lane's complex pathways for a fight against Moon Knight.

The entrance to the left lane is the table's leftmost full lane, passing under the diorama carousel towards the back table wall, going behind the captive ball screw mechanism to reach a raised pathway on the right table wall. To the left of this lane is a ramp that takes a sharp left hairpin turn down a winding habitrail destined for the leftmost inlane. Its entrance may fold up and out of view to expose a sinkhole. To the right of this ramp entrance is a miniloop used to start missions that wraps around the left ramp's hidden, obstructed sinkhole and merges down with the left ramp's entrance. Sometimes, a ramp may fold out to divert balls shot up this lane up to the dioramas in the back left corner of the table.

A central sinkhole used to start mandatory side missions sits to the right of the abovementioned mission miniloop. To the right of it is a bumper area that is one of the two destinations of the right lane. The bumpers are arranged such that balls that enter it can exit either to the left down the lane leading to the side mission sinkhole or to the right down the right lane. In front of the left bumper is Moon Knight's war chest, which holds energy orbs. A toy model of the Mooncopter, one of his vehicles, is also located, and locks balls. In front of it is a varitarget representing Bertrand Crawley, an ally of Moon Knight.

To the right of this varitarget is a right ramp with a foldable entrance like that of the left ramp. It normally takes the ball up a left, arcing curve in front of the tighter hairpin exit of the right lane, before merging with the exit habitrail of its left counterpart. The inner wall of the ramp also has a pop-out diverter that can take balls to the ball locker in the Mooncopter. A clock face appears right before the right ramp's entrance. The abovementioned right lane's entrance is right beside it, being the table's rightmost full lane just as the left lane is the table's leftmost full lane.

The raised pathway that the left and right lanes merge onto is to the right of the right lane's entrance, running along the table wall. It travels down and splits into two paths, regulated by an alternating diverter mechanism: a) a shorter dropdown pathway with one side having no wall and the other one lined by a right mini-flipper used to make jump cross shots to a sinkhole on a model moon that appears on the left side of the table, or b) a longer U-shaped exit habitrail that arcs across the table towards the player with multiple exit points depending on how fast the ball enters the habitrail: a full-speed ball will make it to the end at the center-left inlane, while slower balls may drop midway down the right lane to directly feed the right flipper. The gate changes positions every time the ball passes through it, such that balls do not go down the same path consecutively.

### The lower half of the table

The exit habitrails of the dueling ramps merge at a model of crashed car, passing through its windows to take the ball to the leftmost inlane. There is a left sinkhole used to investigate crime scenes directly underneath the car, to the left of the left orbit. A model of the moon may appear as a cross-shot target above the crashed car model. Between this sinkhole and the left lane is one of two targets used to activate kickbacks; the other one is located to the right of the right lane.

There are five return lanes, two crescent-shaped rebounds and two main flippers. Each outlane is guarded by a subway kickback that diverts the ball to a vertical upkicker at a nearby apron that catapults the ball back into play. Lamps for score multipliers are installed on the left rebound. The left rebound contains a machine that tracks taxi fare, just to the left of the left kickback VUK.

### The mini-playfield

Inside the model moon is a small mini-playfield where the ball enters a circular area via a crater-like hole. The rear wall of this play area contains a rotating bank of targets representing unruly mobs, with pop-up barriers that can block the targets. The front part of the mini-playfield is an outhole guarded by two flippers used to keep the ball in play and strike the targets. The outhole is the mini-playfield's only exit.

### The plunger

The plunger is a spring-loaded mechanism that launches the ball up a straight shaft that drops the ball down the path of the right lane. The goal of the skill shot is to guess the correct amount of plunger force that will launch the ball up the right lane and hit its left path (with the tighter hairpin turn) to bring the ball to the raised, forking pathway for a chance to hit a super skillshot with the mini-flipper as the pathway's diverter gate brings the ball there. If the player shoots the ball too strong, the ball will instead go up the other path of the right lane, dropping it into the bumper area. If it is shot too weak, it will fall back down the plunger or drop down backwards down the right lane.

