Quick Links:
[Official Rulesheet]
- Game Information
- Rules Overview
- Layout
- Modes of Play
- Skill Shots
- Shark Encounters
- Closing the Beaches
- Bounty Hunts
- Jaws Multiballs
- Other Scoring
- Wizard Modes
Game Information & Overview:
- Lead Designer: Keith Elwin
- Code/Rules: Rick Naegele, Elizabeth Gieske
- Lead Mechanical Engineer: Harrison Drake
- Artwork: Michael Barnard
- Display and Animations:
- Sound Design: Jerry Thompson
- Release Date: January 2024
- Wiki Rulesheet based on Code Rev: 0.88
- Edit the Code revision, if applicable, when you make changes
Summer has arrived in the small New England town of Amity, and threatening sharks have put the town’s beaches in danger. The player is assigned to save the town by rescuing beachgoers, closing the beaches, and taking on bounties to defeat the invading sharks, in hopes of eventually defeating Jaws, the Great White shark himself.
Rules Overview:
- Complete the bash boat to light shark encounter modes at five different shots. Keep shooting the bash boat either during or before them for mode boosts.
- To lure out the shark and start Jaws Multiball…
- Chum the water at the captive ball, then shoot the red arrows to add to the chum line.
- Once the chum line is full, shoot any yellow flashing shot, then make a quick shot to the shark fin to attach a barrel to it and light Jaws Multiball at the ramps.
- Subsequent multiballs require barrels to be qualified manually at the left target bank, and more than one barrel has to be attached to the shark.
- “Beachgoers” are added to each shot with shots to the shark tower targets. Collect all three beachgoers to close the beach and start a hurry-up at that shot, and score bonuses at that shot for the rest of the game. Close all five for rescue multiball.
- Shoot for the right ramp to start a bounty hunt for one of four sharks. Complete the indicated amount of shots on the display while playing out the rest of the game. Then, spin the fishing reel to start a multiball and take down the shark.
- Complete the white arrows at the left target bank to light the right lane for fish finder. Shoot any of the flashing left targets from the upper flipper to score the lit award.
Layout:
Premium/LE: |
Pro: |
|---|---|
 |
 |
Modes of Play:
These modes are accessible by holding both flipper buttons during attract mode until a menu appears. The following options are available:
- Standard:
See below for full rulesheet. - Competition:
- DJ Mixer
NOT a gameplay mode. This mode operates like a jukebox, allowing you to play the music featured in the machine, including a number of specific playlists. - Competition Install
Not from the gameplay menu, but the following is changed if a Competition Install is performed from the utilities menu:
Skill Shots:
The multi-level skill shot changes at the start of each ball, once the previous one has been scored. You get a maximum of three skill shot attempts per ball.
- Level 1: Plunge into the pop bumper for 5M.
- Level 2: Plunge into the lane above the mini-flipper, without hitting the bumper, for 10M + light gear.
- Level 3: Shoot any target on the flashing left target bank, without any other switch hits, for 15M + light gear.
Each skill shot, regardless of level, also adds +5 seconds of ball save time.
Shark Encounters:
Shark Encounters are the main modes of the game and chronicle the crew’s encounters with the vicious Jaws. They can be started at any of the five “beach” shots, after enough shots to the captive ball / bash boat - on the Prem / LE you’ll know one is about to light when the shark bash toy is available to shoot. Shooting the shark while a mode is lit also awards 5M the first time + 5M for subsequent shots.
Shooting any shot that feeds the left inlane, followed by the captive ball / bash boat, awards 2x damage.
Once encounters are lit, further shots to the captive ball will boost the next shark encounter in the following ways:
- 1st captive ball hit - adds 15 seconds of time.
- 2nd captive ball hit (complete all targets) - 5M & lights gear.
- 3rd captive ball hit (complete all targets) - next encounter scores 2x.
Completing any shark encounter by collecting the encounter jackpot during it adds a permanent +1x multiplier to machete shots for the rest of the game.
