Playfield Layout:
- FORCE 5-bank drop targets: A bank of 5 drop targets to the left of the game. Completing all 5 of the targets progresses through the FORCE values and increases the spinner value.
- Left orbit: A shot that loops around the back of the game to the entrance of the right orbit. There is a spinner in front of the shot, which can be increased in value when the FORCE drop targets are completed. There is a diverter at the end of the loop, which allows balls to enter the pop bumpers or loop around back to the right flipper. Has a mode shot arrow and a “X Multiplier” light. When lit yellow, this shot begins the Hyperspace Hurry-Up.
- Left loop / jump ramp: On the Pro model of the game, this shot is a loop that feeds the ball to the right flipper at a fast speed. On the Premium / LE model, this shot can act as both a normal loop and a jump ramp that leads up to the Hyperdrive habitrail. There is a post halfway through this shot that can redirect balls to the post at the entrance of the left loop. This shot is used to light the Death Star modes. Has a mode shot arrow, a “X Multiplier” light, and a “Death Star” light.
- Death Star: On the Pro model of the game, this is a static toy that sits in the back of the game above the left loop shot. On the Premium / LE, the toy “explodes” during certain modes using a glittering cube and light display.
- Left ramp: A ramp that goes behind the back wall of the game and feeds the left flipper. This shot is used to light the Endor modes. There is a post on the ramp that holds the ball at certain times. Has a mode shot arrow, a “X Multiplier” light, an “Extra Ball” light, a “Super Jackpot” light, and an “Endor” light.
- TIE Fighter: This is a bobbling toy attached to a target. When the target below it is hit, the toy wobbles around to simulate an explosion. Can be lit with a “TIE Fighter” light.
- Right loop: The opposite side of the left loop, which sends the ball back to the left flipper. There is an up-post at the end of this shot that holds the ball at certain times. This shot is used to light the Hoth modes. Has a mode shot arrow, a “X Multiplier” light, a “Video Mode” light, and a “Hoth” light.
- 3-bank standup targets: Three targets placed in front of an LCD screen, which typically shows TIE Fighters but also showing other videos depending on the situation. A hit to the targets during normal play increases the Shot Multipliers. Each shot also has a red arrow.
- Right ramp: A ramp to the right of the standup targets that feeds the ball to the right flipper. Has a mode shot arrow and a “X Multiplier” light. When lit yellow, this shot begins the Hyperspace Hurry-Up.
- Right orbit: A shot that feeds the ball to the left flipper. The same diverter as the left orbit is active here and can send balls into the pop bumpers at certain times. Has a mode shot arrow and a “X Multiplier” light.
- Rollover lanes: Three lanes located directly above the pop bumpers. Lighting all three lanes will increase your bonus multiplier.
- Pop bumpers: A set of three pop bumpers. At any time during play, shoot the bumpers to potentially score a mystery award from the Slot Pops. The ball exits out the right orbit.
- Scoop: A saucer on the right side of the machine that kicks the ball out to the right flipper. This shot is used to light the Tatooine modes. Has a mode shot arrow, a “X Multiplier” light, a “Mystery” light, and a “Tatooine” light.
- Hyperdrive: This is a ramp exclusively on the Premium / LE models that loops the ball from right to left, located directly above the flippers. This ramp is fed to by the jump ramp at the left loop. Locked balls for Hyperspace Multiball loop around this ramp until the mode is started. Balls that exit the Hyperdrive are fed to the right inlane through the right ramp habitrail.
- Jedi Training targets: 5 small standup targets scattered throughout the game. Two are located to the left and right of the left loop shot, two are located to the left and right of the right orbit shot, and one is located directly above the right outlane. Each target has a “Jedi Training” light and a red arrow. Completing every target once advances their value.
Choose Your Character: Similarly to the Doctors from Doctor Who or the Houses from Game of Thrones, Star Wars allows you to choose a character to play as at the start of a game. Each character has special benefits that help you out through gameplay. Also, depending on the character you choose to play as, certain modes may not be accessible depending on the scene. For instance, only Leia or Han can play Hoth I because they are the primary focus of the scene.
