Quick Links:
- Game Information
- Rules Overview
- Layout
- Modes of Play
- Host Selection / Skill Shots
- Mini-Modes & The Grid
- Doppelganger Attacks
- Carnage Modes
- Mayhem Multiball
- Other Scoring
- Wizard Modes
Game Information:
- Lead Designer: Brian Eddy
- Code/Rules: Dwight Sullivan, Raymond Davidson
- Lead Mechanical Engineers: Tom Kopera and Kevin Kolodziej
- Artwork: Zombie Yeti
- Display & Animations: Paul Chamnankit
- Music & Sound: Mark Tremonti, Jerry Thompson
- Release Date: August 2023
- Wiki Rulesheet based on Code Rev: 0.90
- Edit the Code revision, if applicable, when you make changes
Designed by Brian Eddy with rules and software by Dwight Sullivan, Venom depicts the chaotic symbiote attaching to hosts and thwarting Carnage’s attempts to revive Knull, the deity behind the symbiotes’ creation. The game was designed from the ground up with Insider Connected support and features many rules that carry over between games for registered players.
Rules Overview:
- Choose a host at the start of the game… and at the start of each ball… and before playing a mode. Venom can attach to any host at almost any time, drastically changing game rules!
- Shoot the flashing yellow, blue, and white shots to complete mini-modes, level up, and fill out the grid to light battles at the ramps. Bonuses are awarded for completing full squares of grid inserts.
- Shoot the left and center ramps to lock balls for Mayhem Multiball, another way to defeat minor bosses outside of battles.
- Lock Carnage back in Ravencroft prison by shooting its captive ball to light Carnage Multiball and other modes.
- Shoot the red targets to defeat the Infected, but watch out for Doppelganger!
- Complete the bottom lanes enough times to light mystery.
- Loop the center ramp, then combo into the lit bell tower target to increase your playfield multiplier.
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:
Same as Standard but with elements of randomness removed. -
Cooperative:
All players are on the same team. All scores, completed mini-modes, and XP are shared between players. -
Team Play:
Adds the scores of two different sets of players for team play. The highest score wins. -
Impossible:
Extra balls are disabled, game rules are set to “very hard”, and flippers cannot be held for over 2 seconds. For the best of the best players. -
Monster:
Player 1 plays in impossible mode; everyone else plays with regular rules. -
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.
Host Selection / Skill Shots:
At the start of each ball and at either ramp shot following the completion of a column of mini-modes, the player will be prompted to select a host, as Venom cannot exist without a being to feed off of. Hosts change the rules of the game, making certain rules easier or more difficult, changing the layout (Prem / LE exclusive) and also change the game’s large selection of music. The four hosts available at the start of the game are:
| Name | Perks | Skill Shots | Combo Level | Signature Combo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Brock (Classic Venom) | Two Mayhem Multiball locks are lit and the multiball is more valuable | Left horseshoe (spot mini-mode), right orbit (points) | Average | Center ramp - left ramp - left horseshoe - right orbit |
| Flash Thompson (Agent Venom) | Sleeper unlocked on ball 1, extra-wide bell tower | Scoop (light mystery), right orbit (spot mini-mode) | Poor | Right horseshoe - scoop - left ramp - scoop |
| Gwen Stacy (Gwenom) | 2x infected defeated, more valuable doppelganger attacks | Left horseshoe (spot mini-mode), right horseshoe (start doppelganger) | Good | Left horseshoe - center ramp - left horseshoe - left ramp |
| Peter Parker (Black Suit Spider-Man) | Miles Morales unlocked, Carnage modes easier and more valuable | Left horseshoe (spot mini-mode), scoop (light mystery) | Good | Left orbit - left ramp - left horseshoe - scoop |
Additional hosts can be unlocked by winning the final battle against Knull, and are not available in competitive play to prevent unfair advantages between players. These hosts correspond to two lines on the grid instead of one.
| Name | Perks | Skill Shots | Combo Level | Signature Combo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venomized Hulk | Action button lit for HULK SMASH!, extra-wide bell tower | Scoop (light mystery), right orbit (spot mini-mode) | Poor | Right orbit - scoop - left orbit - left ramp |
| Venomized Captain America | Mystery always awards “all of the above”, more valuable battle modes | Scoop (light mystery), right orbit (spot mini-mode) | Poor | Left horseshoe - center ramp - left orbit - left ramp |
| Venomized Wolverine | Longer ball save timers, 2x infected defeated, two Mayhem Multiball locks are lit | Left horseshoe (spot mini-mode), scoop (light mystery) | Average | Left orbit - left ramp - scoop - center ramp |
All hosts also have the standard skill shot option of plunging into the flashing rollover lane for +2 bonus X. It can be changed with the other options with the right flipper, and if the host is changed during a ball at the left ramp, either skill shot listed in the above grids can be scored as a “bonus shot”.