On Prem / LE models, the radio target on the upper playfield spots a shot during modes, one time only per mode.
The five shark encounters are:
- Night Swim: Started at the left spinner. Shoot blue shots to score, or fast blinking shots to score double. After 5 blue shots (the final shot at either the left spinner or right ramp), two shots will move from the left side of the playfield to the right and back - nail any five of these shots to light the encounter jackpot at the fin drop target.
- Beach Panic: Started at the left “wave” ramp. All five shots are lit to score, with one shot lit for 2x. Once 10 shots have been made (with 2x shots counting double), the wave ramp is lit to light the encounter jackpot at the fin drop target.
- Scars: Started at the center ramp. Shoot the lit ramps to score 6M per shot. Hitting the stand up targets decreases the shots’ values by 250k. After eight shots, shoot any of the left standup targets to bring up the fin drop target to score encounter jackpot.
- Pond Attack: Started at the fishing reel spinner. Lit shots score points and add 100k+ to a jackpot at the fishing reel. Shoot the Quickshot lane immediately after making the fishing reel to 2x the jackpot, with 3x and 4x jackpot awarded depending on the strength of the shot. Score 3 fishing reel jackpots to light the encounter jackpot.
- Raft Attack: Started at the right ramp. Shoot either the left or right ramp to raise the fin drop target for jackpot. The center ramp can be made as a combo off of either ramp to double the jackpot value at the target. Score 3 jackpots at the fin drop target to light the encounter jackpot.
Play all five shark encounters to light 4th of July mini-wizard mode.
After completing the above mini-wizard mode, the shark encounters can be played again as “challenges”. Encounter boosting is disabled for shark encounter challenges, and their timers are decreased as well. In place of increasing the machete multiplier, each completed shark encounter challenge increases a shot multiplier at the shot used to start the respective mode.
Closing the Beaches:
There are five different beaches surrounding Amity that need to be closed in the wake of approaching shark attacks, represented by five different shots on the playfield. To close each beach, three beachgoers must be rescued at their respective shots - they can be found by shooting for the shark tower targets surrounding each shot.
Once all three beachgoers have been rescued at one beach, a hurry-up will start at that shot to close the beach. The hurry-up value starts at 15M, and once scored, all further lit shots to that closed beach on the same ball, until rescue multiball is started, will score a percentage of the hurry-up value as a bonus. Rescue all 15 beachgoers to light rescue multiball.
Rescuing 8 beachgoers awards an extra ball. Pipit is lit at the left target bank after every 5 beachgoers rescued, excluding ones that start rescue multiball.
Bounty Hunts:
Bounty hunts are started at the right ramp after enough fishing reel spins - or, if one isn’t currently running, Quint’s Shack can light a bounty hunt. Unlike typical modes, bounty hunts run in the background of normal single-ball play, are untimed, and only require the player to complete the tasks assigned on the display. Progress on bounty hunts are maintained from ball to ball… unless you drain while the reel is lit, in which case you will lose the bounty automatically.
The four sharks a player can hunt for are:
- #1 - Mako: 100 spins, 3 ramps, 1 pop hit, 2 chum bucket hits.
- Reward: Upgraded Fishing Reel (fishing reel advances 2x towards subsequent bounty hunts); 2x multiball scoring while flip-locked
- Bonus Reward: Light Gear
- #2 - Thresher: 6 ramps, 3 3-bank targets, 5 boat shots, 4 chum bucket hits.
- Reward: Next Jaws Multiball worth 2x; longer flip-lock timer
- Bonus Reward: Machete +1x
- #3 - Hammerhead: 150 spins, 6 3-bank targets, 4 pop hits, 2 mini-lanes.
- #4 - Tiger: 6 3-bank targets, 5 pop hits, 10 boat hits, 4 mini-lanes.
Once the assigned tasks have been completed, the player must reel in their find by shooting the fishing reel spinner. This will start bounty hunt multiball. If the player completes bounty hunt multiball, they will score the bonus reward.
