Quick Links:
[Official Rulesheet]
- Game Information
- Rules Overview
- Layout
- Modes of Play
- Skill Shots
- Missions
- The Future
- Multiballs
- Other Scoring
- Wizard Modes
Game Information & Overview:
- Lead Designer: Jack Danger
- Code/Rules: Waison Cheng
- Lead Mechanical Engineer:
- Artwork: Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti)
- Display and Animations: Chuck Ernst
- Sound Design: Jerry Thompson, Charlie Benante
- Release Date: September 2024
- Wiki Rulesheet based on Code Rev: 0.88
- Edit the Code revision, if applicable, when you make changes
- Original Wiki Rulesheet hosted on Tilt Forums
The Uncanny X-Men is Jack Danger’s third retail pinball machine (second cornerstone game) following 2023’s Foo Fighters and was similarly designed from the ground up as an evolution of prior pinball machines. The machine is based on the “Days of Future Past” story arc from the comics. Players will complete missions and objectives to enable Cerebro for time travel, allowing them to save the future by changing the past.
Rules Overview:
Layout:
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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.
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Competition:
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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:
- Hit the X-Jet shot to feed the X-Mansion ramp. If the ball enters the ramp, the danger room exit ramp can then be hit for a super skill shot.
- Hit the downtown shot repeatedly for up to a 5-way time loop combo. If all 5 shots were made, the left ramp can be hit for the final shot in the sequence.
- Hit the left ramp for a Cerebro skill shot.
Missions:
Hit up to four white shots to start the next mission (the first one starts after just one, but more are needed for every mission completed). Missions can be started at any ramp that feeds the inlanes or Cerebro.
Completing missions is one way to recruit X-Men to make the future easier to complete or enhance scoring during the mode, and the respective X-Men members are listed next to each mission name.
All eight missions are available at the start of the game. The corner Tier 1 missions are less challenging but slightly less valuable than the Tier 2 missions in between them.
Extra ball is lit at the right inlane after 3 missions, then 7 missions, have been completed.
Modes are listed clockwise.
Tier 1s:
- Rescue the Innocent (Bishop): 6 red shots to rescue each innocent citizen - they alternate from left to right sides of the playfield. Bishop pop bumper increases the multiplier for each shot up to 5x. Perfect - score at least one shot worth 5x.
- Bitter Rivalry (Wolverine): 4 random shots are lit, 3 yellow and 1 blue. Hit four shots to defeat Sabretooth. Blue shots score more. The lit shots are reshuffled after each shot made. Perfect - hit nothing but blue shots.
- Smuggled Cargo (Gambit): 5 red, then 3 blue shots to recover the cargo. Blinking arrows score double damage & progress (downtown loop, midtown and highway ramps for the first wave). Perfect - hit nothing but blinking arrows (5 shots to finish total).
- Stopping a Juggernaut (Professor X): Hit a maximum of 6 red shots to defeat Juggernaut. Making a shot unlights it for a few seconds or until another shot is made. Combos score more and deal 2x damage & progress. Perfect - complete the mode in a single, 4-way combo.
Tier 2s:
- Sentinel Facility Raid (Rogue): Shots move from right to left. Make a shot to defeat the moving Sentinels on the assembly line. Sentinel target hits stop them from moving for a few seconds. Perfect - hit nothing but the farthest lit shots (to the right) in the wave (?)
- A Fiery Assault (Storm): All shots are initially lit red. Shoot a red shot to extinguish Pyro’s flames and turn the shot blue. Shoot a blue shot to damage him and unlight the shot. 3 blue shots to finish. Perfect - collect all red shots before collecting any blue shots, then collect 3 blue shots.
- Mayhem in Midtown (Colossus): Hit the lit red shots for hurry-up awards (after about 10 seconds, they disappear and are disqualified). The yellow shots score 1/4 of the red shots’ value. Perfect - hit nothing but red shots.
- Genosha Under Siege (Magneto): Red shots defeat Magneto, and green shots defeat Toad for bonus scores (but move around from left to right) & open up Magneto for a short time. Green shots are worth 2x red shots. Perfect - hit Magneto by first hitting a green shot, then the quickly flashing red shot that was behind it.
The Future:
The Future is a work-in-progress and is not complete as of 0.88 code. It will evolve as code is completed.
The Future is a “marathon” mode qualified at every two missions completed. When lit, it will start at Cerebro.
In the future, Sentinels have taken over and other modes cannot be started. All shots are lit to score awards but can be blocked by Sentinels’ lit inserts if the player takes too long. The number of lit inserts occupied by Sentinels starts at 4 and decreases by 1 every time the future is reached during a game.
