We enjoy a little flippin' and tiltin' around these parts and November 30th, 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of HAL Laboratory's Game Boy Kirby spin-off, Kirby's Pinball Land. It was the developer's third pinball game for a Nintendo system following fellow Game Boy title Revenge of the 'Gator and the NES port of Rollerball, and its engine would go on to power Jupiter Corps' excellent Pokémon Pinball six years later.
Looking back, Nintendo has a surprisingly rich history of pinball-based games, having developed and/or published a total of 14 by our count — including a couple of curios that you may have forgotten had a direct Nintendo connection. As a loose tie-in to this Kirby anniversary, we're looking back at every Nintendo-published pinball game ever released — as ranked by you.
The order of the entries below is governed by each game's User Rating in our database and is subject to real-time change as those ratings fluctuate. It's entirely possible, then, to influence and alter the order below by clicking on the 'star' on each entry and assigning a personal score from 1-10. We've only included full games here, not titles with a pinball minigame, and all the games here were published by Nintendo in at least one territory.
Let's begin at the bottom and work our way up the table, shall we?
14. Pinball (NES)
There just isn’t that much to say about Pinball. It’s a small piece of history, teaching us what home console video games were (essentially not-as-good versions of their arcade brethren) before they knew what they could be — a lesson that can be fully learned by most in one sitting. Nothing here is bad; in fact, the game functions quite well. It's just repetitious, lacking variety, and overshadowed by better options we've enjoyed in the decades since. Those who were around when the NES launched and have fond memories of Pinball will surely find value in revisiting it, but anyone else would probably fare much better going with a modern alternative instead. Easily accessible for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, there is fun to be had here, but it's simple and limited.
13. Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy (GBC)
Zut alors! You have missed one.
We don't know about you, but when we see the ocean, we word 'pinball' almost immediately springs to mind. No? Just us?
Made by Left Field Productions (Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside, Excitebike 64), a second-party Nintendo developer at the time, The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy is a surprisingly good Game Boy Color title based on an unsurprisingly poor straight-to-video Little Mermaid sequel from 2000 — although it features a good deal of characters and art from the original film, too. A bunch of minigames and boss battles flesh out what is a pleasantly competent and presentable GBC pinballer. Les poissons, les poissons, how we love les poissons!
12. Super Mario Ball (GBA)
The first of Fuse Games' pinball partnerships with Nintendo, Super Mario Ball — or Mario Pinball Land in the US — holds its own as an oddball (pun intended) Mario spin-off and a wholly single-player experience with beautiful visuals and an interesting medley of Mario and typical pinball tropes. It’s not without flaws, and the gameplay may cause some to become more frustrated than perhaps is healthy, but the good certainly outweighs the bad. Whilst you won’t get a tremendous number of hours from it, it's an off-the-wall title that's worth investigating.
11. Super Pinball: Behind the Mask (SNES)
Developed by pinball and pachinko game specialists KAZe and published by Meldac in Japan, it was Nintendo itself that put Super Pinball: Behind the Mask out on Super NES in the West. It offered three tables — Blackbeard and Ironmen, Jolly Joker, and Wizard — and delivers a very solid, if unremarkable, pinball experience.
It's certainly lacking the explosive digital pizazz of other genre entries, but if you tend to prefer more realistic table simulation over HOLY CRAP FIRE IS RAINING FROM THE SKY AND A GIANT TROLL IS THROWING MY BALLS OFF THE TABLE, then this might be up your street.
10. Galactic Pinball (VB)
Some dodgy music aside, this was a decent pinball (or rather pinpuck) game for a system with just 22 titles to its name, with everything physics-wise behaving as you would expect. Presented in the Virtual Boy's stereoscopic 3D, Galactic Pinball is a simple and addictive game that the system’s control pad is well suited for. It's probably not worth hunting down a Virtual Boy to play, and after achieving a self-set target it may be a while before you feel the urge to play again, but Galactic Pinball is one of those score-chasing games you might find yourself playing a lot – and enjoying immensely — if red-hued digital pinball is your bag.
9. Pin Bot (NES)
Developed by Rare with Nintendo on publishing duties, 1990's Pin Bot was based on the real-life Williams table designed by Barry Oursler and the gloriously named Python Anghelo. Starting on the edge of our Solar System, the aim — besides getting a high score — is to make your way from used-to-be-a-planet Pluto to the Sun. On the way you hear digitised speech from the eponymous Pin Bot, and the screen also splits as the ball travels up the table, with the lower third keeping the flippers in view to help time flipper hits as the ball returns, an impressive trick from the storied developer given the NES' capabilities. With Dave Wise handling the audio, this is a great little pinball game.
