Pinball Tutorial· 13 min read
Riddle Me This: Learn to Play SEGA's 1995 Release Batman Forever
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One of SEGA's specialties as a pinball company was obtaining big licenses thanks to their head marketer Joe Kaminkow, and creating pinball machines based on them; this practice would continue into the SEGA era. The company’s first machines under new management introduced a massive DMD display and were widebodies that played similarly to the SuperPins that Williams attempted. These early SEGA tables are some of the best the company ever put out, and Batman Forever pinball is no exception.
Paul Leslie’s only pinball design credit shares similarities to the Williams pinball machine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I wholeheartedly prefer this machine to it as I feel that the flow and shots on it are smoother, even if some of the modes lack the incentive of playing them out that the former’s artifact rule encouraged. This machine received a code update in late 2024 that vastly improved its scoring. While it might be a tough table to maintain with a myriad of toys and unique shots, playing the table in working condition makes it clear that SEGA absolutely knew what they were doing.
Batman takes Robin under his tutelage and must put a stop to the Riddler & Two-Face’s schemes. Based on the 1995 film directed by Joel Schumacher.
It might be tough to figure out where the ball is coming from on this table thanks to all the green translucent plastics around the playfield! Batman Forever contains four different ramp shots, a VUK, two orbits, and many targets flanking the areas between the ramp shots.
The left side of the playfield contains four drop targets that spell out CAVE and light the multiball lock at the VUK when completed. Above the CAVE targets is a model of the Batcave which can hold up to 3 balls, and is loaded by the VUK. If a ball enters the VUK when lock isn’t lit, or at the start of multiball, this model will release the balls and send them flying above the right slingshot into the bumper area.
Directly above the “E” drop target is the left orbit, which depending on the strength of the shot, can either feed around to the upper flipper or enter the BAT top lanes. Below the top lanes are three bumpers, and above the “B” lane is a saucer that starts the Gotham Event modes when lit, though it can only be hit with strong right orbit shots. In front of the bumpers is a steep left ramp shot comparable to the right ramp on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Shooting the ramp either feeds the left flipper or the Batwing cannon, which can launch balls and aim for specific shots when the auto-plunger button is pressed. The side ramp passes through the same path as the left ramp and feeds the right flipper instead, and is the toughest shot on the game requiring a late flip from the upper right flipper to hit consistently.
The right side of the playfield contains four shots, two of which can be backhanded from the right flipper, and all of which can also be hit using the Batwing cannon. The mini-ramp makes a quick U-turn to feed the upper flipper and can also be shot with an early flip from the left flipper, while the VUK is used to send balls into the Batcave for ball locks and can be hit via either lower flipper. Shooting the unlit VUK also advances towards lighting super laser kick (unlimited kickback).
The right ramp can be hit from the left flipper and sends balls at reasonably high speed to the right flipper, encouraging ski passing to make repeated ramp shots; and the right orbit, which feeds the back saucer to start Gotham Events or advance towards lighting super laser kick, and allows balls to enter the bumpers. The right orbit is also where new balls are plunged into play.
Five “?” targets are scattered throughout the playfield, two near the left and right ramps, and one near the mini-ramp. Hitting all five will light the next Gotham Event. There are also four Two-Face standup targets that are “locked in” once one is hit and must be “matched” by hitting the corresponding target on the other target bank. One target bank is in the center of the playfield and the other is located to the far right.
Scoring on Batman Forever is average for its era with modes often scoring above 100M if played well, and multiball scoring over 300M if the player can collect both jackpots and the double jackpot. Bonus can also be worth substantial amounts of points. Like all Data East & SEGA pinball machines, the maximum attainable score is 9.9 billion.
Instead of a proper lane skill shot, Batman Forever is like several other SEGA machines of its time where the player gets a choice between four awards seen on the display. The left and right flipper change which award will be given when the player plunges the ball. From left to right, the awards are:
Gotham Events are the main modes of the game, and all are timed for 30 seconds unless otherwise noted. There are a total of seven modes and you can’t stack any of them, nor make progress towards any other game features during the modes until the mode ends.
Gotham Event starts lit at the right orbit on every ball. To relight it, complete the five “?” standup targets, or spot them with shots to the side ramp. Change the lit Gotham Event by hitting the bumpers; if there’s a mode you particularly want to play, press the launch button when the mode you want is flashing and the mode will be locked in.