- Luke (Increased scoring during Lightsaber Duel and can “use the Force” once per ball in play to add a ball during Multiball modes)
- Leia (Adds 3x to the shot multiplier during any final mode for each planet)
- R2-D2 (Increases the thresholds for fewer multiplied shots and multipliers last longer)
- Han Solo (increased scoring during Escape from Boba Fett)
Skill Shot: There are two skill shots in the game.
- The first skill shot requires the player to make the flashing drop target from the plunger, like in Elvis. This spots a drop target award if it is successfully made.
- The second skill shot requires the player to plunge at a higher strength to shoot the flashing 3-bank target. Hitting the flashing target adds bonus multiplier; the faster the target was moving, the more bonus X will be at stake.
- NOTE: It is possible (and recommended!) to nail both skill shots off of the same plunge. This depends on how your game is set up, but I tend to score both of them by shooting at full power and hitting the middle standup target, which should cause the ball to rebound and hit the “O” or “R” drop target. You can also score the drop target skill shot by plunging to the right flipper and making a direct shot.
Paths: You can also choose what award you want to obtain at the start of each ball before making a skill shot by using the flipper buttons. These awards, called “Paths”, change depending on which character you choose to play as; for instance, if you play as Han Solo, one of the awards might be lighting the Escape from Boba Fett mode instantly. Some of the most valuable awards you can obtain from the Paths are +5 TIE Fighters, which could allow you to begin TIE Fighter Multiball early in the game, and Light Tatooine Missions, which essentially spots three shots to the difficult scoop. 5% Score can also be very helpful later on in the game. The awards in priority order can be gleaned at through the Instant Info screen. (Might provide a list of these at some point?)
Slot Pops: Shooting the bumpers at any time during normal play can award one of many features (think Ghostbusters or Game of Thrones). There are specific symbols for each award; look in the Instant Info to see what each symbol represents. Examples of these awards include lighting a planet’s missions instantly (and awarding their qualifying values), destroying TIE Fighters, and increasing Shot Multipliers.
Shot Multipliers: Shot multipliers start at 2x and can be toggled on and off with the action button. At lower multipliers, a spread of three shots has the green “X” lit. Hitting any 3-bank target increases the shot multiplier by 1, up to a maximum of 20x, and the overall multiplier can be doubled (by collecting the fourth FORCE award), making a maximum shot multiplier of 40x. As the multiplier increases, the “spread” of shots will decrease to 2 at 5x (7x with R2D2), and then finally only 1 shot at 10x (14x with R2D2). If the multipliers are toggled off, the “X” arrow turns red, and the flippers will move the spread of shots left or right; turning them back on will lock the selected shots in. The ideal strategy seems to be to turn them off, then move them to shots that correspond with mode bonuses or jackpots. The multiplier resets to 2x if a 3-bank target has not been hit in a while. The higher your multiplier is, the faster it times out. In Multiball, it’s a good idea to let the balls drain during the Ball Save time in order to advance your multipliers quickly - balls coming out of the plunger always hit the standup targets.
FORCE Drop Targets: Each completion of the 5-bank drop targets during non-mode play scores a different award. It may be beneficial to go for these awards during Multiball, as the targets tend to be risky shots during single-ball play. The awards are as follows:
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“F” - Light Mystery (at the right scoop)
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“O” - Light Escape (ball save at the right outlane)
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“R” - Light Video Mode (at the right loop)
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“C” - Doubled Multipliers (times out if your overall multiplier does as well)
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“E” - Light Lightsaber Duel (at the left ramp)
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Mystery: Completing the 5-bank drop targets once will light Mystery at the right scoop. Similarly to Tobin’s Spirit Guide in Ghostbusters, this award will award the player 3 different features at once. These features include instantly lighting modes and other awards, like points and extra balls. Bonus Hold is also accessible from Mystery, which can lead to ridiculously large bonuses.
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Video Mode: Completing the 5-bank drop targets three times will light Video Mode at the right loop. Alternatively, Video Mode can be played as Hoth I as Leia or Han. Use the flippers to steer the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field, and use the center button for a speed boost. Points are awarded based on the number of asteroids dodged, and a large bonus can be scored if you avoid getting hit at all. Shot multipliers do apply to Video Mode scoring too, so be sure to have the right loop multiplied before shooting it.