8. Arcade Archives Pinball (Switch eShop)
The arcade version of the NES game, VS. Pinball added references to Bubbles from Clu Clu Land when it launched in 1984 following its debut on Famicom. Similarly to the NES version, there's not a whole lot to say about it. It's a serviceable 8-bit facsimile of pinball with some cute Nintendo sprites added in. A pleasant time, but not something that's likely to hook you for the longterm.
7. Metroid Prime Pinball (DS)
Given her handy Morph Ball ability, Samus is up there with Kirby as a Prime (see what we did there?) candidate for a pinball game. Coming as Fuse Games' second Nintendo-themed pinball offering, 2005's Metroid Prime Pinball was as solid a spin(ball)-off as you could hope for, and dual screens of the DS felt like a great fit for the inventive Metroid-themed tables within. It also came packaged with a 'Rumble Pak' which slotted in the GBA slot on your DS 'Phat' or DS 'Lite' and added some subtle feedback as you pinged Samus around the table. A fun game and no mistake.
6. Odama (GCN)
One of GameCube's intriguing curios, 2006's Odama — developed by Vivarium and published by Nintendo — combined pinball with historical warfare simulation and the GameCube microphone. While the experience is lessened slightly by the unpredictable voice commands and the incredibly complex gameplay, Odama is certainly one of the most innovative Gamecube titles. After memorizing a wide array of commands, you then have to speak them into the mic to command your troops around the battlefield. Add in a pinball aspect in which you use the titular Odama to combat enemy troops (and damage your own if you're not careful), and you're left with one of the most unique game concepts on any Nintendo system.
A combination of its bizarre genre-hopping proposition and its late arrival in the GameCube's lifecycle, Odama faced poor sales. However, many people enjoyed it and some even hope for a sequel one day.
5. Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator (GB)
Published by Nintendo in Europe, HAL Laboratory's Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator may lack the refinements showcased by modern pinball games, but that doesn't mean it should be ignored. Splitting the table across four separate screens, the titular 'gator waits at the bottom of the table to devour any balls that drop. Ahem.
The simple nature of the tables means you can give high-score chasing your full, undivided attention without being waylaid by distractions, and the ball physics in this '89 Game Boy title are respectable enough to ensure you don't lose any games through anything but your own fault. HAL's effort may have been improved upon over time, but Revenge of the Gator is still an appealing and addictive pinball outing.
4. Kirby's Pinball Land (GB)
Kirby's Pinball Land isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but it serves up a solid game of digital pinball starring everyone’s favourite pink amorphous ball. It's an experiment that didn't quite come together properly, but it's not without merit and its engine would be used again in Pokémon Pinball for the Game Boy Color. Kirby and pinball seem like a match made in heaven; this isn't quite that, but it’s a fun little mashup that showcased the potential for future Nintendo X pinball crossovers involving Pocket Monsters and intergalactic bounty hunters.
3. Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (GBA)
Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire is an enjoyable entry-level pinball game designed to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. Its colourful, charming visuals look great, and the vast number of Pokémon available to catch and evolve means that if you’re looking for a long-term dip-in, dip-out sort of game, you’ll have plenty to keep you occupied. It can become a bit tedious if played extensively, though, so it’s much better to enjoy it in short bursts.
2. Pokémon Pinball (GBC)
Built on the foundation of Kirby's Pinball Land from HAL Laboratory, the original Pokémon Pinball on Game Boy Color released back in 1999 and combined the fundamentals of pinball with the Pocket Monsters' mantra, Gotta Catch 'em All. Developed by Jupiter (the talented team pumping out Picross after Picross these days), it featured two tables — Red and Blue — and charged you with not only scoring big points, but also capturing the 151 Kanto region Pokémon as you did so.
Throw in a special rumble-enabled cartridge, and you've got one of the best Pokémon spin-offs ever. Its GBA sequel played with the same idea to similarly great effect.
1. Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon (DSiWare)
Coming from Fuse Games, who developed Nintendo's Super Mario and Metroid pinball games, it's tough to fault the devs here, as they captured the look and feel of a real-life pinball machine very accurately in Pinball Pulse. The physics are extremely solid and its high level of polish made this an impressive DSiWare release. Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon might be a little short on variety, but if were looking for an authentic pinball simulation on your DS(i) back in the day — and Metroid Prime Pinball was a little too 'out there' for you — Fuse had you covered once more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the Best Pinball Game on Nintendo Switch?
Of the games above, only Arcade Archives Pinball and Pinball on the NES are available to play on Switch — the former available on the Switch eShop, the latter as part of the NES library available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.