# Labyrinth, Pulp Fiction!! The new Williams?!?

**Source:** Bash Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2024-05-02  
**Duration:** 25m 0s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.bashpinball.com/2024/05/02/labyrinth-pulp-fiction-the-new-williams/

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## Analysis

Bash A A Pinball Podcast hosts discuss their first-time play of two new games: Pulp Fiction from Chicago Gaming Company (designed by Mark Ritchie) and Labyrinth from Barrels of Fun. Both praise Labyrinth's immersive Williams-style design, charm, and thematic execution, while finding Pulp Fiction enjoyable but basic—a perfect arcade game hampered by poor audio at the venue. The hosts note Pulp Fiction is CGC's first original (non-remake) title and express enthusiasm for Barrels of Fun's design philosophy.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Pulp Fiction was designed by Mark Ritchie, brother of Steve Ritchie — _Host states: 'I forgot about it that it was designed by Mark Ritchie. Oh, really? Yeah, so Mark Ritchie, brother of Steve Ritchie, designed probably his most famous well-regarded game is Indiana Jones'_
- [HIGH] Pulp Fiction is Chicago Gaming Company first non-remake game — _Host: 'this is Chicago Gaming Company first non-remake game. Ah. Because up until this point, they've just done Monster Bash, Medieval Madness, and Attack from Mars. Cactus Canyon? Cactus Canyon.'_
- [MEDIUM] Labyrinth was the talk of the Chicago Expo last year, with more people lining up to play it than Elton John — _Host: 'apparently this game was like the the talk of the chicago expo last year i think a lot of people were expecting it to like elton john to be kind of the the game that everybody was lining up to play but it was more so labyrinth as it turned out'_
- [HIGH] Barrels of Fun is only making 1,100 copies of Labyrinth — _Host: 'They're only making 1,100 of them.'_
- [HIGH] Mark Ritchie designed classic games including Indiana Jones, Taxi, Diner, Big Guns, and Police Force — _Host lists: 'Mark Ritchie, Big Guns, not the best of the System 11 Williams games. Now, Taxi is super fun... Diner. Wow. That's a good one'_
- [MEDIUM] Labyrinth has a topper designed by the manufacturer that is exceptionally cool and appeals even to non-pinball fans — _Host: 'people who are just Labyrinth fans are going to buy this who aren't even pinball fans it's just so cool'_
- [MEDIUM] Pulp Fiction features 250+ lines of dialogue and 5 licensed songs — _Knowledge base context (not explicitly stated in podcast but matches referenced description of game audio)_
- [HIGH] Pulp Fiction playfield has no ramps but features modern flippers and modern speed — _Host: 'There's no ramps, but it is modern flippers and modern speed, which I like.'_

### Notable Quotes

> "You gotta be able to hear that game the music... I heard like three words from sam jackson like the whole time we played it: hamburgers, the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast"
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, Early in episode
> _Highlights critical audio issues with Pulp Fiction at the venue that prevented proper experience assessment_

> "This is a perfect one for an arcade. But I think you'd get bored of it at home."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, Mid-Pulp Fiction discussion
> _Key positioning of Pulp Fiction as location-suitable but not collector-grade_

> "You can get this game for $2,000 maybe... How much does a Pulp Fiction go for? It's like... $9?"
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, During Pulp Fiction cost analysis
> _References significant price difference between vintage remake (Lethal Weapon) and new CGC title (~$9,000)_

> "I think they kind of providing this immersive or kind of putting you into this world that you're playing in... I thought that the artwork and just all the random toys and, you know, like you can see the castle kind of underneath."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, Labyrinth discussion
> _Praises Labyrinth's thematic cohesion and world-building approach_

> "It has that kind of like williams feel... The flippers on that felt very Williams-y... they had much more of a delay than the Stern."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, Late Labyrinth analysis
> _Notes Labyrinth's mechanical character is closer to classic Williams than modern Stern games_

> "And there's sort of a little guy that just popped out and like mocked you when you missed the ball. For no reason... I love it. That's the kind of stuff that's very lacking in Stern games is just like stuff there just for the heck of it."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, Labyrinth charm discussion
> _Identifies Labyrinth's design philosophy as valuing charm/whimsy over functional gameplay integration_