There’s a secret skill shot behind the bell tower that’s called Sneaky Hideout saucer. It’s worth 3 million and +4x bonus which is available all hosts and sends the ball into the right inlane. Currently in 0.91, the shot has a 1 second timer to make it in which is a bug.
Mini-Modes & The Grid:
After selecting a host, three mini-modes are available. These are simple, two-shot combos marked by the flashing arrows - colored light blue, yellow, and white. Shoot any flashing arrow, then quickly shoot the shot of the same color that times out.
Each mini-mode completed progresses the host’s path seen above the flippers and lights a lock for Mayhem Multiball. After completing all three inserts on the path by playing all three mini-modes, the player will be able to change hosts and start a battle mode by shooting either ball lock.
Additional bonus awards are listed between the grid inserts and are made available if the player completes a square of four inserts, then disabled whenever the grid is reset (whenever a battle mode ends). From top to bottom, left to right, these are:
- Extra Time (longer timers)
- +1x Playfield
- 2x Web Combos (combos increment by 2 instead of 1)
- Flamethrower (if two shots are lit with one between them, flamethrower will count all three shots)
- Extra Ball Save (longer ball save timers at the start of the ball and multiball modes)
- 2x Experience
Battle Modes:
Battles are the main objective of Venom. After completing a path of mini-modes and getting to at least level 10, Battle Modes will become available at the center ramp and the player will be able to change hosts at the left ramp.
Battle modes require the player to deplete the boss’ two health bars by making the flashing shots, with certain shots doing more damage than others and the scoop available for Special Attack through different methods in each battle. More time can be added by shooting the bell tower. The second phase will always be the same as the first phase, but with increased difficulty (ie. less shots, stricter timers, etc).
- Riot: Red shots and blue shots move from left to right, and right to left, respectively. Shoot both to deal damage, or make shots when both colors are lit to deal large damage and light Special Attack.
- Agony: Make two shots to the flashing red shots for large damage and lit Special Attack, and try to prevent the green shots from taking over by shooting them when one lights. Shoot the bell tower to relight shots.
- Phage: Left ramp and right orbit are lit – the left ramp starts a combo sequence to deal large damage, while the right orbit lights the bell tower to shift into shooting the three center shots for damage. Special Attack – make all three center shots.
- Lasher: Shoot the left and right orbits, with the shots near them doing smaller damage. Lasher leaps between orbits so keep track of where the symbiote is. Special Attack – make enough shots to either orbit.
Each boss can also be defeated by bringing them into Mayhem Multiball and scoring the super jackpot.
Defeat all four minor bosses to qualify Hybrid.
Defeat one minor boss and level up to level 20 to qualify Grendel as the next Battle Mode; or level up to level 30 to enable the final fight against Knull.
Doppelganger Attacks:
Shoot any flashing red target and then quickly shoot it again to defeat the Infected, but watch out, as right before your eyes, Doppelganger might attack on the right side of the playfield.
On the Pro model, Doppelganger is defeated virtually by shooting the left horseshoe loop one, two, or three times depending on difficulty. On the Premium / LE models, Doppelganger is represented by a 3-bank of flyaway targets. The first time Doppelganger spawns, only one target needs to be hit to defeat it; then two targets, then three.
Defeat three Doppelgangers to light Rampage mode.
(In competition mode, Doppelganger attacks are not random. They instead are always activated at the left target first, then center, then right, then left, etc.)
Carnage Modes:
Carnage modes are started by shooting the captive ball enough times to lock Carnage into Ravencroft. Once the captive ball has been sent all the way back, the center ramp will light to start a Carnage mode, awarded in the following order:
- Carnage Multiball: Lock Carnage in Ravencroft again by shooting the captive ball to score the super jackpot. Making other shots increases the super jackpot value.
- Carnage Hurry-Up: Get Carnage all the way back to Ravencroft to score a hurry-up value that can be increased by shooting any ramp, or the captive ball.
