Monster Bash

> "You have the reason
> You have the right
> To mosh with the monsters
> and stage dive tonight!"
>
> - Sign to the Monster Mosh Pit

***Monster Bash*** is one of two Williams pinball tables released in a special Halloween-themed Universal Monsters pack for Zen Studios' Williams pinball collection, available in *Pinball FX 3*, the macOS version of *Zen Pinball 2* and the *Williams Pinball* mobile app. Based on the Universal Classic Monsters film franchise, the first-ever cinematic multiverse, this table chronicles efforts to assemble the Universal Classics Monsters for a spooky, ensemble musical performance.

## Table overview

### The upper half of the table

The back of the table wall reflects three distinct settings, which are Dr. Frankenstein's lab, the Wolfman's forest and the tombs of Egypt. They form the backdrop of a major large orbit that wraps around most of the table's major lanes. Between the left orbit and the left ramp is a single blue target used to activate the phantom flip. The left ramp curves right before making a sharp loop around a figure of the Bride of Frankenstein's monster, before passing along a figure of Dr. Frankenstein himself taking the ball to the left inlane.

The left ramp's entrance is next to a center ramp that is blocked off by a red 2-target target bank that can lower after it is struck enough times. Its entrance is covered by the operating table on which Frankenstein's monster is built and born, and it can also rise to block off the ramp in the absence of the target banks during Frankenstein Multiball. This center ramp takes a short right curve to rejoin the exit habitrail of the table's right ramp, and its entrance is flanked by two more blue targets like the first one near the left orbit.

The centermost lane is a straight path that curves a little to the left before merging into the apex of the table's main orbit to take the ball down its left side. This lane is called the mosh pit lane and it is gated with a flag and marked with the stanza that is used for the signature quote for this table's article. To the right of this middle pathway is the table's bumper area, accessed by a dropdown at the apex of the table's right orbit, in which balls pass through one of three bumper rollovers spelling the word DIG. This bumper area represents the tomb where the Mummy resides.

Though the bumpers cannot be hit from any other place besides the dropdown, the leftmost bumper has a single target in front of it that can be hit by shooting towards the mosh pit lane called the Tomb Treasure target. There is also a sinkhole called the Concert Hall Scoop installed in front of the frontmost bumper. To the right of this sinkhole is the right ramp, which curves left and wraps around a model of the Mummy's sacrophagus placed above the DIG bumper rollovers, before merging with Frankenstein's center ramp to lead into an exit habitrail that snakes all the way to the right inlane.

Next to the right ramp is the table's right orbit. In front of the rightmost four lanes in the back of the table is a curved target track where a figure of Dracula can slide across after exiting his coffin on the right side of the table.

### The lower half of the table

At the middle of the table's left wall is a saucer representing the Gill-Man, the titular Creature of the Black Lagoon, accessed by a special leftmost lane that is left of the left orbit. Directly across the table at its opposite side is another red 2-target target bank each representing one word in the phrase "Drac-Attack", used to summon Dracula out of a coffin right behind this bank.

There are two rebounds, four return lanes and two flippers. The outlanes are unguarded, lacking any protection mechanisms. Spider webs also top the rebounds, covering much of the inlanes with a translucent film. Within the dead space of the flippers are lamps representing the six members of the Monsters of Rock and the instruments they use. A drum set is placed on the left apron and a synthesizer sits on the right apron.

### The plunger

The plunger is a straight shaft that drops the ball into the table's main orbit. It is powered by an automatic, push-button plunger that propels the ball with consistent force such that it rolls up to either one of the three DIG bumper rollovers. The goal of the skill shot is to cycle the position of a lit DIG rollover by operating the flippers while the ball is shot into play so that the ball will pass through a lit rollover. All skill shots will grant a Monster Bomb and at least 100,000 points plus 50,000 points times the number of times it was previously executed.