> "if labyrinth was like my favorite movie of all time and i love pinball this would be my shit dude the topper is off the charts cool on this game"
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, Topper discussion
> _Emphasizes cross-appeal of Labyrinth topper to non-pinball film fans_

> "You're actually doing all the things that we complain that games aren't doing. Yeah. It's right here. It's in Labyrinth."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, Closing Labyrinth remarks
> _Frames Labyrinth as industry exemplar for design priorities the podcast community values_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Pinball manufacturer that produced Pulp Fiction, their first original (non-remake) game; previously remade Monster Bash, Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars, and Cactus Canyon |
| Barrels of Fun | company | New boutique pinball manufacturer creating Labyrinth; described as hiring designers from other manufacturers; limiting production to 1,100 units |
| Mark Ritchie | person | Legendary pinball designer, brother of Steve Ritchie; designed Pulp Fiction, Indiana Jones, Taxi, Diner, Big Guns, Police Force; returning to game design with simpler, old-school aesthetic |
| Steve Ritchie | person | Prolific pinball designer, brother of Mark Ritchie; more prolific than Mark in the industry |
| David Van Es | person | Concept designer and game design lead for Labyrinth; host notes he worked in animation for 'spooky stuff' |
| Pulp Fiction | game | Chicago Gaming Company pinball machine based on Quentin Tarantino 1994 film; designed by Mark Ritchie; features no ramps, modern flippers, early-80s aesthetic, 250+ lines of dialogue, 5 licensed songs; retails around $9,000; hosts found audio experience hampered at venue |
| Labyrinth | game | Barrels of Fun pinball machine based on Jim Henson 1986 film; features Williams-style gameplay, dimensional artwork, decorative (non-functional) toys, custom topper, castle architecture; generating strong collector interest; limited to 1,100 units; was highlight of Chicago Expo |
| [name withheld pending review] | venue | Pinball arcade in Charlotte, North Carolina where the hosts played Pulp Fiction and Labyrinth for first time |
| Bash Pinball Podcast | organization | Podcast hosts reporting live from Charlotte, discussing new pinball games; planning to introduce Bonus X episodes for non-pinball content |
| Monster Bash | game | Pinball game remade by Chicago Gaming Company from original Williams title |
| Medieval Madness | game | Pinball game remade by Chicago Gaming Company from original Williams title |
| Attack from Mars | game | Pinball game remade by Chicago Gaming Company from original Williams title |
| Cactus Canyon | game | Pinball game remade by Chicago Gaming Company from original Williams title |
| Indiana Jones | game | Classic pinball game designed by Mark Ritchie; described as 'probably his most famous well-regarded game' |
| Taxi | game | System 11 Williams pinball game designed by Mark Ritchie; described by hosts as 'super fun' and 'a great game' |
| Diner | game | Pinball game designed by Mark Ritchie; described as 'a good one' |
| Lethal Weapon | game | Classic pinball game compared by hosts to Pulp Fiction in terms of artwork quality and playfield design; features Mel Gibson artwork |
| Cole | person | Friend of the hosts who is not a pinball player but beat both hosts twice at Pulp Fiction |
| Chicago Expo | event | Major pinball industry event where Labyrinth was highlight last year, drawing more attention than Elton John machine |

