# Ultra Rare Arcade Game Pickup - Satan's Hallow!

**Source:** RetroRalph  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2022-09-22  
**Duration:** 6m 55s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Pigy1BEPk

---

## Analysis

RetroRalph showcases an ultra-rare Satan's Hollow arcade cabinet from 1982, detailing its Bally Midway MCR2 hardware, original artwork by Paul E. Niemeyer, and unique flight stick control system. He discusses preservation vs. restoration philosophy, performs minor LED upgrades, and plays through the game while reflecting on the value of experiencing original arcade hardware versus emulation.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Satan's Hollow was Paul E. Niemeyer's first solo project at Bally Midway — _RetroRalph states this directly; claims to have met Paul at Game On Pinball Expo earlier in the year_
- [HIGH] Satan's Hollow ran on Bally Midway MCR2 hardware, same as Tron, Journey, Domino Man, Cosmic Cruiser, Two Tigers, and Wacko — _RetroRalph provides specific hardware details during cabinet teardown discussion_
- [HIGH] Satan's Hollow uses a restricted-movement flight stick (left/right only), while Tron uses an eight-way stick — _RetroRalph explicitly compares the two sticks while examining the cabinet_
- [HIGH] Original Satan's Hollow cabinet front was reddish-orange, not black as found on this unit — _RetroRalph notes this discrepancy and plans to repaint when time permits_
- [MEDIUM] Satan's Hollow is a rare game in the collector market — _RetroRalph states 'Satan's Hollow is actually a really rare game these days' and notes difficulty finding copies_

### Notable Quotes

> "Satan's Hollow was actually Paul's first solo project at Bally Midway. I had the pleasure of meeting Paul and moderating his panel earlier this year at Game On Pinball Expo. Super awesome guy."
> — **RetroRalph**, early in video
> _Establishes credibility and personal connection to the original artist; confirms recent industry engagement_

> "Preservation versus restoration is an interesting topic... I'm leaning towards leaving it as is."
> — **RetroRalph**, mid-video
> _Articulates conservation philosophy; defers to Vintage Arcade Gal's approach on the matter_

> "Once you play them on their actual machines, the way they were intended to be played, especially a game like Satan's Hollow that has a unique control to it, it's such a different experience."
> — **RetroRalph**, late video
> _Central thesis: hardware authenticity significantly impacts gameplay experience vs. emulation/MAME_

> "Don't discount or forget about these 80s games. Maybe if you haven't played them in a while go back and play some of them because I'm telling you the play mechanics... they're really cool."
> — **RetroRalph**, conclusion section
> _Advocacy for retro arcade gameplay discovery; frames 80s games as underrated by modern collectors_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| RetroRalph | person | YouTube arcade collector and content creator; host of the video; plays Satan's Hollow and discusses restoration philosophy |
| Paul E. Niemeyer | person | Artist at Bally Midway in early 1980s; created artwork for Satan's Hollow (his first solo project); met by RetroRalph at Game On Pinball Expo |
| Satan's Hollow | game | 1982 arcade game by Bally Midway; runs on MCR2 hardware; features unique left/right-only flight stick control; protagonist challenges player to defeat Satan through gargoyle avoidance and bridge building |
| Bally Midway | company | Arcade game manufacturer; produced Satan's Hollow and multiple MCR2 hardware games including Tron |
| Bally Midway MCR2 | product | Hardware platform used by Satan's Hollow, Tron, Journey, Domino Man, Cosmic Cruiser, Two Tigers, and Wacko |
| Tron | game | Iconic arcade game running on MCR2 hardware; uses eight-way flight stick (contrasts with Satan's Hollow's restricted stick) |
| Matt | person | Local arcade collector; sold Satan's Hollow cabinet to RetroRalph |
| Game On Pinball Expo | event | Industry event where RetroRalph moderated a panel with Paul E. Niemeyer earlier in the year |
| MAME | product | Arcade emulation platform; RetroRalph played 80s games on MAME in early 2000s before collecting original hardware |
| Vintage Arcade Gal | person | YouTube content creator; produced video on preservation vs. restoration philosophy; endorsed by RetroRalph |
| Sinistar | game | 80s arcade game that RetroRalph enjoys and returns to; mentioned as example of underrated arcade title |
| Galloping Ghost | organization | Arcade venue with extensive game collection; mentioned as place to experience original arcade hardware |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Arcade cabinet restoration and preservation philosophy, 1980s arcade game design and hardware, Original arcade artwork and artist history, Hardware authenticity vs. emulation in arcade gaming experience
- **Secondary:** Arcade cabinet rarity and collector market, Bally Midway MCR2 platform games, Flight stick control mechanics
- **Mentioned:** Arcade content creation and community engagement

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — RetroRalph expresses genuine enthusiasm and pride in acquiring a rare cabinet; positive tone toward arcade preservation and discovery; playful antagonism with Satan character adds entertainment value; some mild frustration with past repair attempts, but overall celebratory about the machine and arcade gaming culture

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** RetroRalph references moderating panel at Game On Pinball Expo with Paul E. Niemeyer, indicating active participation in arcade/pinball industry events (confidence: high) — Direct statement about meeting Paul at expo and moderating his panel earlier in the year
- **[design_philosophy]** Satan's Hollow uniquely restricts flight stick to left/right movement (contrasts with standard 8-way Tron stick), creating distinctive control experience that cannot be replicated in emulation (confidence: high) — RetroRalph emphasizes unique control as reason original hardware experience differs fundamentally from MAME emulation
- **[sentiment_shift]** RetroRalph describes personal evolution: discounted 80s games during early-2000s MAME era, now appreciates them more than 90s games when experienced on original hardware (confidence: high) — Explicit narrative about changing views on 80s arcade games over time; advocates for others to revisit the era
- **[technology_signal]** RetroRalph upgraded cabinet with affordable LED replacement for original UV fluorescent fixture ($12 Amazon solution) while preserving original aesthetic (confidence: high) — Detailed description of LED retrofit: 'The fluorescent light fixture that contained a UV light on the original cabinet was removed. I found an LED replacement on Amazon for $12'