## Objective and missions

The goal of this table is to summon and unite the six famous Universal Classic Monsters to either round them up to "bash" them - or give them instruments so that they can perform a rock concert to horrify and amuse others. All missions must be started to unlock the mini-wizard mode (fulfilling the former goal), while all of them must be completed successfully to unlock the true wizard mode (fulfilling the latter goal). It is possible for multiple missions to be active at the same time, and the time limits of timed missions are suspended during Frankenstein Multiball mission, the Mosh Pit Multiball or the mini-wizard mode. Draining the ball will result in immediate failure of any active missions except Frankenstein Multiball if its objective was already completed successfully. Completing a mission successfully will also allow the player to score 900,000 points plus 10,000 points per previous mission completed successfully on the same ball by shooting either orbit or side ramp once each, and shot lanes can be relit by beating another mission or shooting the Mosh Pit lane with the same ball.

The following six missions must be played to unlock either wizard mode:

* **Creature Feature (*Creature from the Black Lagoon*)**: The Gill-Man is reluctant to join a rock band and must be hunted down to bring him in. This mission starts when the Black Lagoon saucer is hit four times, and the goal of this mission is to shoot five of six major lanes once (Black Lagoon saucer, both side ramps, both orbits and the central mosh pit lane) before a shrinking score pool starting from one million shrinks to 500,000 points. Once one of these lanes is hit before that happens, whatever remained of the score pool at that time will be dispensed, becoming the base reward for the rest of the mission's shots. The player then has a strict 20 second time limit to hit any other lit lane to claim that same score again, multiplied by the ordinal number of the lane being hit (i.e., the second shot grants twice the base score established on the first shot, the third shot grants thrice the base score, et cetera), and this time limit resets after each valid shot. After five of the six lit lanes are hit, the mission ends successfully and Gill-Man will obtain a saxophone for the concert. The mission fails if the player takes too long to shoot a valid target lane. The Black Lagoon saucer is always a valid target lane during this mission, and the player can use up a Spear Gun Monster Bomb to automatically skip one target lane shot, meaning that possession of five Spear Guns will instantly clear this mission.
* **Ball and Chain (*Bride of Frankenstein*)**: The Bride of Frankenstein, which Frankenstein's monster requested his creator to build so that he could mate and reproduce his kind, is undergoing her typical beauty routine. This mission begins by shooting both side ramps three times each. The player is granted 750,000 points for starting this mission, which eventually builds up with each pair of ramp shots made to start it, and this mission's goal is to shoot each ramp thrice again as before within a 30 second time limit that can be reset up to 3 times with a shot to the mosh pit lane, which also scores the current mission reward value. This value begins at 500,000 points and increases by 100,000 points for each time it is successfully completed up to a maximum of 1 million points. Each shot that progresses through the mission awards twice that value, and the player can use up a Hair Dryer to skip one mandatory ramp shot, alternating between the right ramp and the left ramp, meaning that six Hair Dryers can instantly beat the mission successfully. The mission fails if the timer runs out and completing it successfully awards the Bride's microphone.
* **Frankenstein Multiball (*Frankenstein*)**: Dr. Frankenstein has created an artificial human being out of the body parts of the deceased, and he is a terror to behold. The player can start this mission by hitting the twin red targets blocking Frankenstein's center ramp seven times (or 14 times after the first attempt at this mission), once (or twice after the first mission attempt) for each major body part. The first hit scores 200,000 points and subsequent hits are 20,000 points more than the last one. After the sufficient hits are made, the targets will lower to unblock the ramp, which can be shot again to start a 3-ball multiball. During this mode, the figure of