## Objective and missions

The goal of the table is to help Marc Spector, otherwise known as the Moon Knight, perform heroic acts both as his alter ego and his superheroic persona, in preparation for a battle with the Egyptian deity Set, through ten missions. Missions must be completed successfully and are divided into three categories: 1) main missions in which Moon Knight battles villains, 2) side missions comprising of errands done by Spector in the daytime and 3) mandatory multiball modes. Main missions have one unified activation procedure, while side missions have their own activation procedure. Main missions must be completed successfully without losing the ball, although draining the ball during the Midnight or Morpheus missions will not count as a ballout. Side missions have a minimum condition that must be fulfilled to progress to the wizard mode. Mandatory multiball modes must be started to progress to the wizard mode, with no other conditions necessary.

To start a main mission, the player must collect 100 blue orbs for Moon Knight's war chest by shooting different lanes many times. Once the requisite amount is collected, a ramp will appear on the mission mini-orbit that will jump the ball into the diorama for a mission selection. The player can decide which mission to work on with the flippers and launch button. Successful completion of a mission awards yellow orbs representing Khonshu's blessing to Moon Knight as a reward for serving his purpose.

The ten missions that must be completed to unlock the wizard mode are:

### Main missions

* **Bushman Is Back**: Raoul Bushman, the man who murdered Spector, leading to his resurrection as Moon Knight, is now a dangerous supervillain whom Moon Knight must battle. To win the battle, the player must watch which of the two ramps will fold back to expose hidden sinkholes and shoot the exposed sinkholes to attack Bushman. Shooting any other lane will result in Bushman attacking Moon Knight, and doing so several times will result in mission failure. Success will light the letter "M" in MOON KNIGHT.
* **Black Spectre - Vote For Me**: Carson Knwoles, a veteran who lost everything, sought revenge against the city and became a powerful criminal who attempted to run for mayor in New York City. In this mission, the player must shoot lit lanes while avoiding unlit ones, and each successful shot delivers a blow to Black Spectre and changes which lit lanes can be shot. Shooting unlit lanes will result in Black Spectre attacking Moon Knight and doing so too many times results in mission failure. Success will light the first "O" in MOON KNIGHT.
* **Morpheus and His Ebony Energy**: Robert Markham, suffering from a dangerous medical condition, consumes a drug that was intended to save his life, but deforms him and deprives him of sleep. He then uses his powers to unleash nightmares. Moon Knight must fight him off inside his mind in this mission, which is done by hitting several small black clouds that advance towards the flippers with the ball quickly before they reach the flippers. Success will light the second "O" in MOON KNIGHT.
* **Midnight**: Midnight, who was once a sidekick of Moon Knight, betrays him and becomes a villain. The player must attack Midnight three times by shooting the right ramp sinkhole, but after the first hit, he will protect himself and the player must shoot a lit lane to make him vulnerable. Shooting the right ramp sinkhole before doing so will cause the ball to magnetize to the center of the table for a potential straight-down-the-middle drain. Success will light the first "N" in MOON KNIGHT.

### Side missions

* **Taxi Around**: Spector also works as a New York City taxi driver under the assumed identity of Jake Lockley. If the player shoots the left ramp several times, the player must shoot a lit lane to successfully collect fare from one passenger and do so as many times for extra points before time runs out. A successful fare lights the letter "K" in MOON KNIGHT.
* **Respected Citizen**: Spector also assumes the identity of Steven Grant, a millionaire, and gains money by investing in the stock market. If the player shoots the right ramp enough times such that the middle sinkhole lights the middle lamp of "Respected Citizen" and shoots it thrice, the player is challenged to make a profit on the New York Stock Exchange as Grant. This is a one-minute mission in which the player must watch the stock exchange value on the scoring display and shoot any lane to buy it once its price is low. Then, the player must press the launch button to prepare to sell the stock and watch the scoring display, only shooting any lane to sell the stock when its price is higher than its purchased price. If the player can buy low and sell high, the second "N" in MOON KNIGHT will light.
* **Moon Knight Crossbow**: Moon Knight tests his crossbow at a shooting range. If the player shoots the left ramp enough times until the crossbow indicator is lit on the left ramp's sign, the player can shoot the right lane to lock the ball briefly for a mini-game at the back table wall in which the player must aim and fire Moon Knight's crossbow at cardboard shooting targets, using the flippers to aim and the launch button to fire. There are 5 levels of difficulty. The player has 10 seconds to shoot a thug target and must hit 3 to clear the first level; doing so lights the letter "I" in MOON KNIGHT.
* **Rough Customers**: The Moon Knight uses his martial arts to beat up some rough customers. If the player shoots the right ramp enough times such that the middle sinkhole lights the left lamp of "Rough Customers" and shoots it thrice, the ball will be locked inside for a video mode. The player must watch the scoring display and press the left flipper to block a thug's attack, while using the right flipper to attack while the thug is not blocking. All characters go down in one hit. The player must defeat 2 thugs to clear the first level and light the letter "G" in MOON KNIGHT. There are five levels of difficulty.