If the shark was not captured during bounty hunt multiball, the player can revisit the bounty hunt to capture them again. The required shots are halved for revisited bounty hunts, but the multiplier for the bounty jackpot will also decrease and bonus rewards won’t be scored. All progress during the multiball is retained (if the shark was below 30% health, it will reset to 30%).
Bounty Hunt Multiballs:
Sharks are vicious creatures and must be weakened before they can be successfully caught. After shooting the fishing reel, a multiball will start where the player reels in the shark and weakens it.
The multiball for each bounty hunt shark slightly varies depending on which shark was reeled in:
- Mako - 2-ball multiball w/ 5 seconds added to ball save.
- Thresher - 3-ball multiball.
- Hammerhead - 3-ball multiball with add-a-ball at the chum bucket captive ball.
- Tiger - 3-ball multiball with two add-a-balls, one at the chum bucket, then another at the center captive ball targets.
The goal of each bounty hunt multiball is the same - to shoot the green shots to score awards (which can be increased by spinning the fishing reel) and reel in the shark, while shooting the captive ball / shark when flashing (after enough green shots) to weaken it. The shark’s strength is indicated by the green lights on the chum line and increases over time - once the lights have faded completely, one final fishing reel shot followed by the captive ball / shark shot will capture the shark and award the bounty.
The bounty is a large score award determined by the following: (10M + 1M x lit beachgoers + 2.5M x flashing targets hit during feeding frenzy) x the shark number.
Once the shark has been captured, a “celebration” victory multiball will start. Shoot the green flashing shots for jackpots - every two jackpots lights the captive ball / shark shot for a super jackpot that increases in value with each jackpot scored prior to shooting it, which also relights a jackpot. The super jackpot multiplier increases as jackpots are scored, and decreases with each super jackpot collected.
The jackpot values during celebration multiball are maintained across the entire game.
Jaws Multiballs:
To lure out Jaws, the player first must chum the water by shooting the captive ball with the chum bucket sculpt above it. Shooting the flashing red arrows will add to the red LED lights on the “chum line”, and once the line is full, any flashing yellow shot can be made to set up a shot at Jaws and try to attach a barrel to him. The total value of the chum line shots determines the jackpot value for the multiball that follows.
For the first Jaws Multiball, all the three shots that feed the left flipper (i.e., harpoon insert shot, left orbit, and center ramp) will be lit yellow to raise the shark fin. Shoot the shark fin to attach a barrel. For Jaws Multiball 2, only the left orbit will be lit yellow to raise the shark fin. For Jaws Multiball 3, only the harpoon insert shot will be lit yellow to raise the shark fin. Jaws Multiball 2 and Jaws Multiball 3 also require the player to ready their barrels manually by completing the left target bank.
Once the required amount of barrels have been attached to Jaws, Jaws Multiball can be started by making any shot that feeds the inlane posts (i.e., the harpoon lane, left orbit, center ramp or the right ramp). The three multiballs play as follows:
- Jaws Multiball 1: Reel Him In! Shoot the red flashing shots to collect awards. After collecting three awards, a jackpot shot will flash yellow and red. Shooting additional red shots before shooting the jackpot will increase the jackpot value, up to a maximum of 5x. Collect 10 jackpots to light the captive ball for super jackpots for 10 seconds.
- Jaws Multiball 2: The Chase. Collect switch hits to light all major shots for jackpot, then keep collecting increasing amounts of switch hits to light them again. Collect a jackpot at all five shots to light the captive ball for super jackpots for 10 seconds.
- Jaws Multiball 3: Currently a placeholder - all shots are lit for 15M+ jackpots. A lit jackpot shot must be made to relight the jackpot that was scored prior to it.
During any Jaws Multiball, a ball can be added by shooting the chum bucket enough times to fill up the chum line. 3 hits are required for the first multiball, 8 hits for the second.