Frankenstein's monster will rise along with his operating table to block off the ramp, and the player must hit the monster on his operating table six times for six super jackpots to complete the mission before all but one ball is lost. This can also be achieved by scoring three Double Super Jackpots or two Triple Super Jackpots. Using a Flaming Torch will automatically collect whatever Super Jackpot is lit at the time. To change the Super Jackpot to a Double Super Jackpot, the player must shoot any major lane twice to earn two regular Jackpots, and must collect a third Jackpot before hitting the monster to change it into a Triple Super Jackpot. The value of Jackpots start at 400,000 points + 50,000 points times the number of times this mission was completed successfully, and the value of Super Jackpots start at 1 million points + 250,000 points times the number of times this mission was completed successfully. If the player loses all but one ball without completing the mission successfully, the player will have 15 seconds to shoot the now opened center ramp to win the mission instantly, before the targets block the ramp once again. Completing the mission successfully in this manner will give the player an additional 15 seconds to earn bonus Jackpots through that same ramp, with the timer resetting per Jackpot scored. Completing this mission successfully awards Frankenstein's keyboard.
* **Mummy Mayhem (*The Mummy*)**: The Mummy is buried in the tombs of Egypt and he must be awakened and confronted. This mission begins when the bumpers are hit 60 times to activate Mummy Jets (in which the bumpers score 20,000 points per hit instead of the usual 10,000) and the player then shoots the Concert Hall sinkhole. The reward for starting this mission is 1 million points times the ordinal number of the mission attempt. The goal of this mission is to score 7,500,000 points within 45 seconds to daze him once he is summoned. All rollover switches score 50,000 points, and the bumpers will be worth triple score of 30,000. The side ramps and orbits, as well as the Mosh Pit lane award Mayhem Jackpots that score 500,000 points plus 50,000 points for every switch hit since the previous Mayhem Jackpot, if there was any. The mission ends once the goal is reached or time expires. At the end of the mission, the jet bumpers will reset and the number of bumper hits needed to start the mission increases by ten. Completing this mission successfully awards the Mummy's bass. The player can also use up an ancient scroll to automatically score a Mayhem Jackpot.
* **Full Moon Fever (*The Wolfman*)**: During a full moon, the Wolfman appears and howls. This mission begins when the player shoots either orbit a total of four times, with each shot advancing the moon cycle to a full moon. The player earns 975,000 points for starting this mission, which is slowly accrued throughout the orbit shots. The player completes this mission by making four orbit shots again, with each shot having a shrinking score pool on the scoring display at stake, starting at 1 million points times the ordinal number of the orbit shot to make, and the player must quickly make each orbit shot and claim whatever is left of the current score pool before it shrinks to 250,000 points. Completing this mission successfully awards Wolfman's drums, and the player can use up a Silver Bullet to instantly skip one orbit shot, meaning that this mission can be completed instantly with four Silver Bullets.
* **Drac Attack (*Dracula*)**: The bloodthirsty Dracula is here for a fight. The player must spell DRACULA by hitting either of his red 2-target target banks seven times to spell his name (although the first three letters will already be lit at the start of a session). After that, the player can then start this mission by shooting the Concert Hall sinkhole. In this mission, the player must defeat Dracula as his toy figure comes out of his coffin on the right side of the table and moves from side to side, obstructing lanes on the right side of the table. The player has 30 seconds to score each hit and the reward for attacking Dracula is 1 million points plus 250,000 points times the number of times he was previously hit during this mission attempt plus another 250,000 points times the number of times this mission was previously beaten. The player can use up garlic cloves to attack Dracula, and can instantly defeat him by using up five of them. Defeating Dracula will award his guitar.