If the player defeats enough Sentinels, however, Nimrod will spawn. Originally created as a prototype Sentinel, Nimrod is invulnerable to physical harm and the player’s only choice will be to escape by hitting three randomly lit flashing lanes. If Nimrod catches up to the player within 30 seconds, a large quantity of Sentinels will spawn; if the player escapes, all Sentinels will retreat, opening up all shots to make progress again.
Completing certain tasks allows the player to score more out of The Future, or make it easier to defeat Sentinels and complete. Click the tab below to view each perk.
Future perks for every X-Men member
| Member | Requirement | Perk Description |
|---|---|---|
| Beast | Score a level 3 Beast’s Lab award | Beast’s Lab awards can now be earned in the future. |
| Bishop | Complete Rescue the Innocent | The Bishop rules at the left pop bumper & action button can now be activated during the future. |
| Colossus | Complete Mayhem in Midtown | The Kitty Pryde sneak-in lane will now score its built-up value, and the next Beast’s lab award will always spot a progress shot during the future if available. |
| Cyclops | Hit the right slingshot enough times | Increases the spawn time for Sentinels. |
| Gambit | Complete Smuggled Cargo | The Gambit bumper can now be advanced and hit for increased shot scoring during the future. |
| Jean Grey | Enough hits to the X-Mansion ball save target | Right outlane ball save rule can be advanced during the future, time will be added to all ball saves during the future, and the next Beast’s lab award will always be “Light X-Mansion Ball Save”. |
| Magneto | Complete Genosha Under Siege | Enables the magnet in front of the giant Sentinel head when hit during the future, and reduces the shots needed to destroy Sentinels. |
| Nightcrawler | Complete the purple Nightcrawler targets enough times | Credit is now given for lit shots in the future by hitting the purple targets in between them. |
| Professor X | Complete Stopping a Juggernaut | The danger room can now be advanced and affects scoring in the future. |
| Rogue | Complete Sentinel Facility Raid | Increases the number of defeated Sentinels required to spawn Nimrod, and increases the Escape Nimrod mode timer. |
| Storm | Complete A Fiery Assault | Bonus damage to all other Sentinels is now dealt with each lit Sentinel shot hit. Also reduces the shots needed to destroy Sentinels. |
| Wolverine | Complete Bitter Rivalry | Increased damage is now dealt with the first shot to any Sentinel that spawns. |
Pressing the action button allows the player to head back to the past by shooting any Cerebro ramp when flashing, or they can keep going by pressing the action button to deactivate Cerebro. 3 lit shots are needed to light Cerebro the first time, then 8, then 15. After the third future, draining is the only way to exit the future and return to normal play unless the mode is completed.
Reach the facility by making 50 lit white shots for an 100M bonus & reset the missions grid.
Multiballs:
Multiballs can all be played with each other if played in the following order: Save the City, Sentinel, To Me, My X-Men. Save the City and To Me, My X-Men can be stacked on their own, but the latter prevents Sentinel from being started.
Earn add-a-balls by scoring them from Beast’s lab, but only at level 2.
Sentinel Multiball:
Hit the giant sentinel 3 times (+2 per multi) to spawn it. While the giant sentinel is active, decrease its integrity with more direct hits to it. Eventually, it’s mouth will open up; defeat the giant sentinel by hitting it enough times to start the multiball. Making a Fastball Special combo will advance the Sentinel to its next stage immediately.
During the multiball, shoot the random flashing sentinel shots for jackpots (two for the first wave, three for the next, etc). Defeating a sentinel by clearing all shots of the same color will cause the giant sentinel to spawn again and light a variety of purple shots to increase the super jackpot. Decrease its integrity with direct hits, like you did before, to score a super jackpot and repeat the process. The super jackpot value is held across the entire game.
Save the City Multiball:
The playfield’s shots all have a unique “level” that are advanced by hitting them multiple times. They reach the first level with two shots, and as soon as all shots reach the same level, the midtown shot will be lit to start Save the City.
There are six areas of the city that can be lit for jackpot via enough hits to their corresponding shots, listed in the UI:
- X-Mansion - (?)
- Downtown loop - ramps
- Uptown (left) ramp - orbits
- Midtown (center) ramp - targets
- Subway (right) loop - spinners
- Highway (right) ramp - bumpers
Each hit to the corresponding targets listed above increases the jackpot value scored at their respective shot, if their jackpot is already lit. The sixth jackpot of the set is a super jackpot worth the total of all combined jackpot values.
Jackpots can only be earned at each shot once until a super jackpot is scored.
To Me, My X-Men Multiball:
Hit the gray targets 5 times to light Cerebro to advance towards this multiball. To Me, My X-Men starts when Cerebro has been lit and collected three times for the first multiball.