Once any Jaws Multiball has been completed, victory combos will start (which are also rewarded once any other multiball has been completed). Shoot the lit jackpot shots as combos to increase their value.
Flip-Lock:
Jaws features a Flip-Lock mechanic at the mini-flipper during all multiball modes. If a ball is being held at the flipper, press the action button and the mini-flipper will remain raised, allowing multiball to be played with a single ball. If the player wants to release the ball from the Flip-Lock prematurely, they can hold the action button and the flipper will automatically lower.
Flip-Lock ends once the 20-second long timer expires, indicated by the flashing barrel atop the bumper. Normally, Flip-Lock can only be used once per ball in play.
Other Scoring:
Gear Collection:
Gear can be lit at the right ramp in various ways:
- Making a level 2 or 3 skill shot
- “Encounter bonus” (2nd encounter boost award)
- Scoring a quickshot
- As an award from Pipit
- Wheel award (Prem / LE)
Once lit, a single shot to the right ramp will collect all available gear, which can be cycled through with the right flipper.
There are six different types of gear available:
- Binoculars: For the next three standup target hits, two beachgoers are lit instead of one.
- Oxygen Tank: For the rest of the ball, all ball save timers and mode timers (ie. shark encounters, feeding frenzy) are boosted. +5 seconds for ball save, +8 seconds for modes.
- Tracker: For the next three chum line advances, the line is advanced twice as fast.
- Barrel Hook: Jaws Multiball Extended. Once the player returns to single-ball play, another ball will be launched and multiball will continue.
- Shark Cage: One-time ball save for the next shot to the fin drop target.
- Dart: The next bounty hunt advances twice as fast and a +1x multiplier is added to the final bounty award.
Once all six types of gear have been found, shooting the right ramp again will allow the player to either sell their gear to Quint for points, or keep their available gear. The point award is multiplied by however many pieces of gear the player hasn’t used. If the player chooses to keep their gear, the cash out can be relit the next time the player lights gear.
If all gear has been used, draining will automatically remove the gear from the player’s collection without the chance to sell them.
Fish Finder:
Shooting the white arrows in front of the left target bank will eventually qualify the fish finder, which can be activated by rolling through the lane directly above the mini-flipper. Shoot the flashing target on the left target bank to score the flashing award, from the following five:
- Super Buoys: Slingshots are lit for more points than usual. Alternate between the left and right slingshots for values starting at 100k per sling.
- Super Life Ring: Every shot to the light life ring target scores a value starting at 10M + 5M per shot and adds more time to the award. If life ring isn’t lit, then collecting a shot during super life ring will automatically qualify it.
- Cast ‘n’ Catch: Two “count-ups” are lit at the center and right ramp for a value starting at 1M, increasing rapidly to 30M, and then resetting back to 1M.
- Light Video Mode: Started at the right ramp. This is an emulation of the “shark killer” EM machine from the movie (which can be played in either 2D or 3D). Use the flippers and action button to fire harpoons at the sharks while avoiding the divers which remove harpoon shots. 2X scoring for the rest of the video mode plus harpoons and extra time are awarded if and when your score reaches 5000. Bonus items you can shoot in the video mode include +5 harpoon shots, and an extra ball icon that moves quickly. Sharks score 500 points each, or 1000 points each after achieving 2X scoring. If you score X thousand points in video mode, then you will get 3X million points when you finish video mode (e.g., 5000 video mode points = 15 million points when you finish video mode).
- Night Search Multiball: 2-ball multiball. Jackpots are lit at all major shots, but disappear if time runs out. Hit any Fish Finder target to relight jackpots, and the bash boat targets to increase their value. After scoring eight jackpots, shoot the shark within 10 seconds for as many super jackpots as possible. Victory combos starts after the super jackpot round times out.
Collect all five awards to start super cast 'n catch.