---

## Transcript

 Hey Retro Ralph, it's me, Satan. So you bought the best arcade game ever made, Satan's Hollow. Do you think you can actually defeat me? I mean, let's face it, we've all seen you play arcade games and... Ha ha ha ha, you're mediocre at best. Good luck, you'll need it. The cabinet artwork on Satan's Hollow is just stunning. This is the work of Paul E. Niemeyer, who worked at Bally Midway in the early 80s. Satan's Hollow was actually Paul's first solo project at Bally Midway. I had the pleasure of meeting Paul and moderating his panel earlier this year at Game On Expo. Super awesome guy. He told me a story about how artists were forbidden from putting their initials on their artwork. If you look closely, Paul snuck his initials on this one. Oh god, this is so hot. Let's take a look at the hardware. Satan's Hollow ran on the Bally Midway MCR2 hardware. Other games that ran on this hardware are Domino Man, Journey, Cosmic Cruiser, Two Tigers, Wacko, and the iconic and beloved Tron. I got this pickup from my local collector buddy Matt. The overall condition of it, seeing as though it was released in 1982, is quite impressive. The side art looks really good despite some attempts by someone in the past to touch it up. I not sure what I want to do here but replacing something original with a vinyl reproduction decal just seems wrong I going to noodle on it for a bit but I leaning towards leaving it as is Preservation versus restoration is an interesting topic and if you never watched Vintage Arcade Gal, go check her out. She's tackled the topic in a video, and I largely agree with her stance on it. Give it a watch, and if you enjoy it, consider subscribing to her channel. She's got a ton of great content if you're into restoration and preservation of arcade games. The control panel artwork is cracked and chipped a bit, but again, it's original, so I'm leaning towards leaving it alone. The fluorescent light fixture that contained a UV light on the original cabinet was removed. I found an LED replacement on Amazon for $12, and I was surprised at how good it looks. The cabinet actually had an AC outlet that turns on with the cabinet, so I mounted it, plugged it in, and it was good to go. The flight stick is beautiful, and it's red instead of blue, but it's an identical mold of the Tron flight stick. However, Tron is an eight-way stick, and Satan's Hollow is restricted to right and left movements only. The front of the cabinet was painted black for some reason. The original would have been a reddish-orange to match the sides. I'll return this to the original when I find the time. Okay, so the question still remains, Do I have what it takes to beat Satan? Let's find out. Okay, in this game, you've got to beat these gargoyles, or at least avoid these gargoyles and shoot them down while you're trying to build pieces of this bridge to get across this little lava area. When you do, on the other side of it is Satan. But first you have to fight this other dude who isn't Satan. He like Beelzebub There like three or four different Satans But the I don know whatever But the Satan you supposed to The Satan you need to beat is actually on the other side of this bridge And then it just kind of continues to get harder from there Okay, so there's this dude, but this is like mini... Okay, we beat him, that's good. See? Satan ain't shit. Alright, let's go. Here he is. This is Satan, the face-off, right now, let's do it! Come on, Satan, what you got? You were talking a big game before. Oh man, he's quick. Alright, come on, we got this. Now I can use my shield. Oh no! Okay, almost got him. Yeah, I got him! Yes! Oh shit! Well guys, that was a lot of fun. I knew we could do it. I knew we could defeat Satan. He was talking a big game, but I knew we could take it home. But anyways, you know what's kind of interesting about my journey into arcade collecting? is that in the early 2000s, I got really into MAME. And I was playing a lot of these 80s games then, and I discounted a ton of them. And what's kind of funny about it now is that I'm more into a lot of these 80s games than I am into the 90s games. And it's like, because once you play them on their actual machines, the way they were intended to be played, especially a game like Satan's Hollow that has a unique control to it, it's such a different experience. You're not playing it on an LCD. you're not playing it under MAME emulation, you're not playing it with a regular 8-way joystick, you're playing it with the actual flight stick. So don't discount or forget about these 80s games. Maybe if you haven't played them in a while go back and play some of them because I telling you the play mechanics the overalls you know the overall just difficulty challenge to them they really cool and a lot of them you doesn take long to pick them up and play them but it does take long to master them And I find myself going back to games like Sinistar and Satan's Hollow. As a matter of fact, I'm really excited to have this in my collection because Satan's Hollow is actually a really rare game these days. So it's hard to find these. So I'm really lucky that Matt kind of decided to sell it because I don't think I'm going to come across many of these, especially nowadays. So anyways, hopefully you enjoyed this video. If you did, give me a thumbs up. Consider subscribing to the channel. Put your comments below. I want to know, are you into 80s games, 90s games? Maybe, I'm telling you, man, go back and give some of these 80s games a chance because especially if you go to a barcade or an arcade that has them or even like a bigger location like a Galloping Ghost or a fun spot that just has a ton of them or if you have an area or an arcade like that, Go check them out. Don't sleep on them because there are some really great games from the 80s that you might be missing out on. That's it for now, guys. We will see you on the next one. Oh, you guys are still here? You think he actually beat me legitimately? Me? Satan? What a joke. He edited this like 55 times. It took him so many times to beat me. What an absolute Kevin Loza. But anyways, if you guys are still here and you kinda like this Retro Ralph guy, why don't you consider watching a couple of the other videos. Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time. Wait, wait, oh no, I mean, we will see you on the next one! What a Kevin Loza!

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: b615cbc3-bc0c-4b95-bb70-456aa3555856*