# Stern Indiana Jones Pinball Wizard Mode Challenge

**Source:** IE Pinball  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-06-20  
**Duration:** 48m 4s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6caOMwz77XY

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## Analysis

IE Pinball streamer completes a lengthy Wizard Mode challenge on Stern's Indiana Jones pinball machine, attempting to beat Gary Stern's high score. The stream showcases extensive gameplay across multiple modes including Cairo, Temple, and Last Crusade sequences, with commentary on the game's code quality, design decisions, and competitive viability. The streamer ultimately completes the final Wizard Mode (Final Adventure) and discusses the game's grinding nature, timeout mechanics, and overall assessment as a mid-tier Stern release.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Indiana Jones has timeout modes that activate unintentionally during play, which the streamer views as a design flaw — _Streamer discusses timeout mechanics multiple times, expressing frustration with modes timing out and criticizing this as poor design_
- [HIGH] The game has significant grinding and repetitive gameplay that makes extended play tedious — _Streamer repeatedly mentions 'the grind' and describes the game as feeling worse than other titles, noting difficulty finishing modes faster_
- [HIGH] Indiana Jones code quality is below average for a Stern release — _Streamer states 'if this game had better code it wouldn't be so bad' and 'not the best code sure' when discussing game quality_
- [HIGH] The Final Wizard Mode (Final Adventure) does not have clear shot indicators on the playfield — _Streamer questions 'where is the final mode gonna start where on the playfields because there's no light for it'_
- [HIGH] Gary Stern holds the high score on this Indiana Jones machine — _Streamer repeatedly references 'Gary Stern' as the high score holder they're trying to beat throughout the stream_
- [MEDIUM] The game features a punting rod that may not be straight, affecting ball control — _Streamer notes 'the punting Rod is not straight' and acknowledges 'that would not surprise me'_

### Notable Quotes

> "this game feels a ton worse than it's definitely worse than playing hurry up but I think the grind the grind that that hurts you know"
> — **IE Pinball streamer**, early stream
> _Core criticism of the game's grinding and repetitive nature_

> "if this game had better code it wouldn't be you know it wouldn't be so bad but it's not like the layout is horrible"
> — **IE Pinball streamer**, mid-stream
> _Assessment that mechanics are decent but code implementation is weak_

> "I don't like timing out modes if they if you're timing out modes the designer has done something wrong"
> — **IE Pinball streamer**, mid-stream
> _Philosophy on game design flaw; timeout mechanics indicate design failure_

> "even the worst Sam Stern is better than like half of the premiere golly uh Mario Andretti that's the one that I I think doesn't get talked about enough and it's really bad"
> — **IE Pinball streamer**, mid-stream
> _Comparative ranking of Stern titles; context for Indiana Jones quality assessment_

> "yeah that's why I've been saying this in the tournament that's all you do is just shoot them well I mean I have all the hits on everything that's why it's values are so high"
> — **IE Pinball streamer**, late-stream
> _Commentary on tournament viability and scoring mechanics; suggests limited strategic depth_

> "the restarts the game just it just takes so long you know I don't know if it's gonna be a bad game so that's why I just wanted you know one thing"
> — **IE Pinball streamer**, end-stream
> _Post-game reflection on restart condition design and overall game pacing_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| IE Pinball | organization | Content creator/streamer conducting long-form gameplay video on Indiana Jones pinball machine |
| Gary Stern | person | CEO of Stern Pinball; holds high score on the Indiana Jones machine being played during this stream |
| Indiana Jones | game | Stern Pinball machine based on Indiana Jones franchise; subject of extended Wizard Mode challenge video |
| Stern Pinball | company | Pinball machine manufacturer; creator of Indiana Jones machine being streamed |
| Zach Sharpe | person | Community member who participated in the 'guess the attempts' contest; guessed 270 attempts |
| Derek Price | person | Twitch username 'D Twisted D'; closest guess in the contest at 55 attempts; to receive prize at Pins and Pirates event |
| John Papadiuk | person | Pinball designer referenced in stream context; mentioned in relation to game design simplicity discussion |
| Godzilla | game | Stern Pinball machine; referenced as comparison point for game difficulty and community fatigue |
| Game of Thrones | game | Stern Pinball machine (Premium version); referenced as comparison title multiple times throughout stream |
| Jurassic Park | game | Pinball game mentioned in competitive context; referenced as title the streamer has owned |
| Walking Dead | game | Stern Pinball title mentioned; described as 'hate and loving games' - games with strong polarizing opinions |
| Medieval Madness | game | Classic pinball title referenced in context of game design discussion |
| Tron | game | Pinball title mentioned in competitive tournament context; execution-dependent scoring |
| Pins and Pirates | event | Upcoming pinball event where Derek Price will receive his contest prize |
| Fliptronic | organization | Streaming platform or pinball venue mentioned at end of stream; associated with other streamers |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Wizard Mode Design and Implementation, Code Quality and Game Polish, Game Grinding and Pacing Issues, Competitive Viability and Tournament Play, Timeout Mechanics as Design Flaw
- **Secondary:** Comparison with Other Stern Titles, Mechanical Issues and Maintenance, Community Engagement and Streaming