- Blood Lust: Unlike the other modes, this is mutually exclusive and is started at the right ramp. Loop the center ramp and combo into the captive ball to add more flips to the constantly decreasing counter, and shoot the blue shots for points.
Mayhem Multiball:
After completing a mini-mode (one more required for each lock, up to three), the two ramps are lit to lock balls. Each canister on the playfield corresponds to a set of awards, with the number of locked balls and their position determining which perks will be in effect for the multiball – you can start any of the four battle modes this way, get 2x experience points, or +1x playfield multiplier. Hold the action button down to abort multiball and lock up to 6 balls if you want to keep going for perks.
Mayhem Multiball is played in two stages:
- With only one ball in play, shoot the flashing shots for quick jackpots. The balls will keep releasing from alternating canisters to allow more quick jackpots to be collected. Once a quick jackpot times out or the player misses a shot, the mayhem will truly begin…
- All shots are lit to score jackpots with the perks listed above active. Make all the lit jackpot shots to score a super jackpot and instantly complete one of the battles brought into multiball. For subsequent super jackpots, each shot needs to be made twice for double jackpots, then three times for triple jackpots.
Other Scoring:
Experience Points:
As the player completes tasks throughout the game, they score experience points and level up. The player’s current level is remembered if they have a registered Stern Insider Connected account, and after beating Knull in the final battle, their level will automatically be reset to 1. Levelling up enough allows the player to take on the more difficult battle modes, and deal more damage to minor and major bosses alike.
XP gained can be doubled from one of the grid awards and by locking 3 balls for Mayhem Multiball in the left ball lock.
Team-Ups:
At the start of any multiball or battle mode, alongside changing their host, the player will be able to use the flippers and action button to select any team-ups they have available. No team-ups are available at the start of the game; they must be unlocked by achieving the following features.
- Hybrid – Beat all four battle modes in a game, whether properly or by scoring super jackpots during Mayhem Multiball to gain credit for them. This lights the action button to collect all lit playfield shots and enables 7x playfield for a short time.
- Sleeper – Unlocked after defeating enough of the Infected. Either adds a ball if multiball is running, or adds more time during a timed battle mode.
- Miles Morales – Available by default if Peter Parker (Black Suit Spider-Man) is chosen as a host, or can be unlocked by scoring a 4-way combo. While active, all combos increment by 2 instead of 1.
If a team-up was qualified but not used and the player was signed into Stern Insider Connected, the team-up will remain available for the next game. However, whenever a team-up is used, it will be disqualified and must be qualified again to be used once more.
The Infected:
Shoot any of the five red targets on the playfield, then shoot the same target again quickly to defeat an Infected and advance towards awards – but look out for potential Doppelganger attacks!
- Bonus X
- Sleeper unlocked
- Light extra ball
- Light Scream
Scream:
This video mode is lit at the scoop after defeating enough of the Infected.
Carnage has sent the Infected to attack Scream. Use the left or right flipper buttons to defeat the ones that spawn on either side, with a bonus for defeating them all.
Bell Tower & Playfield X:
To light the bell tower target in the middle of the playfield, make repeated shots to the center ramp. The first lit bell tower requires two ramp shots, then three for the second, etc. Shooting the lit bell tower adds +1x playfield for a limited time, up to a max of 7x playfield. Even if unlit, more shots to the bell tower will add more time.
If the player shoots the center ramp at least four times before shooting the lit bell tower, Bell Tower Frenzy will start, a fast scoring mode (5k + 500 per switch). Two additional center ramp loops are required to start subsequent Bell Tower Frenzies.
Playfield X can also be gained through the following:
- +1x Playfield grid award
- Locking 3 balls for Mayhem Multiball in the left ball lock
Spider-Sense:
If the player is in danger (ie. any mode is currently running), hold the action button to enable your Spider-Sense and light a random shot white for a short time. Making this random shot will help progress any currently active mode.
This rule is completely absent for Venomized Hulk. Instead, the action button can be pressed to score every shot in the game, once per ball.
Combos, Shot X & Host Hurry-Up:
Shoot flashing shots in sequence, at any time, to score combos and boost the shot’s corresponding multiplier up to 5x (if a 10-way combo has been reached). Making shots as combos during battle modes deals additional damage.