Quickshots:
If the harpoon lane isn’t lit to attach a barrel to Jaws, it can be lit for quickshot by rolling through the right lane above the mini-flipper. Shoot the fin drop target shortly following the harpoon lane shot to collect the quickshot award. The timer decreases with every quickshot collected.
Every completed quickshot - or lit lane the ball rolls over after passing through the harpoon lane - increases the quickshot multiplier by +1x up to a max of 7x. The multiplier value is reset once the player misses a quickshot, so quick, precise shooting is required to maximize scoring potential from them. The quickshot award is also subject to shot multipliers from the lit machete lanes.
Gear is lit at the right ramp for every successful quickshot made.
Feeding Frenzy:
A timed feeding frenzy mode starts after collecting enough complete sets of shark tower targets: 2 are needed for the first one, then 5 for the second, etc.
During feeding frenzy, each shot to the flashing shark tower targets scores a value that increases with every switch hit, and gets multiplied with each flashing shark tower target hit. The feeding frenzy total is maintained across the entire game and is awarded in bonus at the end of each ball.
Feeding frenzy cannot be started during any multiball mode. However, it can be brought into them.
Quint's Shack:
The right ramp is lit for Quint’s Shack after advancing ORCA with strong shots up the left “wave” ramp - “sneak attacks” (missed shots that fall onto the right ramp exit) won’t count.
If Quint’s Challenge is lit at the right return lane, ORCA cannot be advanced and Quint’s Shack can’t be relit until Quint’s Challenge has been started.
Quint’s Shack offers several rewards:
- Light shark encounter
- Light 1 - 3 beachgoers
- Light bounty hunt
- Light activate fish finder
- Light Pipit
- 5M
Quint's Challenge:
Completing ORCA at the left “wave” ramp lights the right return lane for Quint’s Challenge, and will light one shot to start a combo. The combo sequence only starts when the first shot is made, and each successive challenge increases in difficulty.
Each combo represents one of the knots that Quint teaches the crew:
Easy
- Clove hitch - left orbit - right ramp - chum bucket
- Bowline - center ramp - right ramp - chum bucket
- Half-hitch (Prem / LE) - wave ramp - lookout tower
Medium
- Figure-8 - center ramp - right ramp - wave ramp
Hard
- Sheepshank - reel spinner - harpoon lane - right ramp
Tying a knot in Quint’s Challenge increases the bonus multiplier, up to 5x. The multiplier is automatically held across balls.
Pipit:
Once enough beachgoers have been found, “Pipit” will light, and the next completion of the left target bank will throw a stick for Pipit to fetch at a random shot (solidly lit gray). Collect the lit shot before time runs out to score 10M and light gear.
Machetes (Shot Multipliers):
Completing the left target bank while “light machete” is lit will light a return lane for “machete”. This corresponds to a shot multiplier, awarded on the next shot made after rolling through the lit return lane. The multiplier starts at 2x and can be increased by +1x permanently by…
- Completing any shark encounter
- Catching a bounty hunt shark (excluding mako)
- Completing night search multiball
and temporarily increased by…
- Completing the left target bank while machete is already lit (+1x)
- Collecting the 3x Machete wheel award (+3x)
Machete cannot be lit during multiballs or wizard modes, but can be brought into them at their current value.
Life Ring:
Shoot the “light life ring” target once, then shoot it again while it’s flashing to qualify the life ring ball save. The “life ring” insert above the left outlane only lights for a short time after pressing the action button (when flashing orange), so it must be timed well to save balls that drain there.
A grace period is provided for the first life ring award in a game, and will save the ball even if the left outlane has already been registered. Afterwards, the life ring timer will decrease with every successful use.
Orca Wheel Awards (Prem / LE):
The upper playfield on Prem / LE models of Jaws has an associated mystery award. It lights at the start of the game, and can then be lit at the Orca’s steering wheel spinner with enough shots to the lookout tower ramp on the upper playfield. Press the action button to lock in the displayed award once the dial is over it.
