# Haggis Pinball Celts prototype game overview

**Source:** Straight Down the Middle  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2019-10-18  
**Duration:** 4m 32s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p_ipOMhdI0

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## Analysis

Jon from Haggis Pinball presents Kelts, their first pinball machine, at a public show. The prototype features a Scottish theme with two main gameplay paths (Highland Games and Battle Clans modes), a single-level playfield with horseshoe and orbit shots, five Highland Games events, and multiple wizard modes. Manufacturing is anticipated within four weeks with orders to be taken at the show.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Kelts is Haggis Pinball's first official pinball machine launch — _Jon, Haggis Pinball presenter, opening statement_
- [HIGH] Game is currently prototype 01 with manufacturing anticipated in approximately four weeks — _Jon stating timeline for production readiness_
- [HIGH] Orders will be taken at the show during the presentation — _Jon's announcement about order availability at show_
- [HIGH] Kelts features a single-level playfield with no ramps, horseshoe in center, large top orbit, and upper playfield — _Jon's detailed playfield description_
- [HIGH] Highland Games mode includes five events: hammer throw, caber toss, Highland dance, tug of war, and Stonefoot multi-ball — _Jon's enumeration of mode events_
- [HIGH] Battle Clans mode features four clans to battle sequentially with energy bar mechanics — _Jon's explanation of Battle Clans gameplay_
- [MEDIUM] Haggis Pinball is the only Australian pinball manufacturer — _Jon's statement about manufacturing location and exclusivity_
- [HIGH] All machines will be manufactured in-house in Australia on a manufactured-to-order basis — _Jon's manufacturing and business model explanation_
- [MEDIUM] Additional features include Lady of the Lake mode, Beat the Boar, and Storm the Gates — _Jon mentions these as features still being implemented in code_
- [HIGH] Game progression includes county-level, nationals, and world championships in Highland Games mode — _Jon describing escalating difficulty levels in Highland Games_

### Notable Quotes

> "This is our first pinball machine. This is our official launch. So you all get to see it for the very first time, which is pretty exciting"
> — **Jon**, 0:00
> _Official announcement of Haggis Pinball's debut machine and public reveal moment_

> "it's all single level, we have some toys and bits and pieces that are still going to go on but no ramps, all single level playfield"
> — **Jon**, ~1:00
> _Key design decision defining the playfield complexity and layout philosophy_

> "Spinball only Australian manufacturer these machines will be made down under and that means you guys for change have to wait for your machines unlike us"
> — **Jon**, ~9:00
> _Positioning of manufacturing location as differentiator and market advantage_

> "manufactured to order all manufactured in-house Barnyard hand with good old Aussie love"
> — **Jon**, ~9:15
> _Business model and quality positioning through in-house Australian manufacturing_

> "if you have both of those lit, you then get to choose which one and you embark on that particular quest"
> — **Jon**, ~2:00
> _Core gameplay mechanic allowing player choice between two main mode paths_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Haggis Pinball | company | Australian boutique pinball manufacturer, presenting their first official pinball machine (Kelts) at a public show |
| Jon | person | Representative/founder of Haggis Pinball presenting the Kelts prototype and gameplay overview |
| Kelts | game | First pinball machine by Haggis Pinball, Scottish-themed with dual-mode gameplay (Highland Games and Battle Clans), prototype 01 stage with manufacturing anticipated in ~4 weeks |
| Straight Down the Middle | organization | Video source/media outlet covering pinball industry |

### Topics

- **Primary:** New game announcement and prototype reveal, Playfield design and layout philosophy (single-level, no ramps), Game rules and mode structure (Highland Games, Battle Clans, wizard modes)
- **Secondary:** Manufacturing location and business model (Australian in-house production), Pre-order availability and timeline, Theme licensing and Scottish cultural content