### Sentiment

**Negative** (-0.65) — Streamer expresses frustration with game's grinding nature, code quality, and timeout mechanics. While acknowledging decent layout and mechanical elements, overall tone is critical and fatigued. Repeatedly describes the experience as painful. However, shows some appreciation for specific design elements and completes the challenge, suggesting engagement despite frustration.

### Signals

- **[product_concern]** Indiana Jones criticized for subpar code implementation relative to Stern standards; timeout modes activate unintentionally during play, indicating design or implementation failure (confidence: high) — Streamer states 'if this game had better code it wouldn't be so bad' and discusses timeout mechanics activating during mode play, calling timeout modes a design error
- **[gameplay_signal]** Extended gameplay shows significant grinding and repetitive shot sequences; final Wizard Mode completion takes considerable time with limited strategic variety (confidence: high) — Repeated comments about 'the grind' hurting play experience; streamer notes game takes 3+ hours and lacks sufficient variety in shot sequences
- **[design_philosophy]** Wizard Mode structure features sequential Temple/Quest completion with timeout mechanics that penalize players during mode transitions, viewed as poor design decision (confidence: high) — Streamer discusses timeout modes triggering during play and criticizes this as indicating designer failure; notes difficulty with mode clarity and transitions
- **[competitive_signal]** Indiana Jones discussed in competitive tournament context; streamer notes limited strategic depth and primarily shot-based scoring, limiting skill expression (confidence: medium) — Streamer states 'that's all you do is just shoot them' and references discussing the game in tournament context; notes scoring heavily dependent on hitting map targets
- **[gameplay_signal]** Final Wizard Mode lacks clear shot indicators on playfield; player must determine which shot starts mode without visual guidance (confidence: high) — Streamer asks 'where is the final mode gonna start where on the playfields because there's no light for it' and expresses uncertainty about starting shot
- **[product_concern]** Punting rod may not be properly aligned; streamer observes potential straightness issue affecting ball control consistency (confidence: medium) — Streamer notes 'the punting Rod is not straight' and acknowledges this would not be surprising for the machine
- **[sentiment_shift]** Extended play session (3+ hours) on Indiana Jones shows fatigue accumulation; streamer expresses desire to finish and move on to other games (confidence: high) — Multiple references to being 'hyper tired,' 'game's getting tired,' and 'pain is over' at stream conclusion
- **[content_signal]** IE Pinball conducted viewer contest predicting number of attempts for Wizard Mode; 55 total guesses with close predictions, indicating community engagement around challenge content (confidence: high) — Streamer announces contest results, names winner Derek Price at 55 guesses, and confirms prize distribution at upcoming Pins and Pirates event