### Mandatory multiballs

* **Nightmare Multiball**: Scary things can happen at night. If the clock on the table shows midnight (with left ramp shots advancing time by 5 minutes and right ramp shots advancing time by one hour), a 2-ball multiball will start and the letter "H" in MOON KNIGHT will light. The balls will move erratically. Lit lanes award jackpots, with some awarding super jackpots. An additional ball can be summoned into play by attacking Midnight at the right ramp entrance. This mode continues until all but one ball is lost.
* **Whirlybird Multiball**: Moon Knight tests out his Mooncopter. If the player shoots the right ramp 7 times (with the first four activating a wall diverter that pops out to divert the ball to the Mooncopter ball locker at the bumper area and the last three locking the balls in), a 3-ball multiball will start, lighting the letter "T" in MOON KNIGHT. The ramps will fold back to expose sinkholes that can be shot to obtain jackpots that grow when any other lane besides the moon jump crossramp is shot; shooting that lane awards a super jackpot. This mode continues until all but one ball is lost.

### Lunar eclipse

Once all 10 missions are completed successfully, spelling out Moon Knight's name, the wizard mode, **Lunar Eclipse** will be ready to start at the mission mini-orbit as a final battle against the Egyptian god Set. This mode is divided into two parts:

* In the first phase, Set will summon his puppets to attack Moon Knight. To defeat them, the player must race against time to shoot the left ramp once, the side mission sinkhole five times and the right ramp twice in any order.
* In the second phase, Moon Knight must reverse the lunar eclipse and restore the full moon to prevent the world from plunging into darkness. To do so, the player must shoot 50 lit lanes with a 3-ball multiball, with the balls glowing white and hazy to make it difficult to see. The player must make the requisite number of lit lane shots before all but one ball is lost. Doing so successfully will disable the flippers to allow all balls to drain, with a new ball being shot back into play.

The player can try the wizard mode as many times as possible until it is completed succesffully or all balls are depleted; after that, the table will reset.

## Side modes

The following side modes can be activated:

* **Vengeance Hurry-Up**: After a mission is completed successfully, a semi-mandatory side mode will start where the player can shoot lit lanes to earn bonus points for a limited time.
* **Mob Brawl**: Moon Knight is challenged by Khonshu to beat up a mob of thugs. If the player makes 2 successful jump cross-shots to the moon, the ball will enter a separate mini-playfield where the player must strike lit mob targets on the rotating target bank, while watching out for barriers that can block the targets. There are 5 levels of difficulty and the ball will exit the mini-playfield if it drains in the outhole or the current level is successfully completed. Harder levels have faster-moving barriers and faster-moving targets to hit.
* **Crime Scene Hurry-Up**: Moon Knight listens to police scanners to beat the cops to catching criminals. If the player shoots either ramp a total of 4 times, the police scanner will activate and the player can shoot any of five major lanes to investigate crimes. (left lane for armed robberies, left ramp for aggravated assaults, mission mini-orbit for vandalism, right ramp for forced entry and right orbit for a stolen car. The crime to investigate depends on which lane is shot, and will be investigated once the left crime scene sinkhole is then shot. Each crime has its unique objective, listed below:
	+ **Armed Robbery**: The player must shoot randomly lit lanes four times to catch the armed robber.
	+ **Aggravated Assault**: The player must shoot randomly lit lanes twice to subdue the aggravated suspect.
	+ **Vandalism**: The player must shoot any lane once to catch the vandal.
	+ **Forcible Entry**: The player must shoot a randomly lit lane once to stop the invading criminal.
	+ **Stolen Car**: The player must shoot a randomly lit lane once to stop a car thief.
* **Silent Pursuit**: Moon Knight uses his abilities to rescue his girlfriend Marlene. If the player shoots the right ramp enough times such that the middle sinkhole lights the right lamp of "Silent Pursuit" and shoots it thrice, a side mode will start in which the player races against time to shoot randomly lit lanes five times to rescue Marlene.