The five awards are:
- Light Gear
- +3x Machete (temporary)
- Shark Ramps (bumper & ramp hits score 3M per hit)
- Shark Combos (combo shots score 3M per hit)
- Super Spinner (spinner is worth 300k, for a single rip only; can be lit up to three times. Worth 2x if made as a combo off of wheel spinner, reel spinner, or right ramp)
Points can also be scored after enough lookout tower shots, or steering wheel spins, even if a mystery award isn’t lit (up to 25M). Extra ball is awarded after eight lookout tower shots.
There is a special combo on the Prem / LE called the Quint Combo, awarded for shooting the lookout tower ramp immediately followed by the right ramp when the ball exits out of the upper playfield. Quint Combos start at 5M and increase +500k per combo, to a max of 10M.
Extra Balls:
Extra ball is awarded instantly…
- After rescuing 8 beachgoers
- On the 3rd quickshot scored
- By shooting the extra ball icon during video mode
- At 8 lookout tower shots (Prem / LE)
If disabled, extra ball scores 15M.
End-of-Ball Bonus:
- Ball Bonus (more information needed)
- Feeding Frenzy points
All multiplied by the bonus multiplier which increases as knots are tied during Quint’s challenge.
Wizard Modes:
4th of July:
Start all five shark encounters to start this mini-wizard mode.
Keep all five beaches open before it’s too late! The five shots that were used to start the encounters are the same shots you have to make during this mode. Each shot is lit on a timer indicated by the inserts in front of it; once the beach closed insert is lit, you won’t be able to make that shot any more.
The goal of 4th of July is to collect fireworks to keep the beaches open. This is done by shooting the lit shots, which will also reduce the inserts in front of that shot by 1; over time, the inserts will increase in presence faster as more and more shots are made. Once 25 fireworks have been collected, the captive ball / bash boat will be lit for a super jackpot, which also reopens one beach that has already been closed.
4th of July mode ends once all five beaches have been closed. The shark encounters can then be played as “challenges” for increased shot multipliers.
Rescue Multiball:
Once all five beaches have been completely evacuated, Rescue Multiball will begin. If the player has only one beachgoer left, and another mode is currently running, the final beachgoer won’t be lit until the mode ends. A ball save is also given while the final hurry-up is available.
The beachgoers have to be evacuated before the shark devours them! Shoot the flashing shots to score 1x, 2x, and 3x jackpots depending on the beachgoers that were successfully saved at that shot. One blue shot represents the pursuing shark, which will eat beachgoers at the corresponding shot unless the player can stall them by shooting it.
Once all fifteen beachgoers have been either evacuated or devoured, the super jackpot can be scored by first shooting the boat captive ball, then repeatedly hitting the fin target. Each shot to the fin target increases the subsequent super jackpot value by 2M, and it can be scored as many times as possible before time runs out.
After the super jackpot times out, victory combos will start for the remainder of Rescue Multiball.
Super Cast 'n Catch:
Collect all five fish finder awards to begin this mini-wizard mode.
This is a hybrid single-ball / multiball mode where the goal is to collect and score as many cast n’ catch awards as possible. The player must first lock a ball at the mini-flipper via any shot that feeds it, starting a timer for the flip-lock. Then, a new ball will be sent into play, and the player can shoot the center ramp to lock in the cast 'n catch award (between 500k to 5M, the maximum value increasing with every jackpot stage started). If the flip-lock times out, the player will need to lock a ball there again to return to increasing / locking in the cast 'n catch award.
Once the cast 'n catch award has been locked in, the award can be scored for 15 seconds at all major shots, and a ball can be added with enough chum bucket hits (one ball can be added per jackpot stage, and the amount of hits required increases with every jackpot stage visit). Once the timer has expired, the player returns to locking the ball at the flip-lock, but if any balls were kept alive from the prior multiball, they can be locked at the left orbit or right ramp to multiply the cast 'n catch award.
Super cast 'n catch ends when only one ball remains in play and the jackpot stage has been played at least once.