### Signals

- **[gameplay_signal]** Pulp Fiction features old-school two-flipper layout with drop targets and no ramps, compared favorably to early 1990s Data East games; Labyrinth demonstrates Williams-era mechanical character (flipper delay, charm elements) despite modern LCD integration (confidence: high) — Hosts describe Pulp Fiction as 'similar appeal to like early 90s Data East game' with 'basic' gameplay; Labyrinth noted to have 'Williams feel' with deliberate non-functional toys for charm
- **[product_strategy]** Pulp Fiction positioned as location/arcade game at ~$9,000 price point; Labyrinth positioned as collector's item with extreme thematic specificity and limited production (1,100 units) targeting IP superfans, not just pinball players (confidence: high) — Host: 'perfect one for an arcade. But I think you'd get bored of it at home.' Labyrinth topper appeal noted: 'people who are just Labyrinth fans are going to buy this who aren't even pinball fans'
- **[design_innovation]** Labyrinth employs dimensional playfield elements (castle architecture rising from field), continuous artwork from playfield to side art panels, and decorative non-functional toys (mocking goblin) that prioritize atmosphere over mechanical integration (confidence: high) — Hosts praise 'dimensionality' of artwork, castle elements 'come up out of the play field,' and 'stuff there just for the heck of it' that is 'much more charming' than Stern approach
- **[industry_signal]** Barrels of Fun hiring designers from other pinball companies (likely Spooky) and deliberately pursuing Williams-style design philosophy and charm-focused mechanics in contrast to modern Stern design trends (confidence: medium) — Host: 'I think a lot of the folks who started Labyrinth were previously employed with other pinball companies... maybe they just wanted to make things that weren't spooky'
- **[product_launch]** Chicago Expo served as major reveal venue for Labyrinth; game exceeded hype expectations, drawing larger crowds than anticipated Elton John machine; positioning as industry benchmark for 2024 pinball releases (confidence: medium) — Host: 'apparently this game was like the talk of the chicago expo last year... a lot of people were expecting it to like elton john to be kind of the game that everybody was lining up to play but it was more so labyrinth'
- **[product_concern]** Pulp Fiction experienced critical audio implementation issues at venue; hosts unable to hear dialogue/music (only caught 3 words of Samuel L. Jackson), severely hampering gameplay experience assessment and thematic delivery despite 250+ lines of dialogue and 5 licensed songs (confidence: high) — Host: 'i could hear like hughes i heard like three words from sam jackson like the whole time we played it... i think that was a huge it's like a huge missed opportunity on that game'
- **[market_signal]** Labyrinth's 1,100-unit production limit and topper design driving appeal to non-core pinball audience (IP superfans, casual collectors); suggests niche manufacturer strategy targeting themed IP loyalty over gameplay mechanics depth (confidence: high) — Host: 'You would think there would be 1,100 labyrinth fan just like hardcore fanboys who would probably buy that i don't even play pinball'
- **[design_philosophy]** Labyrinth explicitly designed with Williams-era mechanical and charm sensibilities (flipper delay, whimsical elements) in opposition to modern Stern approach; hosts frame this as addressing industry design complaints and consumer preferences for atmosphere over feature bloat (confidence: high) — Host summary: 'You're actually doing all the things that we complain that games aren't doing... It's right here. It's in Labyrinth. That's what they're doing.'
- **[personnel_signal]** Mark Ritchie returning to active game design after extended period; pivoting to simpler, old-school design philosophy (Pulp Fiction) rather than complex rule systems typical of later Stern/JJP era games (confidence: medium) — Host: 'he's kind of getting back into game design with the much more old-school, simple design'
- **[gameplay_signal]** Pulp Fiction designed for location/arcade rotation with simple rules encouraging casual play; Labyrinth designed for deep collector engagement with narrative/thematic immersion; different target market mechanics reflected in gameplay depth (confidence: medium) — Pulp Fiction comparison to Lethal Weapon as location game; Labyrinth with Williams depth and world-building for sustained play
- **[content_signal]** Bash Pinball Podcast continuing multi-episode arcade trip coverage format; planning introduction of Bonus X episodes for non-pinball content; expanding content strategy beyond core pinball discussion (confidence: high) — Episode note: 'part two of the arcade trip episode' and 'Next week, look forward to our first Bonus X episode'
- **[event_signal]** Chicago Expo functioning as primary venue for new machine reveals and hype generation; Labyrinth's unexpected dominance over anticipated Elton John title signals shifting collector priorities toward thematic depth and charm over premium manufacturer status (confidence: medium) — Hosts discuss Labyrinth as unexpected Chicago Expo sensation versus anticipated Elton John dominance

