Pin-Bot (USA) is Rare’s 1990 NES conversion of Williams Electronics’ Pin*Bot, a sci-fi themed pinball machine that first hit arcades in 1986 and was published on the console by Nintendo. Rather than a fixed single table, the game sends the ball on a journey through the solar system, starting out near Pluto and working inward toward the Sun as the robot host Pin-Bot lights up targets and calls out digitized voice lines.
How to play
The goal is to rack up points by hitting lit targets and clearing each stage’s objectives before the ball drains. Fully lighting the 5×5 grid on Pin-Bot’s visor locks the ball in place and triggers a two-ball multiball round with doubled scoring, and clearing enough solar bonuses swaps in new playfield variations with obstacles like blobs, planes, and snakes. The ball itself changes shape as you progress, from a sphere to a triangular wedge to a cube, each form rolling faster and less predictably than the last.
Controls: any direction on the D-pad (arrow keys) works the left flipper, the A button (Z) works the right flipper, and the B button (X) pulls back the plunger to launch the ball — hold it longer for a stronger launch. Start (Enter) and Select (Shift) nudge the table left and right.
Tips
- Nudge sparingly with Start/Select; a well-timed bump can save a ball down the middle, but too many in a row will tilt the table and kill your flippers.
- Prioritize filling the visor’s 5×5 grid over chasing loose points — the multiball it unlocks is worth far more than picking off scattered targets.
- Ball speed climbs sharply once it turns into the wedge and cube shapes, so start playing flippers earlier and more conservatively as a round goes on.
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