Like Angry Birds Star Wars before it, Star Wars Pinball pairs the beloved sci-fi franchise with a proven mobile framework. In this case, it's the excellent Zen Pinball, which serves up original digital tables that look and play like the real thing. Available as a universal standalone app, Star Wars Pinball delivers a great table based on The Empire Strikes Back, complete with moving sections that take after film scenes.
Inspired by the seminal middle chapter of the original film trilogy, the Empire table is a glitzy and refined tribute to the beloved 1980 film, featuring the iconic images of the heroes, an animated Darth Vader statue, and familiar music, sound effects, and voice clips to tie it all together. As with the core Zen Pinball app, Star Wars Pinball can be played in landscape or portrait view from a handful of angles, with taps on the left or right side of the screen controlling those respective bumpers. It feels much like the real thing, but these tables use the digital platform to push the pinball formula beyond its physical constraints with animated movie sequences, which let you play through five different moments from the film based on where you hit the ball.
For fans of the franchise or virtual pinball in general, it's a real treat – and only the beginning of a long line of Star Wars tables. Two others are currently available within for $1.99 apiece: A table based on The Clone Wars animated series, with a film-like text crawl into space and a bevy of ramps, as well as a table inspired by bounty hunter Boba Fett, which features a flying figure of him that can shoot missiles. Seven more tables are planned for release, and if you'd rather not double up on pinball apps, you can purchase each table (even the Empire one) individually within Zen Pinball instead.
However, the only way for iPhone 5 users to experience these tables in full screen is through this standalone app, as Zen Pinball has yet to be updated to support the larger screen – a frustrating oversight, especially in the wake of such significant content additions. Given the choice, though, we'd recommend playing on the larger screen of the iPad, which offers much greater visibility of the ball amidst the flashing lights and moving parts.
The bottom line. Whether you love Star Wars or just crave new tables to dominate without needing rolls of quarters, it's digital pinball done right with a licensed twist.
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Great original digital pinball tables based on the beloved franchise. Additional tables sold within and many more are planned.
Only way for iPhone 5 users to experience these tables in full screen.