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.8) — Presenter is enthusiastic and proud of the machine, emphasizing the ambitious gameplay features, quality manufacturing, and unique Australian origin. No criticism or negative sentiment expressed. Tone is celebratory about public launch moment.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Haggis Pinball's entry into pinball manufacturing with made-to-order Australian production model (confidence: high) — Manufacturing commitment statement and announcement of orders being taken at show
- **[design_philosophy]** Intentional design choice for single-level playfield without ramps, emphasizing orbit and horseshoe shot variety over vertical complexity (confidence: high) — Jon explicitly states: 'it's all single level, we have some toys and bits and pieces that are still going to go on but no ramps, all single level playfield'
- **[announcement]** Official public reveal of Haggis Pinball's first game Kelts with detailed gameplay overview, prototype status, and manufacturing timeline (confidence: high) — Jon's opening statement: 'This is our first pinball machine. This is our official launch. So you all get to see it for the very first time'
- **[product_strategy]** Additional code features still being implemented including Lady of the Lake mode, Beat the Boar, and Storm the Gates (confidence: medium) — Jon states: 'A few more things we need to implement in code' and mentions these features will be set up shortly

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## Transcript

 Hey guys, Damien from Haggis. What we have here is Kelts. This is our first pinball machine. This is our official launch. So you all get to see it for the very first time, which is pretty exciting with all the art package and the lights. It is still prototype 01, so there's still a little bit of work we have to do before we make it ready for manufacture, but we anticipate that will be in about four weeks. And if you are here at the show, we will even take orders for that point in time. So yeah, look the game is called Kelts, it's obviously based on Scottish Kelts and it has two main paths I guess you can travel when you play the game. One is to either compete as the clan of your choice in the Highland games or to battle other clans in the battle clans modes. So the game itself, it's all single level, we have some toys and bits and pieces that are still going to go on but no ramps, all single level playfield. Horseshoe in the middle, large top out of orbit and an upper playfield here. The intent will be that if you hit any of the stand up targets on the right hand side you will will light the Start Highland Games mode which is via the centre vuck If you hit any of the stand targets around the horseshoe that will light up the Battle Clans mode also started from the centre vuck. Once you get it in the centre vuck, if you have both of those lit, you then get to choose which one and you embark on that particular quest. So for Highland Games, we have at the moment five modes, or five events. They are the hammer throw which will be a series of outer orbits just like you would throw the hammer in the Highland Games You would choose your starting rotation follow that three or four times and then once in the opposite direction to let the hammer go Caber toss is through the center Horseshoe here you can throw the caber as many times as you want until you hit the center fuck to collect that mode We have the Highland Dance When you come into the Highland Fling or the Highland Dance mode a shot up the right hand side orbit will pop a diverter to feed this inner ball guide here to this flipper. You then need to hit each of the high notes from the bagpipe, get it in this top buck which will give you that mode This top buck is also used for things like extra ball and we have some special feature random awards tied into this as well There is tug of war all based on these stand ups on the right hand side So just like a normal tug of war you can imagine the rope is in the middle position. If you hit the stand up closer to you the rope will move closer to you. If you hit it in the opposite direction the rope will move away from you. Get it all the way to you to win, get it all the way the other way to lose. And the last one is Stonefoot multiball where you get a two ball multiball with the option for an adder ball Depending on what clan you've chosen to pick at the start And that is Orbitz and the top buck to collect those super jackpots Battle Clans similar sort of function you have four specific clans here that you will battle against each clan You have to battle one in turn There are a different combination of shots that you're instructed on the LCD on the play field As well as on the backbox and the call outs to hit horseshoes and orbits to battle each of those clans. And as you do that, you have basically like an energy bar on the screen. So you make your shot, you get a green increase bar. You hit one of the red lick targets, you get a the opposition gets a red highlighted bar They go all the way to 100 and you lose that mode If you manage to get them all then you win that mode Beat all four clans you then get into battle all clans wizard mode. Same with Highland Games, once you complete all the events for a particular classification of Highland Games it starts as county level, you then get to compete in the county Highland Championships which is again a combination now of all the events and then it moves on to the next level which would be nationals and world nationals and world we have yes as I'm double-checking. A few more things we need to implement in code we've got a whole series lady of the lake mode in here that will be set up shortly what have I missed we have some other little features beat the boar around the top orbit and storm the gates and yeah I mean that's sort of fundamentally the gameplay apart from what people tell us they may or may not like or want after this weekend. Spinball only Australian manufacturer these machines will be made down under and that means you guys for change have to wait for your machines unlike us but yeah manufactured to order all manufactured in-house by hand with good old Aussie love so cheers awesome

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: ced9b8fa-292f-4cb1-96e5-31d20442e6ea*