From approx. left to right, top to bottom, the Gotham Events are:
After playing all seven modes listed above, and completing the three tasks listed below this section (matching the Two-Face coins and starting Circus Countdown), the next Gotham Event will be the Forever mode. For the next minute, the player has unlimited ball save and a 4-ball multiball where every switch hit adds 1M x balls in play to the Forever Jackpot, which starts at 50M. The Forever Jackpot is scored by loading the Batwing with a well-timed left ramp shot, as it will be moving from left to right and won’t accept balls that don’t fall into it, and resets to 50M each time it is scored. The wizard mode ends once all balls drain and the ball save has expired.
There are three other tasks required to qualify the Forever mode, which is the final Gotham Event, and two of these tasks are matching Two-Face’s good and bad heads. If all seven Gotham Events have already been played, “Start Gotham Event” from the skill shot will spot one of these tasks instead.
The Two-Face coin targets are located at the center and far right of the playfield; at each target bank, the left target is the good head, and the right target is the bad head. Once either target bank is hit during normal play, try to match the displayed coin by shooting the other target bank when the correct coin is lit. Bonus held is awarded for matching good heads, and 22M is awarded for matching bad heads, but mismatching them only awards 2M.
Once you’ve collected either award from matching coins the first time, you won’t be able to score them again until after the Forever mode has ended. Instead, re-matching coins will either relight the laser kick or score 10M if the laser kick is already lit.
The other task required to qualify Forever mode is collecting a Bat Signal at every shot. During normal play, one shot will be moving from left to right across the playfield marked by a Bat Signal insert. Every time one is hit, the insert will turn solid and increasing millions will be scored: 5M + 5M for every signal spotted.
As soon as the final signal is spotted, Circus Countdown will start. Shoot the right orbit to defuse the bomb and cash out a hurry-up starting at 99M and decreasing over time. The hurry-up doesn’t need to be scored to get credit for the “All Bat Signals Spotted” insert.
Light the lock at the VUK by selecting it from the skill shot or by completing the drop targets to spell CAVE during normal play. Multiple locks can be stacked at a time and locking the third ball will start multiball.
There are three phases to this 3-ball multiball:
There is a way to get a 4-ball multiball as well! Light the Batwing by making enough ramp shots, then when the third lock is lit, load the Batwing and send the ball into the VUK with a well-timed launch button press. Multiball will then start with 4 balls in play and the base jackpot value increased to 75M from 50M.
The Batwing is this machine’s take on the “cannon” toy from Terminator 2 or the “probes” from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Along with being used during multiball to score the super jackpot as described above, it can also be loaded up and fired at any target or shot on the right side of the playfield during normal play.
Light the Batwing by shooting any four ramp shots, with the left inlane briefly lighting the right ramp for 2x progress. Then shoot the left ramp to load it, and fire at any lit shot or target to score 10M. Extra ball is awarded if the player hits all six targets from the Batwing during a game.
You can double the Batwing values by rolling through the outer right inlane, then quickly shooting the left ramp.
Shooting the U-turn ramp 2 times during normal play, then every 3 shots thereafter will light the VUK to the right of it for a mystery award. Mystery awards include:
Keeping the kickback or outlane ball save lit is good practice on any pinball machine that has one. Laser kick on Batman Forever is easy to relight; just complete the BAT top lanes (which also increase bonus X up to 10x), or match a set of Two-Face coins that were already matched earlier.
You can also earn a super laser kick (unlimited kickback) by shooting the VUK or right orbit during normal play, if Start Gotham Event isn’t lit there. Along with a display effect showing a random piece of equipment, collecting 5 pieces of equipment will light the super laser kick. It can also be lit from Mr. E.
Batarangs are not worth going for whatsoever in competitive play, but they’re immensely satisfying to pull off and the machine keeps track of the player who has accumulated the most Batarangs in a game (my best so far is 6!)
Shooting the left orbit immediately followed by the side ramp scores a Batarang and 10M. If the shot surpassed the previous Batarang champion then an additional 100M will be scored. The “2x Batarang” insert at the inner right inlane multiplies the awarded Batarangs by 2 and scores 2x the value as well.
Bonus is sizable on Batman Forever, especially if you collected hold bonus by matching Two-Face’s good heads during the ball. Bonus is calculated using the following:
All multiplied by the bonus multiplier from spelling BAT, which maxes at 10x (20x from a rare Mr. E award…).
Read this far into the article I see? Well, here’s a tip to earn way more points than you would otherwise, so long as you’re paying attention to the display as you play.
On any ball after the first ball, the score display might be interrupted by a screeching bat. If you press the launch button any time this occurs, 50M will be awarded; otherwise, the Riddler will revel in taunting you. Of course, you won’t be able to just hold the ball and hope for the bat to come up – the screeching bat only comes up rarely after switches are hit, and even then, only once per mode played.
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