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Lightsaber Duel: Completing the 5-bank drop targets five times will light Lightsaber Duel at the left ramp once nothing else is active. The object is to delay Vader while your other allies escape. Blue shots (both inner loop shots and right ramp) will help them escape. Red Shots (Left ramp and 3-bank) will increase your time. The FORCE targets will increase the award values. If the ball drains during this mode, it will continue on your next ball. One of your skill shot choices will be to reset the timer. Completing this mode is one of the requirements for Jedi Multiball.
Jedi Training: Complete every blue standup target on the playfield once in about 30 seconds to advance your Jedi level. The higher your level, the more points that the targets with a flashing red light in front of them score and the higher your end of ball bonus will be. It’s generally a good strategy to go for these targets during Multiball modes. The levels are as follows:
- Youngling - 250k for completion, 25k per target
- Padawan - 1 million for completion, 100k per target
- Jedi - 10 million for completion, 1 million per target
- Master - 25 million per completion, 2.5m per target
Becoming a Jedi Master is one of the qualifications towards Jedi Multiball.
TIE Fighter Assault: Collect TIE Fighters by hitting the flashing red standup targets, which move around the playfield. When enough TIE Fighters have been collected, the TIE Fighter target is lit for a value that decreases until it hits 0. Shoot the target to collect the value, and then rapidly press the action button to destroy as many TIE Fighters as you can! Try to regain control of the ball as it bounces off of the target to maximize your scoring potential. Collecting enough TIE Fighters (35/110 to start the first/second on factory settings, 50/??? on Competition) will begin TIE Fighter Multiball. Collecting 100 TIE Fighters is a qualification for Jedi Multiball. Extra Ball is also lit at a certain amount of TIE Fighters (80 on default settings.)
TIE Fighter Multiball: 3-ball Multiball where all major shots are lit for Jackpots worth 750k. Once all Jackpots are collected, shoot the left ramp for a Super Jackpot that can be built up by shooting the flashing red 3-bank Targets. The Super Jackpot is worth 4 million + 100k for every advance. This Multiball can also be started during the “4th mode” for every planet, and it can be very useful because starting it will add more balls into play and give you a ball saver for a short time.
Hyperspace Hurry-Up: Complete the inlane rollovers to light the right ramp and left loop for Hyperspace Hurry-Up. When the mode is started, shoot the Death Star loop / ramp for a hurry-up value. Once the hurry-up is collected, a ball will be locked for Hyperspace Multiball on the Premium / LE models. You can increase the value of the Hurry-Up before the mode by completing the inlane lights or shooting an unlit right ramp. Collecting two Hyperspace Hurry-Ups will begin Hyperspace Multiball (this increases by one for each subsequent Hyperspace Multiball).
Hyperspace Multiball:
- On a Pro: Starting Hyperspace Multiball will lock a ball in the left loop, serve another ball into play, and start a hurry-up at the Death Star. Shoot the Death Star to release the locked ball, add another ball into play, and score the hurry up value. At this point, many yellow shots will light to score hyperspace jackpots worth the hurry-up value you collected. Collecting all of the Jackpots will relight the Death Star and allow you to begin another hurry-up.
- On a Premium / LE: The Hyperspace Jackpot base value can be increased whenever the Hyperdrive ramp is shot (after collecting a Hyperspace Hurry-Up or during a mode that requires it). At the start of Hyperspace Multiball, the ball will be looping around the Hyperdrive shot. Shooting more balls into the Hyperdrive will increase the value of the Hyperspace Jackpot by (?). After the timer runs out, the same rules as the Pro model apply.
Escape from Boba Fett: Shooting combo shots will light the shots that ended the combo with a white arrow. Complete four white arrow shots (with the last two in non-mode play) to begin the mode. Escape from Boba Fett is a sequence of five hurryups: left ramp, right mini-loop, right ramp, left orbit, and left ramp again. Shooting the 3-bank will add more time to the mode. Make good use of your shot and shot multipliers during this mode - the final score can be huge. Completing this mode is one of the qualifications for Jedi Multiball.