Once all six missions are started, the mini-wizard mode, **Monster Bash** will be unlocked and will begin once the concert hall sinkhole is shot. This is a four-ball victory multiball in which the Universal Monsters are rounded up together to be bashed around in the mosh pit. The player can attack the toy figures of Frankenstein and Dracula to bash them, bash the Gill-Man by shooting the Black Lagoon saucer, shoot the orbits to bash the Wolf-Man, shoot the side ramps to bash the Bride of Frankenstein or bash the Mummy with every 10 bumper hits. The Mosh Pit lane scores the Bash Jackpot, which is 2 million points plus 500,000 times the number of Monster Bashes since the previous Bash Jackpot or start of the mini-wizard mode, up to a maximum of 7,500,000 points. The value of a bash attack will rise by 500,000 points for every subsequent instance of Monster Bash.

If the player completed all missions successfully, the true wizard mode, **Monsters of Rock**, will be available to start at the Concert Hall sinkhole. This is a 4-ball victory multiball where the united Universal Classic Monsters put on a horrifying and enthralling rock concert with the instruments obtained. This multiball can also be activated immediately during Monster Bash if the player was able to finish all missions successfully while it is active, which will replace any balls lost during that mode. The same targets for bashing the monsters in Monster Bash will also be the targets for "rocking" the corresponding monsters. A super Monsters of Rock bonus of 4 million times the number of monsters rocked during Monsters of Rock is collected by completing the spinner shot. The value of rocking a monster increases by 1 million points for every subsequent instance of Monsters of Rock.

Once either wizard mode starts, it will continue until all but one ball is lost. Once this occurs, the table will reset and the player must start up all missions again to get to the wizard modes.

## Side modes

*There are no traditional side modes for this table.*

### Multiball

There is one optional multiball called the **Mosh Pit Multiball**, which can be played with 2, 3 or 4 balls. This mode is about the mosh pit where monsters can dance closely with physical contact and it starts out with 2 balls and is activated by shooting the Mosh Pit lane six times and then shooting the concert hall sinkhole. All the major lanes award Mosh Pit Jackpots, which start at 750,000 points, but can be raised by 5, 10 or 15 thousand points with every shot of the Mosh Pit lane, up to a maximum of 1,500,000 points. The first and second times that lane is shot will also add one extra ball into play, allowing the multiball to expand to up to four balls. Super Jackpots can be scored through the center ramp, with odd-numbered Super Jackpots earned by shooting the ramp itself ten times and the even-numbered Super Jackpots earned by hitting the Frankenstein target bank 5 times when it comes up to block off the ramp after an odd-numbered Super Jackpot is scored. This mode continues until all but one ball is lost. **Mosh Pit Multiball** can be lit again with a total of 24 shots through the Mosh Pit lane.

## Perks

The following perks can be earned during play:

* **Alive Again Ball Saver**: When it comes to the Universal Classic Monsters, cheating death is a possibility because of their supernatural origins. At the start of each ball and multiball, a short ball saver will be granted. Once it expires, it cannot be reactivated normally.
* **Score Multiplier**: The score multiplier can be advanced once every time DIG is spelled on the bumper rollovers or the Tomb Treasure target is struck. Activating Lyman's Lament through the 44th shot of the Concert Hall Scoop will also advance the score multiplier by 25x. It is only good for the current ball unless a multiplier hold is granted from the Concert Hall random awards and can be maxed out to 250x.
* **Concert Hall Random Awards**: Shooting the Concert Hall sinkhole when it is not lit for a mode will award 5,000 points plus a random reward. Possible awards include extra points, expedition of or immediate start of missions, grant an extra ball or a particular Monster Bomb.
* **Monster Bomb**: Every monster has a unique weakness or favorite item. Monster Bombs allow the player to easily beat missions in progress, depending on what they are. The player can obtain a Monster Bomb by shooting the Mosh Pit Lane three times (or six times after that), executing a skill shot or earning one as a random Concert Hall award. A Garlic Clove is also issued to the player if DRACULA is spelled again when the mission is ready to start at the Concert Hall sinkhole. The Monster Bomb for a particular mission is consumed by pressing the launch button. The different kinds of Monster Bombs that can be collected and the missions they are used for are:
	+ **Spear Gun**: A weapon against Gill-Man that can expedite the Creature Feature mission.
	+ **Hair Dryer**: An item belonging to the Bride of Frankenstein that can skip ramp shots for her Ball and Chain mission.
	+ **Flaming Torch**: A weapon used against Frankenstein's monster that will automatically collect Super Jackpots during his multiball.
	+ **Ancient Scroll**: A mysterious artifact that automatically scores the Mayhem Jackpot during the Mummy Mayhem mission.
	+ **Silver Bullet**: Powerful ammunition that can slay the Wolfman, used to skip orbit shots for the Full Moon Frenzy mission.
	+ **Garlic Clove**: Dracula's least favorite food, used to score a hit on him automatically during the Drac Attack mission.
* **Phantom Flip**: The supernatural forces at work behind the monsters can also manipulate the flippers. If the player hits the three blue targets on the left side of the table a total of seven times, the player will earn 2 Phantom Flip charges. The first Phantom Flip will be activated on the left inlane, which can be switched to the opposite inlane with flipper operation. When the ball hits a lit inlane, the Phantom Flip system will use up one charge to automatically operate the flipper the ball rolls to immediately afterwards. Phantom Flip charges persist across balls.
* **Lyman's Lament**: Lyman Sheats Jr, the table's programmer, will comment on the table's activity if the player activates his unique mode, Lyman's Lament. This can be activated by shooting the concert hall sinkhole 44 times (thus visiting all of the concert halls), or by inputting the following flipper button combination at any time and then hitting the sinkhole: 11 left, 1 right, 5 left, 1 right, 6 left, 1 right. (Note that using the flipper code This mode will change the music, add 2,500 points to every switch activation, and advance the bonus multiplier by 25x for the rest of the ball. However, using the flipper code will not add the 25x bonus multiplier and only increase every switch hit by 370 points.
* **Extra Ball**: An extra ball can be earned by achieving the Replay Score of 60 million points, earning an extra ball from the Concert Hall random rewards, making the 12th or 30th Mosh Pit lane shot, or attempting half of the main missions. All extra balls must be claimed by shooting the Concert Hall sinkhole - but it will be awarded instantly through the Replay Score method.
	+ Completing four missions successfully will light the Special in one outlane, and the Special's position can be switched between the two outlanes every time the slings are hit. If the ball is drained in the outlane with the lit Special, the ball drain will not count as a lost ball if no other balls were in play, or will immediately grant an extra ball if other balls are still in play.

