Zen Studios have announced Pinball FX, a new pinball title coming to next-gen consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S later this year.
Calling it their “most ambitious pinball project to date”, Pinball FX will feature a new career mode, challenge modes, a clan system and more, while online leagues, tournaments and competitive play have all been retooled to cater to live events and a seasonal content model.
However, most curious of all the new and returning modes in Pinball Royale, “a frantically exciting multiplayer action mode incorporating battle royale-style gameplay.” There’s no further details on how this will work, but we’d expect that Zen might draw from the formula set out by Tetris 99 and Super Mario 35, where you compete with others in a high score chase of sorts.
Obviously, with the new generation of consoles the target for the new Pinball FX game, Zen Studios will be looking to take advantage of the power and visual technologies that they offer. I’m sure they’ll be able to tout ray traced lighting in particular.
All of that is coming together in such a way that Zen Studios have decided to effectively reboot the brand – the most recent game was Pinball FX 3 – to justify the new approach to the business model, the new modes, and their desire to rebuild all of the tables and everything from scratch. It’s explained in their first The Pinball Show, which will be a regular dive into the game’s development from now until launch.
Looking back on Pinball FX3, it launched in 2017 for a wide array of platforms, building on the foundations of Pinball FX2. In our review, Ade wrote:
“Pinball FX 3 is a fantastic sequel and offers everything a fan of the series could hope for. It brings added sheen and shine to every conceivable area that was lacking in Pinball FX2. The true test of its longevity will be in its forthcoming table packs but judging on the quality of the Universal Film Studios pack, we’ve nothing to be worried about.”
Here’s hoping this next-gen game can live up to the legacy of the series, right out the gate.
Source: press release
