In Pokémon Pinball, a lost ball is costly: the Poké Ball starts again from zero, the lights reset and the game moves one ball closer to the end. The game offers two independent protections: the ball saver, which is limited in time, and Pikachu, who guards the outlanes. This page describes how they work.
The ball saver
The Saver indicator, a blue light at the bottom of the screen between the flippers, stays lit as long as the protection is active. It flashes during roughly the last ten seconds, faster during the last five. When the ball drops between the flippers while the saver is active, it returns to the launch lane and is fired again on its own, with the message BALL SAVED in the US version. The saver stops after two saves.
| Trigger | Duration |
|---|---|
| Start of a ball | About 20 seconds |
| Start of Catch ‘Em Mode | 60 seconds |
| Start of Evolution Mode | 60 seconds |
| Slot Machine reward | 30, 60 or 90 seconds |
Neither activating the saver nor a save earns any points. One point on duration: the timer runs to its end, even if the mode that triggered it ends earlier. Bulbapedia gives 24 seconds for the start of a ball, a duration that, according to it, includes a one-second extension per ball saved; the game’s code provides for a 20-second timer.
Pikachu and the Thunder gauge
The outlanes, on either side of the flippers, are the only places where the ball is lost without protection. Pikachu positions itself there to send the ball back with a Thunder Shock, but under two conditions:
- It must be on the right side. Pikachu stands under one of the two outlanes. Pressing the left flipper button places it on the left, pressing the right flipper button on the right. You therefore have to position it before the ball drops, without picking the wrong side.
- The Thunder gauge must be full. This gauge, represented by a lightning bolt, fills up by spinning the spinner on the right loop. It is empty at the start of the game and empties when the ball is lost.
Each save earns 50,000 points, multiplied by the ball number, and counts toward the bonus ball: ten saves in the same ball grant an extra ball, then ten more, up to one hundred. If the gauge is not full, Pikachu misses and the ball is lost.
Super Pikachu
The Slot Machine can award Super Pikachu: from then on, both outlanes are protected at the same time, Pikachu flashes permanently on both sides, the Thunder gauge stays full and the player has nothing left to manage. The effect disappears when the ball is lost. This reward appears on passes 1, 3, 6, 8, 11, 13, 16, 18, 21 and 23 of the sequence, as described on the Slot Machine page.
During Catch ‘Em and Evolution Modes
When a Catch ‘Em or Evolution Mode starts, the game sets aside the state of the current saver and launches a new one, of 60 seconds. When the mode ends, the old saver is restored with the time it had left: the 20 seconds from the start of the ball are therefore not used up while you catch. According to an analysis of the game’s code, the 60-second saver is not limited to two saves like the start-of-ball one: it acts until its timer runs out, without displaying a message. This is why the first minutes of a mode can be played without risk, as long as the protection timer has not run out.
The spinner
Located on the right loop of each table, the spinner turns when the ball passes through it, which charges the Thunder gauge. Each full turn earns 100 points; during Catch ‘Em and Evolution Modes, each hit also adds 10,000 or 15,000 points to the jackpot. In the end-of-ball tally, each turn counts for 10,000 points before the bonus multiplier.
How to lose fewer balls
- Fill the Thunder gauge as soon as possible by going through the right loop: it empties each time a ball is lost, and Pikachu is useless until it is full.
- Keep Pikachu on the side where the ball is likely to drop; decide it as the ball comes down, not before.
- Make the most of the 60-second saver at the start of a Catch ‘Em or Evolution Mode to take reasonable risks.
- When the 90-second saver is offered, it is not guaranteed: it only appears on the 15th pass of the Slot Machine.