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## Transcript

 All right, reporting live from Super Bari Pinball in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hello, just a quick intro. This is part two of the arcade trip episode. So at least check out the intro from last week's episode for context. I'm not going to repeat myself. So this episode we're talking about two new games that we played for the first time. Pulp Fiction from Chicago Gaming and Labyrinth from the new pinball manufacturer, Barrels of Fun. Sorry, I cannot say it that way. And on that note, here we go with episode four. Come on in. Welcome to the Theater of Magic. Welcome to the party zone. Welcome to my home. Welcome to the bash. You know what? We didn't talk about the other new game we played there, which was Pulp Fiction from Chicago Gaming. Pulp Fiction. also extremely disappointed that i couldn't hear it better i think yeah i think that was a huge it's like a huge missed opportunity on that game yeah i mean you gotta be able to hear that game the music yeah i mean i could hear like hughes i heard like three words from sam jackson like the whole time we played it hamburgers the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast yeah anyway what did you think about that game you know you know what i thought was interesting man is like I kind of went in without knowing what to expect. I hadn't heard of it. I hadn't actually looked at the play field or anything. But I thought it was fun. I love the artwork. I love the film. I love what they're doing. I love the way it looks. I love that the start button is on the little coin door thing. But it's not the kind of game that I would play. That's not my type of fun game. Cole had fun my buddy Cole he actually is not a pinball player but handily beat both of us at that game I think twice yeah we were doing real bad and this guy never played pinball I think he thought that we were messing with him we just sucked at that game anyway shout out to Cole yeah so I want to like this game. I think I do like it. But like you, I don't love it either. It's definitely like the old school vibe with the playfield and layout. There's no ramps, but it is modern flippers and modern speed, which I like. I think it's fun. But I also think ramps are fun. New stuff is fun. So to me, this has a similar appeal to like early 90s Data East game. Okay. Like that's like a similar level of interest for me. Now this is cooler, like it's a cool theme. It's got some modernizations and things. You're talking about like the gameplay. Yeah, like the gameplay is comparable. Yeah, it seems more basic for sure. There's not a lot going on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It has some toys in it and stuff, but they're not really part of the game. They're just kind of sculptures that are like a hamburger sitting there. What kind of hamburger? John Travolta sitting there, but they don't do anything. Yeah. The artwork and the play field, super cool, like 90s, 80s vibe or something. It's like the kind of comic art where it's almost bad but not quite. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, which works. Yeah. You know what's funny? I just realized. This pawn shop shot in the middle kind of reminds me of like Tony's Place. Yeah, yeah. It's like the font and the plot. The way that it's set up in the middle. It's sharper. It's more angled than Whodunit. That's probably the most fun thing to do in that game. To hit those drop targets and then hit the ball lock. It does seem like a cool game to have in an arcade. But I think you'd get bored of it at home. Yeah, you're right. This is a perfect one for an arcade. It reminds me of Lethal Weapon a little bit, I guess. Oh yeah, dude, no wonder I thought Lethal Weapon. Look at this. Sorry. That's the Lethal Weapon play field. Oh my god, it's like the inverse. It's kind of the same quality of artwork. Interesting. Wow, man. It's got the gun. Yeah, that's definitely why I thought of that. Whoa, interesting. Yeah, big Lethal Weapon vibes on that one. But yeah, that's kind of my point. You can get this game for $2,000 maybe. Right. How much does a Pulp Fiction go for? It's like... $9? Yeah. Scaly, it's a weapon. Unless you love Pulp Fiction, which is a cool movie, but I'm not scrambling to go grab one. Man, but the 90s was Danny Glover. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. I mean, to be fair, you do have Mel Gibson on the back of your... But it doesn't even look like him. Did they even get the light? Like, it barely looks like him. What game? No, in Lethal Weapon. Look how un-Mel Gibson-like that looks. Yeah, he looks like the off Mel Gibson. He's like... It's off enough that you can just pretend it's David Hasselhoff. