By the late 1990s, Pokémon mania had swept the world thanks to a successful first entry in the main role-playing video game series, plus a popular anime series and an addictive trading card game. So before the decade wrapped up, fans were treated to their first few spinoff titles on the video game front, including Pokémon Pinball, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
The game featured two different tables on which to play – the Red and Blue tables, inspired by the two games that began the franchise at large. Each table features different “locations” which determine which Pokémon would be possibly available to catch; in addition to simply racking up points on the board, the game’s secondary goal was to catch all 151 Pokémon available at the time. During the course of play, players could activate “Catch Mode,” which would begin a two-minute window in which the Pokémon must be unlocked by hitting bumpers and then captured by being hit with the ball four times.
“Evolution Mode” could also be activated, in which a Pokémon caught in that same session could be evolved into its next stage by hitting targets on the board. By making the most of their time in both Catch and Evolution modes, the player could eventually fill out their Pokedex in order to essentially “Catch ‘Em All.”
Pokémon Pinball received positive reviews upon its release, with many citing the game’s graphics – which took full advantage of the color palette that the Game Boy Color offered – as one of the highlights. However, many were divided on the game’s physics (an important element of any pinball-related title, to be sure), as well as on the “rumble” feature. The cartridge for Pokémon Pinball allowed for players to insert a AAA battery, and the game would accordingly vibrate, or “rumble,” when certain parts of the board were hit. While some reviewers found it a charming addition and an outside-the-box feature for a handheld game, others generally found it distracting.
A sequel, Pokémon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire, was released in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance, based on the third generation of the main Pokémon video games. It featured much of the same gameplay as the original, but with an updated group of Pokémon available to coincide with what had been introduced in the franchise at that point.