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## Transcript

complete record of his search for the Holy Grail [Music] hey Monty Python huh this is a warning not to disturb the Ark of the Covenant wow two in a row huh do you believe in words [Music] this game feels a ton worse than it's definitely worse than playing hurry up but I think I mean I feel like I should be able to finish it faster that's what's weird I mean uh the grind the grind that that hurts you know go in the hole with you thank you as you can now see doctor there we go finally all right [Music] well I guess I'm continuing this game even though I even I haven't finished it or started any of the modes yet but [Music] we have two Cairo swordsmans already how close am I there uh I'm up [Music] thank you [Music] as long as I'm playing it and not you huh [Music] yeah Buck Hunter was a strange period for starting out yeah this is sorry I missed that comment it is belcito's Jim Jim is thankful Jim keeps loaning me these games at some point world focuser will be on over here sometimes that's another grind but it's at least more fun that Game's real that game day you get to the end and then you mess up and you you wanna you wanna die of course open this I feel like it's more work [Music] and too many Popa lately no not lately actually if I help out the game it'll try and help me out all right that's fine [Music] I think that somebody believes the good luck Rock from this Village is one of the Lost shankara stones shankara I'm getting those double hits anymore unfortunately those are nice is a source of unspeakable power and it has to be researched mystery is lit but only one step away it's usually when the ground falls out from underneath your feet let me think about that one bugs what do I go like yes this game's in a competition you know I have to play because this game's in it I mean Godzilla is an easy answer but I want to say Godzilla because everyone's tired of Godzilla right now um I can't say Indiana uh Stargate was a cool game yeah Target's indie game um I'm games with a lot of risk reward that where you can come back on ball three like no one's out of the game even if they've had a bad ball of one and two they can still come back on the third ball that's what I really looked for in a good competition game um [Music] really got me on that one poked around [Music] is that a banana banana oh you could be eating a banana yeah I'm gonna look at my uh my former collection all right World Cup soccer I love in competition [Music] I've owned a lot of games I would say no to oh boy um Walking Dead that's one of those hate and loving games uh Jurassic Park also I think all those [Music] um to help us there's more I like playing Tron competition that's another one that's uh it's an easy pretty simple game rule-wise but I it really depends on how well you can execute on it where the points come from [Music] you just learned there was a uh Independence Day film huh all right [Music] Treasures Beyond Your Wildest desperation foreign [Music] the reproduction though there was the Illinois pinball reproduction and that was it apart from the prototypes but that game's just a it's just an okay game really it's neat I love the the alien lock mag apart from that game nothing special would you be more uncomfortable right there's two Raiders excellent [Music] reload that Arc reload it would you [Music] foreign [Music] it's fun [Music] oh one more got it got a game you okay [Music] you want to say to open as well as that a sacred Rock finish out the ramp the ball was coming too fast sacred stone Shrine that protects the village but why would Maharaja take the sacred stone I think the punting Rod is not straight uh yeah that could be that would not surprise me how many shots on the last episode so I haven't shot it at all [Music] right two oh no I want a ball on the flipper now there we go that's good enough good enough it's like just grazing the um the captain ball win that's not good I've already gotten destroys the next fall so I don't need anything no I hadn't geez boy my brain is extra ball is lit ah don't shoot it because you've already got the extra ball backhand the magnet all day it seems like it it's working right shouldn't say anything shouldn't mention it I know where the ark is Marion at some point it's gonna miss [Music] not sling doubles no uh I thought about that I was like it looked like I could have uh I could have gotten that all right that's uh a very good first ball play again I'm I'm happy with that scoop mystery you can now see Dr Jones two more you're about to complete Quest go in there okay good we're only one step away it's usually when the ground falls out from underneath your feet I figure out the magnet and I'm gonna start getting the bad scoop feeds it is [Music] three yeah game's getting tired I bet it's only been what three hours and 40 minutes somewhere [Music] Janice is one of the possible wrestling places of the Lost star Jones picking comments [Music] oh no [Music] watch that ball dad yeah I think that was another faults of mine I think that was savable all right what do we get all right another extra ball sweet extra ball is lit this game knows I'm I'm I want to be done with it doesn't it all right this is number two and Last Crusade still acceptable but definitely not if you played it for three hours surprising lasting this long way in the corner what's my favorite game timeout mode this game only game will actually timeout mode I think I'd like to play my mode I don't like timing out modes if they if you're timing out