The ball in Pokémon Pinball is not always the same: it starts as a Poké Ball, then can become a Great Ball, an Ultra Ball and finally a Master Ball. Each upgrade multiplies the points of most actions on the table. It is the simplest way to raise a score, as long as you know how to get it and how not to lose it.
The four balls
| Ball | Multiplier | Distinguishing mark |
|---|---|---|
| Poké Ball | x1 | Starting ball for every ball you play |
| Great Ball | x2 | Letter S on the ball, from its former name Super Ball |
| Ultra Ball | x3 | Letter H on the ball, from its former name Hyper Ball |
| Master Ball | x5 | Maximum ball |
The letters S (Super) and H (Hyper) come from the Japanese names. They do not match the English names Great Ball and Ultra Ball, but make perfect sense with the French names Super Ball and Hyper Ball.
Upgrading the ball with the lanes
At the top of the screen, three lanes each have a light. When all three lights are on at the same time, the ball moves up a level. How it works differs depending on the table:
- Red Field: the lanes are closed at the start of the game. You have to hit Staryu, just below, to open or close them all at once. Once they are open, a light comes on when the ball touches it and stays on. A small Staryu on the left of the bottom screen shows that the lanes are open.
- Blue Field: the lanes are always open, but each hit toggles the state of the light: a ball passing over a light that is already on turns it off.
On both tables, pressing a flipper button shifts the lane lights one position, with the last one wrapping around to the other side. This is handy for bringing an unlit light under the ball’s usual path. Each lit light earns 1,000 points, and the upgrade itself 4,000 points. After an upgrade, the lights flash six times, which prevents you from chaining another upgrade immediately.
Upgrading the ball with the Slot Machine
The “upgrade” reward of the Slot Machine appears only on the 10th and 20th passes of the sequence. It moves the ball up to the next level, and the machine displays the ball you will get in advance.
How long an upgrade lasts
Each upgrade starts a timer of about one minute, or 3,600 frames at the console’s frame rate. When it reaches zero without a new upgrade, the ball drops only one level: the Master Ball becomes an Ultra Ball, then a minute later a Great Ball, then a Poké Ball. The timer restarts at each step as long as the ball has not gone back to being a Poké Ball, and it is paused during the Pokémon capture animation. A new upgrade resets it to a full minute.
Losing the ball is harsher: the next ball is always a Poké Ball, whatever level you had reached, whereas only one level is lost per minute. During the bonus stages, the ball is always a Poké Ball with no multiplier; when you return to the table, the original ball is restored.
If you “upgrade” a Master Ball, nothing changes in appearance, but the game awards you 10,000,000 points, and the one-minute wait starts over. The message displayed is then “FIELD MULTIPLIER SPECIAL BONUS” in the American version, instead of “FIELD MULTIPLIER” followed by the multiplier obtained for an ordinary upgrade.
Seeing the state of the lanes
The three lanes are at the top of the table: you cannot see them when the bottom screen is displayed. The lights remain active nonetheless, and the flipper buttons keep shifting them, even off screen. On the Red Field, the small Staryu on the bottom screen shows whether the lanes are open. So all you need to do is glance at it before attempting a shot toward the top, and shift the lights while the ball is on its way up.
Which points are multiplied
The ball multiplies most of the table’s points: bumper hits, entering Bellsprout or Slowpoke, a Pikachu kick, passing through a loop, CAVE lights. On the other hand, the points from special modes stay fixed: silhouette pieces, hits on the Pokémon in Catch’em Mode, evolution items, bonus stage results. A Pokémon hit in Catch’em Mode earns 3,000,000 points with any ball. The details are in the scoring system.
| Action | Poké Ball | Great Ball | Ultra Ball | Master Ball |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hit a Voltorb or a Shellder | 5,000 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 25,000 |
| Enter Bellsprout, Slowpoke or Cloyster | 100,000 | 200,000 | 300,000 | 500,000 |
| Pikachu kick | 50,000 | 100,000 | 150,000 | 250,000 |
| CAVE light lit | 1,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 5,000 |
| Hit the Pokémon in Catch’em Mode | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 |
Tips
- Upgrade the ball before a fast point-scoring phase, for example before entering Bellsprout or Slowpoke over and over, rather than before a Catch’em Mode, whose rewards are not multiplied.
- Keep an eye on the minute: a Master Ball obtained just before the timer runs out is quickly lost.
- On the Blue Field, avoid repeated hits on lights that are already on; on the Red Field, remember to reopen the lanes with Staryu if you closed them by accident.