Modes: Shooting the left mini-loop (Death Star), left ramp (Endor), right mini-loop (Hoth), or right scoop (Tatooine) three times will qualify modes for each respective planet. Each planet has three minor modes (which do NOT have to be done in order), and completing all of them will qualify the planet’s mini-wizard multiball mode. Depending on your character, some of the minor modes will already be spotted for you. Interesting fact: the modes that are pre-spotted are those that would not have made sense in the character’s actual story line – e.g. Hoth II (Escape from Cloud City) is spotted as Luke, because Luke was pre-occupied fighting Darth Vader at that time. Some modes are different depending on which character you are playing as.
Mode selection is very similar to Game of Thrones. In non-mode play, shooting any qualified planet’s shot will allow you to choose a mode, or pass if you desire. Also like GoT, you may also select two modes at once, as long as they are from different planets. The default mode stacking behavior in 1.00 is to allow two “minor” modes (I/II/III) to be stacked, but each planet’s fourth multiball mode must be played on its own without another mode stacked into it. For each of the major planet multiball modes, the number of balls is equal to the number of modes for that planet you had to play plus one. If the pre-1.00 stacking behavior is enabled, and two planet multiball modes are stacked, the larger number of balls will apply, plus one extra ball for stacking.
The I/II/III modes do not time out, although many of them are based around short hurryups. The benefit of stacking modes is to enable you to make progress quicker and get credit for two modes’ shots with one shot; the drawback, however, is that BOTH modes MUST be finished before you can start any others.
Death Star Modes: Shoot the left loop to qualify and start these modes.
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I: Rescue the Princess - Complete 4 hurry up shots at the Left Orbit, both Inner Loops, and the Right Ramp. Base value of the first hurry-up is 2 million and reach subsequent hurry up is worth the (multiplied) value of the previous plus 2 million. Caps at 25 million.
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II : Escape the Death Star - Shoot 3 Inner Loops then shoot an orbit before the timer runs out. If the timer runs out on the orbit shot, you will have to shoot the three inner loops again.
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IIa: Han-Specific - Shoot both loops or both orbits, then shoot the left ramp.
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III: Fight Tie Fighters - Shoot all purple shots.
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Destroy the Death Star: Multiball mode obtained for completing all three Death Star modes. In this multiball, shoot the ramps to light a timed shot at the Death Star. Shoot the Death Star three times in total collect awards and eventually destroy the technological terror that the Empire has constructed. Completing this round will begin Victory Multiball; this is also a qualification for Jedi Multiball.
Endor Modes: Shoot the left ramp to qualify and start these modes.
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I: Speeder Bike Chase - Complete shots to progress chase; If timer runs out you will fall back a shot.
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II: Throne Room Duel - Combo both Ramps 3 (?) times. After the first ramp shot the other will be on a short timer. If the timer runs out the FORCE targets will flash to relight the ramps for another try. Shoot Hoth for extra value.
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III: Knockout Shield Generator - Complete 4 Green shots (Inner Loops, Ramps) to unlock door, then complete the same 4 Green shots to finish the mode.
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Escape from Endor: To destroy the Death Star you need to first light the inner left loop. To light the inner left loop you have to complete 3 other shots before the timer runs out. Each shot will start a timer for the next shot. The 3 bank will add time; the center target will add the most time. If the timer runs out, the Death Star will destroy a Capital ship and the mission will reset. You will need to complete 3 shots once more. Once the inner left loop is lit, shoot it to destroy the Death Star.
Hoth Modes: Shoot the right loop to qualify and start these modes.
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I: Navigate the Asteroid Field - Another way to start the Video Mode. If Video Mode was lit via the FORCE targets, it can be played a second time via the mode selection.
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II: Cloud City Escape - Shoot both ramps, then both orbits. The right loop will light to complete the mode on a timer, but draining or waiting until the timer runs out will also finish the mode
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IIa: Duel on Cloud City (Luke only) - Shoot five Force Targets; Ramps build value in between. Complete on right loop
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III: Repair the Hyperdrive - Any Blue shot will start a hurryup on the Death Star; complete the hurry up to complete the mode.
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IIIa: Tie Fighter Escape (Leia only) - Complete the 3-bank to start a timed shot at the left orbit to complete the mode. Waiting for the timer to run out or draining will also finish the mode.