modes the designer has done something wrong and I immediately just thought of guns and roses and the slash solo which should be changing we are told [Music] all right away we go and we're dead oh good another another simple Doom no all right yes come on give me a ball he's one of the Lost Sean Cara stones [Music] uh I trusted that flipper probably not the smartest thing to do speakable power and it has to be researched sacred rock all right let's give that extra ball right now it's no that's not never mind joking all right shorty Guardian of the Galaxy oh that was horrible I I hate that that's a thing now I hope that gets updated although I don't know how you're gonna update it apart from not allowing but you can't you have to allow time to be mode or modes we timed out while I'm switching things up um because of the nature of that game right that timer always runs because of the video clip you're kind of stuck with that [Music] is this the worst Stern game uh not the best code sure all right oh my actually didn't stop why did that stop it only stopped when you collected [Music] um does anyone play Striker extreme how does this compare to Striker extreme [Music] shoot shoot it again that was not a necessary dream that's a bit of fatigue starting to set in dude it's real diary I'll blame it I'm fatigue record of the search for the Holy Grail all right oh no all the souls you know Treasures Beyond Your Wildest desperation who made shark attack and that's a Godly final resting place all right come on from a shrine that protects them give me good feed scoop good feeds better time's running out do you believe the grill actually exists if this game had better code it wouldn't be you know it wouldn't be so bad but it's not like the layout is horrible as you can now see Dr Jones you're about to complete a great Quest oh no that's that was not good [Music] go to the left would you go to left left left left left side you didn't go to the left side [Music] would you be more comfortable opening the Ark in Berlin no I've got an L huh [Music] even the worst Stern is better than like half of the premiere golly uh Mario Andretti that's the one that I I think doesn't get talked about enough and it's really really really bad we were talking about bad got leaves come on start multiple all right there's four how many balls do I get for the fourth one Raiders of the Lost Ark multiball what what color is that keep backhanding the arc [Music] oh gosh uh this is a crusade mode no one more usually when the ground falls out from underneath your feet oh you want to see it open as well your persistent surprise isn't even me I'm persistence oh gosh what was that why did that just stop on the magnets that magnet has got to be like burning up right now no [Music] all right all right all right I got the map board hey again look at those rides still all right not dead yet not dead yet this story is lit to the left the left okay I'll take it that way ants and this is bugs did he say bugs get into ants right oh my gosh all right time out of time right no I'm not in the motive no I am I'm in ants and I'm in yeah rather than the background there [Music] Last Crusade is gonna be [Music] six come on captain all right another Temple done all right that'll put me at the last Temple all right do the map targets do anything they uh add to your bonus multiplier which can be big if you're playing for points if you're not playing for points it doesn't matter [Music] uh the 2x scoring is from the uh scoop that's in the upper on the top of that geez thanks scoop for trying to kill me again all right what's funny is I don't think I've tried to backhand this scoop I mean the I mean the capital ball the Holy Grail spinal resting place described in detail [Music] yeah the link I definitely needs tightening I noticed that too I noticed at the beginning I decided I'd just leave it and if it I need to work on it I'd work on it is my speed attempt to recover them how many more another one no probably gotten two I think so it's not gonna give me any more from there but actually it doesn't really care ful oh that was a bad shot [Music] I don't care foreign there we go do you believe Marcus I believe the grill actually exists all right I'm gonna need the right ramp at some point so might as well uh hello pin Jed [Music] all right come around come around yes as you can now see Dr tomorrow we're about to complete a great Quest magic Rock away it's usually when the ground falls out from underneath your feet all right one more set for temple only so many ramps for Christmas skull that's not good [Music] that's four I think six more ramps I think if I remember am I in a mode I'm in a mode aren't I this is the Last Crusade mode that's right time for another timeout welcomes emac welcome back dmac's not here I suck hyper tired I'm kidding play my Thanksgiving plans we uh my parents are coming over here it's gonna be a small thing I like smaller I don't like gigantic Gathering big other family campaign people are scary and you can sneak away to stream somewhere oh yeah yeah today at least yeah tomorrow probably not magic Rock Fortune Glory it's Dad's granddaughter we did a lot of work on the house uh last weekend [Music] unsuitable to give order really don't even feel like mini wizard modes I don't know if they're meant to like the fifth in the series [Music] it's not worth any points anything different everything's the same all the scoring in the game is the same I mean I'm curious you know [Music] does it shoot each shot twice it looks like [Music] I'm left orbit