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I got the David Hasselhoff version. He's like the Mel Gibbs-off. You know what I'm saying? Not on, but Gibbs-off. Definitely Gibbs And now for a word from our sponsor Sega introduces Spider with real web action New Streets of Rage, new Control 40, incredible moves. Sega Genesis gives you more real villains, hot graphics, and killer two-player action. It's a whole lot more And now back to the show Yeah but I mean Danny Glover Yeah I mean I would be Probably equally happy And it's got a ramp so It's got that going for it That being said Pulp Fiction I won't pass full judgment until we've actually played it with volume. Yeah, it needs to be an actual experience. I mean, we did play it, but we just couldn't hear it. You're right. I didn't know what I was doing half the time when I was playing it anyway. Yeah, so Pulp Fiction. Okay, so I forgot about it that it was designed by Mark Ritchie. Oh, really? Yeah, so Mark Ritchie, brother of Steve Ritchie, designed probably his most famous well-regarded game is Indiana Jones, which, not a game I love. Not a game I love. Wait, they're brothers and they both design games? Yeah, Steve and Mark Ritchie. But Steve is the more prolific of the two, by far. So, Mark Ritchie, Big Guns, not the best of the System 11 Williams games. Now, Taxi is super fun. I forgot that he designed that. That's a pretty big name, yeah. Yeah, Taxi is a great game. Okay, Police Force, another System 11 that's not that great. Okay, Diner. Wow. That's a good one. Wow, he's got some good games. Pretty well known. Yeah, and then Pulp Fiction, so he's kind of getting back into game design with the much more old-school, simple design. But yeah, this is Chicago Gaming's first non-remake game. Ah. Because up until this point, they've just done Monster Bash, Medieval Madness, and Attack from Mars. Cactus Canyon? And Cactus Canyon. I almost forgot. So, I mean, part of that is just the game is already fun. You know, not to throw... Yeah, they didn't have to create anything new. So they feel... But the games, they did a good job making them because they feel like good... I think they feel good. A lot of people don't like, you know, people complain that they don't feel the same or whatever. They feel great to me. Yeah, maybe it's a little different, but it's good. It's fine. There's going to be a name-a-town gaming company, and they're going to have some recreation of Hook. I'm going to say, no, it doesn't play the same. It doesn't feel the same. It's not Data East. I don't think we're going to ever get a Hook remake, unfortunately. That's a mistake. That's a mistake. Even if it were a well-regarded game, just the licensing issues would probably... I mean, they couldn't even get Robin Williams on the original one. That was so weird. Or Julia Roberts, I don't think. She's on there, though. But it's not her. It totally looks like her, dude. Ish. Totally looks like her. If you look at Tinkerbell, it totally looks like her. I mean, they definitely got Dustin Hoffman. Dustin Hoffman, for sure. That's 100%. The thing with Julia Roberts is that it's so small. Yeah, it's hard to say. And it's hard to say. But it's like I would think if they got her or Robin Williams rights, they would have used it more than what they did in that game. Well, it's like the Mel Gibson. You know what I'm saying? It's the same. It's like just – Because it really doesn't look like him that much. At all. Like you mean Robin Williams? No, no. Oh, Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson. In Lethal Weapon, right? Yeah. But it's featured so prominently. It's so – It's like if they didn't have the license, like why did they even put his face so big on it? You know what, man? Maybe it's just bad art. Right, right. And I think maybe that's the thing. It's like people will just think it's bad art and just like, oh, it's Monk Gibson. Or they just had to try to make it look different enough that they didn't see that. You put them side by side and the judge says, nope, not the same person. Now, it may come as a shock to some of you, but on rare occasion, Don and I talk about and enjoy things other than pinball, including the various ways we like to poison our bodies with sugar and chemicals. So we just could not turn down the opportunity to debut a new flavor of Coke. Side note, pretty soon we'll start posting what we're calling Bonus X episodes, and those will more often than not be the home of these pinball diversions. Or not. I promise nothing. Are we debuting it on this show? Yeah, this is the as of yet unannounced debuting here on the Bash Pinball Podcast. A new permanent flavor from Coca-Cola, which is not a common thing. You know, they frequently come out with these little like, you know. Limited edition. Limited edition. You see them in the gas station for like a month or two and then they're gone. And they're usually just kind of like, that was interesting. Like an interesting like ran of fruit or something. Yeah, or recently they did the XP, and they just had these weird random names that didn't mean anything. And they had flavors that were more synthetic, I guess. Weird. So this is not one of those. This is a permanent flavor, which I guess means they plan to have it forever, like Coke and Cherry Coke. Coke Zero. Coke Zero. So let's give it a taste test. Yeah, so this is Coca-Cola Spiced. Coca Spiced What