## Tips

* Go for the random awards at the Concert Hall sinkhole! They can grant you extra balls, give you Monster Bombs, or help you start up missions fast!
* Aim for the Mosh Pit lane! You can earn Monster Bombs and eventually earn two extra balls if you shoot it a lot, which will help you get to the wizard modes.
* This table has no outlane protection and a ball saver that cannot be reactivated normally, so play carefully! Especially be careful when shooting the Phantom Flip targets, the Frankenstein targets, or the toy monster figures as they can bounce the ball into the outlanes or straight down the middle. If you are aiming for the Mosh Pit lane, make clean shots or you may risk a straight-down-the-middle drain that can only be averted with a nudge.

## Censorship

* Efforts have been made to remove all appearances of what may resemble blood throughout the table's design, mostly through repainting.
	+ The drum logo of the Universal Monsters rock band contains a splotch of red blood that was recolored magenta. It can also be seen on the top of the the backbox's sides.
	+ The red liquid on the apron is also changed to green so that it resembles slime instead of blood. The two longer drips near the outhole have been removed.
	+ Blood smears appearing on the head of Frankenstein's monster at the dead space have also been removed.
	+ The label of the "Alive Again" lamp, which is a red, dripping font, has the dripping portion removed to avoid the impression that it it resembles blood.
* Two depictions of Kay Lawrence, Gill-Man's hostage, have been altered so that she always wears a modest swimsuit.  On the backbox, the swimsuit is modified to hide cleavage that would normally be exposed. Likewise, a small picture of Lawrence wearing a white swimsuit near the lane leading to the Black Lagoon saucer was changed so that the swimsuit reveals less of her thigh.
* The multi-part lamp of Frankenstein's body parts (in front of the Frankenstein target bank and central ramp entrance), which have yet to be assembled but are closely together, have what appear to be severed blood vessels near the gaps between parts that are blacked out.
* When the player scores a Super Jackpot during the Frankenstein Multiball mission, the scoring display will play an animation of Frankenstein being blasted by fire. The full clip goes on to show him being caught on fire, but this is shortened to hide the gruesome effects of being burned alive.

## External links

* Table walkthrough by ShortukenToTheChin