though gotta shoot the hard shot oh really okay really am I gonna pay for playing a mode almost okay um so I just need Last Crusade and Kingdom [Music] okay you can blame me you got one million points yeah it would have been cone time huh if I had drain during that yeah it would have been deserved to do you believe Marcus I believe the grill actually exists I have more balls I have more balls I've still got an extra ball I'm on ball one I'm okay this is not where I strain instantly as you can now see two more you're about to complete great quests shoot the right orbit I will not play the Last Crusade mode because that's going to be a single ball mode ground falls out from underneath your feet go in the scoop thank you all right Last Crusade stay there perfect it kind of thinks that the hurry up takes over the main mode when the main Mode's the big thing you just turned into potentially the end I I don't know if I'll beat Gary depends on how much how valuable that final mode is right but all I need are ramps that's all I'm gonna need 48 seconds left 36. very Stern it 180 million I mean for points so I think I need three or four Rams right questions where is the final mode gonna start where on the playfields because there's no light for it so am I going to have a flashing light or am I gonna have to figure out where where to start it that does still play the trumpet he does he does say it completed all right let's see complete 2.5 million foreign worth that much hello okay I am taking Last Crusade is it because that's lit blue so I assume that's gonna be my shot to start this it doesn't say anything anywhere [Music] final Adventure everything built movie shot score Spinners okay spell map oh gosh do that spell Indy Jones to add the ball okay [Music] all right it's done it is done there's not it's not timed right I'm not I'm not killing myself by holding onto the ball okay so I have to alternate shots at least and I'm not gonna do very good in this [Music] Indy Jones that eye is impossible to hit from The Flipper if I break the rest let's go [Music] instant sweater No Sleep necessary so really what I want to be doing a hanging map so I can spell look at that Superman that Super's big of the regular jackpots are big too [Music] that was the back end of the scoop oh I want I kind of want to take Gary sternoff the high score chart can I do it if I hit map I can I bet no can't yet okay jackpots until I'm not gonna get it nope Gary this is a great screen here but I have to play morph I actually want to take the high score though uh do I want to do I care do I care do I care enough to do that or am I done where's the next Christmas skull mode now that I finished it is it still at 50 ramps I'm assuming I can't see yep oh I should go for a multiplier teach Gary a lesson 95 R kits 95 R kits so wow nothing happened to 50 ramps nothing at all [Music] hard to resistance 90 of what you're back in yeah yeah that backhand worked well this game Mary I'm trying to see how many Maps I can take speller they made their calculations in the map room I mean I have to think with all the hits I have on everything that this is going to be pretty valuable right foreign so this is where the score is huh when did they find them Gary's done for Harry's gone 11x whoa I double my score all right [Laughter] um I'm sorry so yeah that's why I've been saying this in the tournament that's all you do is just shoot them well I mean I have all the hits on everything that's why it's values are so high but still you just hit the map oh boy I can actually play a multiball maybe Gary is rolling over in his grave Gary's Not Dead oh Optical crazy [Music] uh we're done there's an amazing finish all right the next stream will be Rush uh be honest unless I can throw one in tomorrow tomorrow if things End early other than that I won't have a shot until next week [Music] because that'll be fun yeah now no one ever needs to play this game again exactly yeah all right uh I hope you enjoyed the pain pain is over thankfully only two days attempt 53 who won who won who was closest [Music] with 55 guesses 55 attempts is D Twisted D is Derek price all right I'll give Derek his uh his prize next weekend at pins and Pirates that's uh I assume he's going so not you Becca sorry what'd you guess do we do we show the guesses now let's see um back where were you picking not 269 they win a Stern Indiana Jones yeah zmac at 270. one above you vex back to the pasture back to the pasture at 277. Ray day 197 Neil at 178 new McRae Dalton 169 and so on all right that we'll call it not bad fliptronic yeah you're pretty close yeah I would the restarts the game just it just takes so long you know I don't know if it's gonna be a bad game so that's why I just wanted you know one thing maybe I should have made it all four you know one in each ladder but for restart condition but I think it worked out well plenty of firewood Jim would not like me if I if I lift this up in flames all right let me uh let's see who we can send you off to now I don't need to tighten the Right End Lane no no one's streaming besides Lowe's so you're going to Lowe's I'll explain the uh Scuba all right thanks all for watching I appreciate it hope you enjoyed it see you next week with Rush where we'll try to uh still trying to figure out scoring on that I think I've got some of it down but I'm going for combos that's for sure all right take care Happy Thanksgiving is everyone in the U.S otherwise see you next week bye

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: b27a6f98-c7c8-496d-8012-26e6c2452362*