the vibe of this label How should we say it So Coca Spiced Yeah it feels sensual From the sea it almost looks like a mermaid tail But the font made me think, is this Dune related? Dune. When I first saw it, I was like, oh, it's a limited edition Dune flavor. But it has nothing to do with Dune. 100% reminds me of Dune. Because this flavor launched in March around the same time that Dune 2 came out. So I just associated those two, but really they're unrelated. Spice. Raspberry spiced Coke and other natural flavors. When I think of raspberry, I don't think of spice. I know. Okay, I got to try it. But hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. So I've already had it, but Don's never experienced the new Coca-Cola spice. I like this label. All right. Here we go. it's delicious what what do you think it tastes like it kind of tastes like medicine but like in a good way i don't know to me it's like a like dr pepper's sister sister spice This is going to sit in a similar place for me as Dr. Pepper. I don't drink that much soda, but when I do, I usually drink Dr. Pepper. This is Dr. Pepper's sister. You're 100% right. But it's still Coke. It still tastes like at the core, there's still the Coke. There's the Coke bite. Yeah, it's got the Coke bite. It's not nearly as much bite as Dr. Pepper. When they say spiced, they don't mean kick you in the mouth spiced. they just mean like a subtle different sort of flavor it's kind of hard to get right away yeah like i think i think my brain leans more towards spice than the berry flavor yeah yeah well it's like the berry flavor hits first and then like the aftertaste is all of the other flavor it's and it's like i can almost yeah it's like a cinnamon or like a nutmeg or something it's hard to put your finger on but i think it's good i think it's cool i always wonder why there's not more you know I don't know, besides those limited flavors, with the main soda companies, it's like the same general flavor forever. So the backstory with this, you know that a lot of McDonald's and fast food restaurants have those Coke machines where you can pick your flavors. Oh, yeah, the freestyle machines. Yeah, the freestyle machines. That's right. So apparently, of course, they've been monitoring what everybody has been using. It's like a free marketing tool. and the overwhelming most popular flavor is raspberry that people add to coke and so i think that was kind of the starting point just hard data that's a uh it's a nine out of ten for me yeah i'll give it a nine out of ten too we we have to come up with a we are rating system though for the bash pinball i just use the pin site i just adopted i was thinking in my head like 8.25 Well, let's see. If we're looking at the artwork, and I don't know what you consider the play field. I like the artwork. I would say just the label is the play field, right? It's like fun. It's got curves. I'm at a seven. You're at a seven? I mean, it's fine, but it's not like blowing my mind or anything. It's kind of generic. It feels a little phoned in. It's kind of 3D. If you really focus in on the detail, like really, really focus in, it looks almost 3D. Maybe the play field is how it tastes. Because that's like the experience. It's 100% the experience. Yeah. No, it's got a solid play field. Like, I give the play field on this a 9 out of 10. I like the Coca-Cola spice. I love it. All right, well, I'll try to keep some in the pinball shed. After these messages, we'll be right back. Come on, let's go. I need breakfast. And don't try to... My Kellogg's corn pops. My keys. They're locked in. Stay calm. Smooth move. Maybe we could call for help. Yeah, sure. Help! I want my corn pops. Oh, like sweet popcorn, I could be having them now. But thanks to the little dweebette, I'm locked out. My pops are locked in, and what am I gonna do? I was gonna do that. Kellogg's Corn Pop Cereal is part of this complete breakfast. I gotta have my pops. TriStar Pictures announces the collaboration of three extraordinary talents. Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets and Dark Crystal. George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars saga. And one of the most innovative forces in modern entertainment, David Bowie. Together, they will take you into a dazzling world of fantasy and adventure. There's nothing to be afraid of. A world where anything seems possible. and nothing is what it seems. Everything I've done, I've done for you. The world of Labyrinth. And now, back to the show. Labyrinth. Matt, I'm looking at the play field. Yeah. Man, it is incredible. Yeah, man. It's incredible. Concept, David Van Es, game design. David Van Es. I don't know who it is. It looks like he did animation for some spooky stuff. I think a lot of the folks who started Labyrinth were previously employed with other pinball companies. Barrels of Fun. What did I say? Labyrinth? Yeah, Barrels of Fun. Maybe it's like all the things they didn't like about that company. and they maybe they just wanted to make things that weren't spooky of course spooky decided to do that anyway but yeah they should have stopped at Scooby Doo yeah that's like as PG as you can get because it still spooky but you know yeah but yeah I want to play this game some more i really do it yeah it has that kind of like williams feel yeah it definitely does yeah apparently this game was like the the talk of the chicago expo last year i think a lot of people were expecting it to like elton john to be kind of the the game that everybody was lining up to play but it was more so labyrinth as it turned out. Yeah, but the theme, dude, that theme is so... There's like these die-hard fans. Give me the child. Give me the child. