Early in my Switch-owning life I took part in a Kickstarter project for a little accessory called the FlipGrip. Evangelized by Retronauts’ own Jeremy Parish and sold by Fangamer, the FlipGrip basically flips your Switch vertically, snapping both JoyCons on each side so you can play games that are oriented that way and make full use of the Switch’s crisp screen portably. It’s an amazing way to play many of the arcade compilations that’ve come out over the years, including SNK’s amazing 40-year anniversary collection that I reviewed a long while ago.
But undisputedly on top of the list of best games to play using the FlipGrip is Pinball FX3, developed by Zen Studios. Enjoying a good pinball table vertically on the Switch is a completely unique experience when compared to TV mode. It feels great to hold a small version of a pinball table in my hands, and especially thanks to Zen’s fantastic work in emulating pinball, which they have perfected over the many years since they’ve been messing around with flippers and metal spheres.
Admittedly its been a little while since I’ve played any pinball on my Switch, so having the opportunity to enjoy a new table in the form of one of my favorite film franchises with Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure has made me fall in love with the FlipGrip and Pinball FX3 combo all over again. This is the first time Williams’ classic 1993 Indiana Jones table has seen a digital release, and boy, it’s a fun one.
Bringing in elements of all the first three Indy films, Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure takes you through a host of challenges based on iconic moments from each of the main adventures starred by Harrison Ford. Sadly, no Young Indy here; sorry, Sean Patrick Flannery fans! There are little oohs and ahs for fans of the movies like me to go nuts over, and of course, also a lot of challenges to keep pinballers on their toes.
I’ve never had the chance to see the real Indiana Jones table personally, so it’s a blast to get to enjoy it in virtual form. As usual, Zen Studios has made a really believable translation of the real thing, but adding in lots of fantasy elements in, like a small version of Dr. Jones himself that paces around on top of the table, as well as the iconic WW1-era Mark VII tank from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.
It’s a gorgeous table to look at and most importantly, it’s a whole bunch of fun to play, too. Even for someone who’s pretty much a novice in pinball like myself, this table provides plenty of enjoyment not only for the theme itself, but the constant blips and blops and score point dumps that multiply my total to ridiculous heights simply for surviving without missing a shot and banking the ball.
Following up on Pinball FX3’s excellent catalog of Williams tables, Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure is very much worth picking up, even if you haven’t much of a collection of tables for the game. The base Pinball FX3 is free to begin with, so if this is your first time playing, feel free to try it out first before forking over for new levels. And of course, if you’ve yet to buy a FlipGrip, do yourself a favor and grab one, it’ll make playing this THAT much better.