Hit six blue lit shots to “summon” X-Men and score jackpots. The same shot cannot be hit more than one time in a row. Every sixth jackpot lights a super jackpot at the left ramp worth the jackpot total, and a 2x super jackpot that can be earned at the danger room exit ramp.
Other Scoring:
Danger Room:
The danger room is accessed by hitting the X-Jet shot to feed it, or the ball can fall into it on its own. Exiting the danger room via the ramp also counts as a Cerebro shot (when lit) and can start a mission when available.
Leveling up the danger room increases the scoring for all missions and multiballs. The danger room can be leveled up (up to level 3). There are 4 elements required to upgrade the danger room (the number of times required is indicated at the top of the display):
- Ripping the spinner (Required Spins: 30/60/65)
- Hitting standup targets: Abort, target near the level indicator insert, thin diagonal target next to ramp (Required Targets: 3/3/6)
- Exiting via the ramp (Required Exits: 2/3/3)
- Hitting the bumper - must be hit from within the danger room (Required Pops: 2/4/5)
The danger room will automatically level-up once all conditions are met.
“Abort” saves can also be earned by hitting the X-Jet shot to access the danger room enough times - the first save lights after three shots. Hitting the “abort” target activates a ball save that saves any balls draining from the danger room or the main playfield for 5 seconds.
The danger room is normally disabled during the future, but can be advanced during the future if the Stopping a Juggernaut mission was completed.
Bishop:
Hitting the left pop bumper enough times will build up Bishop’s power. Degrees of charge determine how many lanes it will cover (1/2/3). When the action button is flashing red, holding it will start moving a light blue arrow left to right across the playfield and back. Release the action button to spot the shot(s) that it landed on.
Bishop will never spot the Sentinel shot or any danger room shot.
Bishop cannot be activated during the future unless the Rescue the Innocent mission has been completed, in which case the action button rule will behave as it does in normal play.
Kitty Pryde:
There is a hidden lane below the entrance to the downtown ramp. Shots to this lane that fall in accidentally score a value that starts at 500k and increase by 250k with each shot to the target gating it.
During missions, this lane spots the leftmost lit shot on the playfield when hit, for half of the normal shot value.
Kitty Pryde’s lane is normally disabled during the future. Qualify Colossus by completing the Mayhem in Midtown mission to enable this rule. If qualified this way, the lane will collect the next future mode shot any time it is hit during the mode instead of the Kitty Pryde value.
Beast's Lab:
Hit the captive ball in Beast’s Lab with enough strength to collect a context-sensitive award based on its current level (increased by hitting shots surrounding it). It can:
- Level 1:
- Add time (during a timed mission)
- Spot a progress shot (during the future)
- Score one portion of end-of-ball bonus (not subject to bonus X)
- Level 2:
- Add-a-ball (if any multiball is running)
- Double next mission progress shot (if one isn’t running)
- Light X-Mansion ball save
- Score 5.5M
- Level 3:
- Qualify Beast for use in the future (always the first level 3 award)
- Increase the next shot’s multiplier to 3x
- Score 10M
Beast’s Lab is disabled in the future unless Beast has been qualified via scoring a level 3 Beast’s Lab award. Certain other X-Men perks will “normalize” Beast’s Lab awards during the future, either lighting X-Mansion ball save or spotting a mode progress shot for the next lab award collected.
Gambit:
Hit Gambit’s bumper three times to increase the value of the next mode or multiball shot to 2x.
Shatzing the bumper increases the value of the next two mode shots to 2x. These can be banked.
The shot multiplier rule is disabled in the future unless Gambit has been qualified by completing the Smuggled Cargo mission.
Fastball Special:
This 2-shot combo sequence is lit at the right inlane after completing enough sets of standup targets.
When active, a ball return to the right inlane lights a strobing shot up the left ramp. Collect for 500k, ball returns to left flipper then combo shot the Sentinel to score 2.5M. Completing the Fastball Special combo will also advance to the next phase of defeating the Sentinel to start Sentinel Multiball; for instance, if the Sentinel has spawned but its mouth isn’t open yet, making a Fastball Special will instantly advance to that phase.
Extra Balls:
Complete missions to light extra ball at the right inlane. The first extra ball is lit at 3 missions and the second is lit after 7 missions.
X-Mansion Ball Save:
Shoot the X-Mansion target (located above the Gambit pop) 4 times to light the right outlane ball save and make progress towards qualifying Jean Grey for use in the future.
The X-Mansion ball save cannot be advanced or qualified in the future unless Jean Grey has been qualified with enough shots to the target that lights the outlane ball save.
End-of-Ball Bonus:
Bonus can be held by hitting the “bonus hold” target directly below the danger room’s mini-flipper, though it cannot be hit intentionally. If bonus is held on the last ball, it will instead be doubled.