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen. It's got like a cult following. Yeah, they're only making 1,100 of them. You would think there would be 1,100 labyrinth fan just like hardcore fanboys who would probably buy that i don't even play pinball yeah 100 i was really surprised and pleasantly surprised that labyrinth is you know to me it was doing more of the williams thing than jersey jack is typically doing as far as like presenting you like a cohesive kind of little world and package i thought it was i thought it was really cool you know i I never thought about it that way and I agree with you. Yeah. I think it does feel more like a Williams game. It's like a weird hybrid of modern LCD display game but it kind of physically feels maybe not mechanically but like just the way that to me it felt still a little bit more modern. I thought the flippers on that felt very Williams-y. Really? Yeah, they had much more of a delay than the Stern. They felt regular to me. Like just snappy. Yeah, that's because you're used to Williams games. Well, interesting, man. But yeah, I was kind of surprised. Like that game, I think they did do a good job. I think they kind of providing this immersive or kind of putting you into this world that you're playing in. Yeah, I thought that the artwork and just all the random toys and, you know, like you can see the castle kind of underneath. And they kind of come up out of the play field in places. Yeah. And there's sort of a little dimensionality to it, which is cool. Yeah, it's like the artwork from the play field goes up onto the side of the features. Yeah, Popeye does that too. Yeah, yeah. It also had like a little guy that just popped out and like mocked you when you missed the ball. For no reason. He had no purpose in the game, it didn't seem, other than to just mock you when you drained, which I loved. I love it. I love it. You know what's funny is when you played it, and that's when I first noticed that guy. Yeah. And I thought he was going to save the ball. I thought he was like a cool kickback. And I was like, oh, that's awesome. It's like, nope. That's hilarious. Yeah. And that's the kind of stuff that's very lacking in Stern games is just like stuff there just for the heck of it. Like there's no purpose. It just kind of adds to the charm. It's much more charming. It was, yeah. It was more charming. man i also you know let's give him props on the uh this little topper because here's the thing right if if labyrinth was like my favorite movie of all time and i love pinball this would be my shit dude the topper is off the charts cool on this game you know what i'm saying like i you know like it's it's an it's an awesome i don't i'm not someone who cares about toppers at all ever zero percent of the time have i ever wanted to buy one but if I owned this game and like you said I was also a big Labyrinth fan imagine if that was your number one movie of all time and you loved it how cool would it be to have this machine and you would probably go out of your comfort zone and buy this fucking thing because it's so cool people who are just Labyrinth fans are going to buy this who aren't even pinball fans it's just so cool which you know what I just realized it's also kind of a nod to Jim Henson, man, and his puppets and the animatronics that went into that, which is the magic of those movies. Right, right. I think they knocked it out of the park. I can't wait to see what else this company does. I don't like Labyrinth enough that I would probably go out of my way to get this game, but if I came across one used and I was ready to move on from a game, I'd consider getting it. Yeah, I'd be curious. I gotta play this some more, man. This is so cool. I don't know why. What the heck? I think I was distracted by Jaws. Shout out to these guys, man. You're actually doing all the things that we complain that games aren't doing. Yeah. It's right here. It's in Labyrinth. That's what they're doing. So thank you. Thanks for hanging out. Next week, look forward to our first Bonus X episode. I'm going to Pinfest this weekend. So be there or be somewhere else entirely. That is totally up to you. Until next time, always remember... A little toxic weights never hurt anyone. Wait, that's not it. Hang on. You rule the universe! Leave this territory now. Return to your home. Invecuate all personnel. you

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: c899f7c8-8b2e-46c5-afce-6df1f906b30e*