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Escape from Hoth - The spinner and pop-bumpers will build your award value. Shoot the left orbit 3 times to fire an ion cannon. Then the 3-bank will collect the last award of this part. Shoot the inner loop 4 times to wrap your tow cable around the legs of an AT-AT to bring it down. Finally, shoot the last two ramp shots to escape from Darth Vader, then the right loop to start Victory Multiball.
Tatooine Modes: Shoot the right scoop to qualify and start these modes.
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I: Get to the Escape Pod - Complete 5 Orange shots (Orbits, Loops, Left ramp) to complete the mode.
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II: Escape from Mos Eisley - Use ramps to build value before time runs out; any ramp shot will light the hyperspace shot to collect value and complete the mode
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III: The Rancor - Use ramps to build value before time runs out; Collect value on the 3 Bank twice to finish. First time, either ramp will light the 3 Bank. The second time both ramps are required.
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Escape from Tatooine: Shoot the alternating shots of left ramp and right inner loop to progress the story of Luke getting to the yacht, retrieving Leia, and exploding Jabba’s Yacht. There are 9 parts to the story. Along the way the 3 bank, right ramp, and right eject will increase your award value. So you have a choice of going straight for the end or trying to maximize your scoring potential.
Completing the objectives for Destroy the Death Star, Battle over Endor, Escape from Hoth, or Escape from Tatooine will immediately begin Victory Multiball (see below). Starting (but not necessarily completing) each mode is a requirement for Jedi Multiball.
Add-a-Ball: All of the major multiball scenes have an opportunity to add a ball. The FORCE targets will act as standups - hitting any target in the bank will spot a FORCE letter. These targets act on a timer; if a target has not been hit in a while, your progress will reset. Spelling FORCE will make the action button blink orange to indicate that Add-a-Ball is ready. To use the Add-a-Ball, hold the action button in for about one second. If you stack two major multiball scenes, you can earn two Add-a-Balls. Add-a-balls earned this way can be applied to any Mode/Victory, Hyperspace, or TIE Fighter Multiball and can be “banked” away for later use.
Victory Multiball: Completing any of the Wizard modes for each planet will begin a Victory Multiball round. Complete every shot on the playfield to win a Medal; completing them again will advance the Medal from Bronze to Silver to Gold. The higher ranked your Medals are, the more score you obtain at the beginning of the final Wizard Mode for completing the modes.
Jedi Multiball: The final wizard mode of the game. Start Jedi Multiball by completing the following tasks:
- Become a Jedi Master (through the standup targets)
- Complete Lightsaber Duel
- Complete Escape from Boba Fett
- Destroy 100 TIE Fighters
- Start Destroy the Death Star
- Start Battle over Endor
- Start Escape from Hoth
- Start Escape from Tatooine
Once all the objectives to reach Jedi Multiball have been completed, shoot the left ramp. Before Jedi Multiball begins, you will receive a score bonus based on how many medals (if any) you acquired in Victory Multiball.
Jedi Multiball is a battle against the Emperor: Darth Sidious. Jedi “Multiball” actually starts as a single-ball mode (with a ball saver), and can be played with a single ball if necessary. Hit all the blue shots to stop the Emperor’s advances, and launch a second ball into play. Complete them again to defeat him. If you take too long to hit a blue shot, another one will be added, so in theory you could drag this mode out as long as you want. Defeating the Emperor will show a cool ending sequence, losing by draining your ball will generate a cool quote (but not end your ball). Doesn’t seem to be particularly very high-scoring at the moment - the medal bonus seems to be worth a lot more than the mode itself.
Win or lose, you will return to the character selection screen, where you must pick a different character to start another loop of the game. There is no “super wizard mode” for completing Jedi Multiball with all four characters; if you manage to reach this point, the four characters will simply be unlocked again. For high score purposes, your character’s high score champion will be your entire score for the leaderboard of the last character you’ve chosen.
Competition Mode:
Competition mode will make the following adjustments to the game:
- Multiplier maxes at 10x instead of 20x (can still be doubled to max at 20x). Seems to not affect R2-D2’s thresholds.
- Mode stacking defaults to OFF.
- 50 TIE Fighters needed for the first Tie Fighter Multiball (up from 35).
Good luck, and may the Force be with you!