### Multiball

There is only one optional multiball on this table and it is called **A Screw Loose Multiball**. It begins if the player shoots the right lane enough times to spin a flag gating its entrance many times. Each spin of the flag will rotate an Archimedes screw containing a captive ball behind Moon Knight's figure, and enough spins will free the ball trapped inside and drop it down the raised forking pathway along the right table wall for a 2-ball multiball. The dueling ramps will fold back their entrances to expose sinkholes that can be hit for jackpots that grow when other lanes are shot. This mode continues until either ball is lost.

## Perks

The following perks can be activated during play:

* **Rise Again Ball Saver**: Moon Knight can regain power whenever night comes. At the start of each ball and multiball, a 30-second ball saver will activate. Once it expires, it can be reactivated by repeating the kickback activation procedure once both kickbacks are activated.
* **Kickbacks**: Hitting either of the two kickback targets twice will allow a kickback to activate when the Crawley varitarget is hit, with the left kickback activating first and then the right one. Kickbacks stay on until they are used. Each one is a subway kickback that diverts the ball to a nearby VUK that pops the ball deep into a nearby inlane to feed the ball to a main flipper.
* **Score Multiplier**: If the mission mini-orbit's diverter ramp is not active to jump the ball to the diorama, shooting it five times will advance the score multiplier, which is only good for the current ball.
* **Crawley's Awards**: Bertrand Crawley offers his assistance to Moon Knight. Every spin of the right lane's flag will change the random award that is dispensed when his varitarget is hit.
* **Hideout Upgrades**: Clearing modes will award red orbs that can be obtained the same way as blue orbs. Once enough are gathered, the player can shoot the ball up the right ramp and upgrade the base score value for shooting a particular side lane or dueling ramp. There are five scoring levels for each of these four lanes. Level 1 awards 1,000 points, level 2 awards 2,000 points, level 3 awards 5,000 points, level 4 awards 10,000 points and level 5 awards 50,000 points.
* **Eternal Flame Vessels**: After a crime is successfully solved in a Crime Scene hurry-up, the ball will catch fire from the Eternal Flame of Khonshu. The player can shoot as many lanes as possible to earn points and light the vessels of eternal flames, but can earn an extra ball by shooting all unique lanes once before the ball is extinguished to light all the vessels.
* **Extra Ball**: Extra balls can be earned by maxing out the score multipliers, lighting all vessels with the eternal flame after a crime is successfully solved, clearing all unique crime scene hurry-up modes and repeating the kickback activation process when both kickbacks are turned on and the ball saver is active. All extra balls can be claimed by hitting Crawley's varitarget or draining the ball down the outlanes.

## Tips

* With ten missions to clear, expect this table to be a significant challenge! You need to great skills in shooting the right lanes fast if you want to get through it all, as well as fierce stamina to endure through all 10 missions.
* Activate the kickbacks, leveraging their persistence across balls, and hit Crawley's varitarget to earn special perks to help you conquer the table's many missions.
* Earn extra balls by advancing the score multiplier and clearing the crime scene side missions.

## External links

* Official table trailer
* Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin (PDF)
* Official table soundtrack on Bandcamp (tracks 22 - 27 of *Marvel Pinball: Vengeance and Virtue Soundtrack*)