After playing Toxin Team-Up, host combos will be enabled. Each host has a signature combo that, when completed, lights the scoop for Host Hurry-Up. During Host Hurry-Up, complete the signature combo again before time runs out to score the currently displayed value for each shot.
Each host’s signature combo can only be collected once per host.
Mystery:
Mystery is lit at the scoop by completing the bottom lanes three times (completions also increase the Carnage Hurry-Up value. Mystery lists three awards, with the fourth award always being “all of the above”, from the following pool:
- Complete any grid box
- Doppelganger Attack
- Light Carnage
- Increase Carnage Hurry-Up
- Light Locks
- 1000 XP
- +2 or +3 levels
- Unlock any team-up
- Defeat 5 infected
- Scream
- +1x Playfield
- Bell Tower Frenzy
- Increase Bell Tower Frenzy
- Light two mysteries
- Big points
- +1x, +2x, or +3x bonus
- Light extra ball (percentage-based)
- Special (percentage based)
(In competition mode, mystery awards are scored in a set order.)
Extra Balls:
Extra ball is lit at the scoop by:
- Defeating enough Infected
End-of-Ball Bonus:
Bonus is calculated from:
All multiplied by the bonus X which can be increased by completing the top lanes or through certain skill shots.
Wizard Modes:
Toxin Team-Up (Mini Wizard-Mode):
The scoop lights to start Toxin Team-Up after:
- Starting Mayhem Multiball
- Starting Carnage Multiball
- Defeating a Doppelganger
This mode starts as a single-ball mode, with three shots lit to award two jackpots that can be increased by shooting Carnage – but only for a short time as its position will slowly reset. Scoring all six jackpots lights the super jackpot, and collecting the super jackpot adds another ball to play, turning the mode into 2-ball multiball.
The mode ends if the player drains during the first part of the mode, or whenever the multiball ends.
Rampage (Mini-Wizard Mode):
Rampage mode is enabled at the center ramp after defeating three Doppelgangers.
The player will be given a few seconds to shoot as many blue shots as possible to increase the value for defeating Doppelganger, who will spawn whenever the time for the first phase runs out. Shoot Doppelganger as many times as possible within the time limit to score the built-up value.
Major Boss Battles:
Two more difficult battle modes can be enabled if the player has already defeated one minor boss, and has reached level 20 (for Grendel) or level 30 (for Knull). They are started the same way as normal battle modes – shoot either ramp.
- Grendel: Shoot any lit shot to light the other shots – excluding the one that was made – for three levels of damage and more time, which can also be added at the bell tower. Completing all five Infected targets lights the scoop for special attack. If Grendel attacks the player, the flippers will be reversed, and a flashing blue shot must be made to return them to normal. During the third health bar, the mode will suddenly shift to 3-ball multiball where the player must shoot both ramps and the scoop to lock balls, while preventing balls from draining as this will regenerate Grendel’s health; then 5-ball multiball for the final health bar, with similar rules.
- Knull: Reaching the final battle against Knull unlocks the player’s choice of an additional host to play as from the three that were locked at the start, and their XP will reset automatically. Shoot the blue, yellow, and red shots to deal small, medium, and large damage respectively, with the second and fourth health bars requiring the host to be changed. For the fifth health bar, 3-ball multiball will begin with minimal time to trap the balls, and all shots to the Infected, Carnage, and Doppelganger (and every 5 levels over 30) advancing the grid, which must be fully completed to win the final battle. Beware – at any time during a phase, Knull can screw with the player, turning all shots green and requiring additional shots; dimming the entire playfield; or, worst of all, completely removing the power from a flipper!
Klyntar Multiball (Final Wizard Mode):
The center ramp lights for Klyntar Multiball after completing all major objectives in the game:
- Defeating Knull in the final battle
- Starting Rampage mode
- Starting the third Carnage mode, Blood Lust
- Starting Toxin Team-Up
- Starting Scream video mode
- Completing a Host Hurry-Up
- Starting Bell Tower Frenzy
Klyntar Multiball is a timed 2-ball multiball with unlimited ball save until the mode ends. The left and center ramps, scoop, and right orbit are lit to score 4-stage hurry-up values that increase in value by the last hurry-up awarded. Each shot also dims the playfield, with the final shot being the only insert flashing on the playfield. Once all 16 hurry-up shots are scored or time runs out, the mode ends, with a bonus for seconds remaining if the mode was completed.