Safe Cracker is a pinball machine designed by Pat Lawlor featuring a heist/safe-cracking theme with innovative mechanics including a mini playfield and board game elements. Originally released by Williams, the game has been featured across multiple digital platforms including Williams Pinball Volume 3 (2019) and Pinball Arcade, where it gained recognition for its unique design despite being divisive among players. The machine is notable for its token dispensing mechanism and has earned particular praise from pinball enthusiasts, including being cited as a favorite by AJ from Spooky tech.
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Safe Cracker is one of the most divisive games of the 1990s
Safe Cracker was manufactured in 1996 by Williams (under Sega ownership) and designed by Pat Lawlor
Safe Cracker is a 3/4-size compact machine, not full-size, weighing approximately 279 lbs with legs and doors
Safe Cracker gameplay is time-based rather than ball-based; better play earns more time to continue
1996 Bally pinball machine designed by Pat Lawlor; features small playfield, board-game mechanics, dice rolls, timer-based gameplay; considered highly divisive.
Classic pinball table; Chris's grail table; praised for accurate TPA tuning after beta feedback
Pinball machine featured in Farsight tournament with problematic wizard goal (token collection) and broken randomizer for token drops
Table recently added to TPA; Chris Frevis praised TPA's implementation of rules and difficulty balance after learning actual mechanics
Zen Pinball table; Vault Jackpot resets every game, making letter collection difficult
Pat Lawlor table rejected from demo list due to polarizing gameplay despite solid build quality
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Magic tokens spit out of Safe Cracker backbox during gameplay and can be collected and reinvested for alternate ruleset 'Assault on the Vault'
Safe Cracker had 20-30 different styles of magic tokens produced, each with unique themes
Safe Cracker initial failure at Grazley Garage was caused by disconnected ribbon cable, blown fuses (solenoids and flashers), and dead CPU batteries
Safe Cracker uses a timed clock system instead of traditional ball count
Original Safe Cracker tokens are worth approximately $1.50 each
The Safe Cracker drop target mechanism is experiencing repeated failures
Safe Cracker is a highly divisive pinball table that players either love or hate, with no middle-ground opinions
Safe Cracker is a polarizing table that players either love or hate with no middle ground
Safe Cracker costs $7,500 US
Safe Cracker is significantly smaller than standard pinball machines in both height and length
Safe Cracker features a physical token ejection mechanism that rolls down the glass
Safe Cracker has timed gameplay where running out of time results in immediate game over on drain
Safe Cracker would be a strong earner in arcade/location play due to engaging gameplay mechanics
Safe Cracker (Williams, owned by Dean Grover) won Best of Show voting at Rocky Mountain Showdown
Classic pinball game; IE Pinball played extensively before owning games (approx. 20 years ago)
Williams classic; Eric recently acquired a mint condition ex-Williams cafeteria copy from a Williams employee; says it's the prettiest Safecracker cabinet/playfield he's seen
Upcoming Zen Pinball Williams DMD release
Williams pinball machine, timed game from Time Zone venue
Williams pinball machine in Zen; discussed regarding drop target animation and ROM-persistent progressive state challenges
1996 pinball machine by Williams (under Sega ownership), designed by Pat Lawlor; rare compact novelty game featuring time-based gameplay, token-spitting mechanism, board-game-style playfield, and multiple entrance paths. Recently acquired by Kevin for Grazley Garage.
Referenced as a pinball game with time-based play mechanics that had limited mass appeal in bars and arcades.
Pat Lawler game with third flipper and undersized flippers; time-based rules; compared to NASCAR as over-unconventional vs. just-enough-different
1996 Bally pinball; holy grail machine; designed by Pat Lawler; priced $8,900-$9,400; features board game mode and magic token dispenser; experimental design philosophy
Pinball machine in restoration queue at Grazley Garage
Pinball machine at Grazley Garage arcade; features custom tokens from Pastimes arcade (won through gameplay)
Bally redemption/board game hybrid at Grazley Garage arcade; features complex ramp/playfield sequences and board game elements
Williams pinball machine; recently repaired at Grazley Garage after driver board issues; features Monopoly-style board game mechanism and timer-based ruleset
Williams pinball machine; won Best of Show voting at Rocky Mountain Showdown; owned by Dean Grover
Pinball machine at Pacific Pinball Museum that Dr. C played and won a token on
Classic pinball game discussed for difficult access and wizard mode design
One of six thief modes in Heist; uses spinner; alternates between jail entrances to open safe; Ava's favorite mode; difficult side job
Pinball machine that dispenses tokens redeemable in a slot machine for other games; part of museum's Oddballs exhibit
Announced for streaming in couple of weeks
Bally 1996 timed redemption pinball game featuring board game feature, token rewards, and multiple ramp/target mechanics
#8 most overrated; Pat Lawlor design; Zach criticizes time-based mechanics and cramped playfield
Compact pinball machine (~$7,500) with vault-cracking theme, physical token ejection mechanism, timed gameplay. Machine on display/for sale at Vancouver Flipout.
Pinball machine at Vancouver Flipout previously streamed; comparison point for gimmick-based gameplay
Rare game with original coins in museum collection; playable as originally designed
Game on Matt's want-to-play list for Pinfest
Pinball Arcade table; recent beta release showing improved polish
Williams pinball machine with heist/safe-cracking theme; third title in Williams Pinball Volume 3; noted as having soft spot in hosts' hearts
Pinball table described as divisive (love it or hate it); featured in Spacey's Arcade Volume Pack 3 with overwhelming positive first impression
Pat Lawlor design with mini playfield and board game mechanics; AJ's (Spooky tech) favorite game of all time; features token dispensing mechanism