App it Up: The Deep Pinball

Category: Games
Developer: Gameprom
Requirements: iPhone OS 3.0 or later
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch
File Size: 16.5MB

What is it?

Quite possibly the best pinball sim currently available for the iPhone. It has a fun, imaginative playing field that faithfully replicates the kind you can still find in truck stops and bowling alleys across the country. The graphics are attractive, the audio is authentic (although I could do without all the talking), and—most importantly—the gameplay feels natural. The physics are a bit off, but that’s to be expected in any sort of computer pinball sim where you’ve got no tactile feedback.

How does it work?

Like you’d expect an iPhone pinball machine to work. Pull the plunger back with a swipe of your finger, than tap the left and right of the screen to use the flippers. Shaking the iPhone shakes the table, but you needn’t worry about accidentally tilting; it’s not that sensitive.

The gameplay is very much goal oriented, of course, with your objectives clearly laid out (although not quite so easy to achieve). It’ll take some practice and a decent knowledge of the playing field to get them all, but you’ll be rewarded with hidden locations and the option to rank yourself on the world scores table. The underwater/sci-fi theme is pretty cool, and the graphics do a great job of highlighting this.

However, two development decisions currently hurt the game. First, there are no options to set, such as the tilt sensitivity or the ability to adjust the number of balls per game. Second, the motion camera (as with Gameprom’s previous pinball sim, Wild West Pinball, often lags behind the ball, making it impossible to see when the ball reaches the flippers. An update is just around the corner that will allow you to permanently have the full table on display (as well as turn the music and voice on and off), but I like the motion camera…I just wish it was more accurate.

Features

• Fun theme is highlighted by attractive graphics.
• Excellent pinball action that feels real; it plays like real world pinball, not like a video game.
• Goals are challenging, but not ridiculously so.
• Fluid animations and camera movement look great, although they do sometimes lag behind the ball.

App it Up, Sum it Up

The Deep Pinball should appeal to pinball fans, obviously, but those looking for a new quick-game option would also be wise to check this out. There’s no ability to save your progress should you need to quit or if a call comes in, but you’d have to be really good for that to be a deal killer.

Cost – $0.99
Worth the Money? – Without a doubt
Availability – Now, at the iTunes App Store