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Bowen Kerins and David Van Ness showcase Labyrinth pinball design, production, and player-agency philosophy.
Labyrinth is Barrels of Fun's first game, limited to 1,100 units total production
high confidence · Bowen Kerins and David Van Ness, official presentation at Pintastic New England
Production rate is averaging 10 games per week, fluctuating based on quality control
high confidence · David Van Ness, stated during production update discussion
The game deliberately excludes Jennifer Connelly to emphasize player agency and allow alternative story paths not available in the movie
high confidence · Bowen Kerins, response to audience question about licensing decision
Barrels of Fun hired talent from NASA, Boeing, and Houston metal fabrication industries rather than relying solely on pinball industry veterans
high confidence · David Van Ness, explanation of Houston facility staffing strategy
The game uses color-coded shots to teach players rules intuitively without requiring instruction cards
high confidence · Bowen Kerins, design philosophy discussion
Battle Jarth wizard mode is still being finalized and will be made available via start-from-start like Stern's recent practice
high confidence · Bowen Kerins, discussing incomplete features
Henson Company and David Bowie's estate collaborated on approval and creative direction, including specific requirements for hair design and muppet details
high confidence · Bowen Kerins, licensing and approval process
Houston was chosen as manufacturing location due to port logistics, educated workforce, and availability of engineers from aerospace and metal fabrication industries
high confidence · David Van Ness, facility location rationale
The game was designed with nearly every shot having two alternative outcomes, reflecting the left/right choice theme from the film
high confidence · David Van Ness, design philosophy statement
“We don't have an instruction card, we don't want an instruction card. We want people to just go in, be able to play, do things they feel are natural, and then get rewarded for them.”
Bowen Kerins @ Early presentation — Core design philosophy emphasizing intuitive gameplay through visual feedback rather than text
“You have to work really hard to make the choreography intuitive... when it does feel right you usually don't even think about it.”
Bowen Kerins @ Mid-presentation — Articulates the difficulty of invisible game design and player experience craft
“It's not about having Jennifer Connelly in the game—it's about you being the character and having agency in your own story.”
Bowen Kerins @ Licensing question response — Explains the deliberate design choice to exclude movie characters in favor of player-centric narrative
“I want to hire the best people to make the film... I want to bring new talent to the industry. NASA, Boeing engineers thinking about things differently but passionate about pinball.”
David Van Ness @ Facility discussion — Reveals unconventional hiring strategy and cross-industry talent recruitment approach
“What's missing from the industry is the hunt for games... I wanted to put that excitement back into pinball.”
David Van Ness @ Business model discussion — States the core business strategy: single-tier production and FOMO to recreate vintage collecting culture
“Most licenses will not let you tell your own story in their world, but Henson is a family company that wants to empower people.”
David Van Ness @ Licensing philosophy — Highlights collaborative relationship with Henson Company versus typical restrictive IP licensing
“FES was one of my most dislikes about the film, but now in pinball it's probably one of my favorite modes.”
David Van Ness @ Mode design discussion — Demonstrates how game design recontextualizes source material elements
design_philosophy: Labyrinth employs color-coded shots, dynamic music cues, and choreographed light/sound sequences to teach rules without explicit instruction cards, prioritizing player discovery and natural learning.
high · Bowen Kerins repeatedly emphasizes intuitive design: 'We don't have an instruction card... we want people to just go in, be able to play, do things they feel are natural, and then get rewarded.' Multiple examples given of music changes indicating game state (multiball ready) and color grouping (yellow/blue/orange for character modes).
design_innovation: Labyrinth deliberately excludes movie characters and creates alternative story paths to position the player as protagonist rather than observer, contrasting with typical IP pinball adaptations.
high · Bowen Kerins: 'In this game you are the one navigating the Labyrinth... you can turn left when Jennifer Connelly turned right... these are all things that didn't happen in the movie and that's why it feels like your story.' David Van Ness confirms this was not a licensing constraint but intentional design choice.
manufacturing_signal: Production has exceeded initial expectations (1,100 unit cap), with output increasing from initial ~10 units/week and now fluctuating higher based on quality control gates.
high · David Van Ness: 'So with the success of the game it has gone above our expectations... we're actually doing a little bit higher a little bit lower because I'm a collector and if the game doesn't meet my expectations it goes back.' Also states: 'we are averaging around 10 games a week.'
product_launch: Labyrinth (game #92 from Barrels of Fun) is currently in active production and delivery phase; inventory being fulfilled to market.
high · Bowen Kerins: 'this was game number 92 and the games that pinball stars offering out there are I think 147 148.' David Van Ness discusses ongoing delivery and quality control processes.
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Success has exceeded production expectations, requiring increase in weekly output capacity
medium confidence · David Van Ness, final production update statement
“If the game doesn't meet my expectations, it goes back. It's an expensive thing, but I don't want to give you guys something that's subpar.”
David Van Ness @ Quality control discussion — Indicates willingness to sacrifice volume for perceived quality standards
“I'm supposed to stand over here... we're just excited to see the reception this game's gotten and to see the game being delivered and manufactured correctly.”
Bowen Kerins @ Opening remarks — Acknowledges recent delivery and manufacturing success
“The answer is always yes... because you try that thing and you're like, oh this isn't actually fun.”
Bowen Kerins @ Design iteration discussion — Describes iterative design process and the reality of feature cuts based on playtesting
licensing_signal: Henson Company and David Bowie Estate actively collaborated on creative approval, offering more creative freedom than typical IP licensing; approved thematic innovation and alternative narrative paths.
high · David Van Ness: 'Most licenses will not let you tell your own story in their world, but Henson is a very much a family company and they want to empower people... when you look at that world there's so many opportunities for you to Choose Your Own Adventure.' Bowen Kerins confirms: 'we're working with both the Henson company as well as David Bowie's estate to get agreements... they get to prove everything... they get to look at the game and say you need to do more of this or less of this.'
personnel_signal: Barrels of Fun deliberately recruited engineers from aerospace (NASA, Boeing) and metal fabrication sectors rather than relying solely on pinball industry veterans, bringing fresh technical perspectives.
high · David Van Ness: 'I've been able to pull Engineers from NASA Boeing... a very strong metal fabrication in Houston... When it comes to metal fabricators I have NASA that I'm pulling from... they think about things different but they also very passionate about pinball.'
market_signal: Barrels of Fun intentionally caps production at 1,100 units and uses single-tier product model (no Pro/Premium/LE variants) to recreate FOMO-driven collecting culture absent from contemporary pinball market.
high · David Van Ness: 'What I wanted to do was put that excitement back into pinball... I wanted to see so that's why we have one model that's why there's only... we want to make the ultimate collectible the sideshow of pinball and we feel like you know that's missing from the industry.'
code_update: Battle Jarth wizard mode is incomplete but planned for release as a code update; will be available via start-from-start option like recent Stern practice.
high · Bowen Kerins: 'The very final Mode called battle jarth is still being... made really really good... both of the wizard modes which are the battle jarth and the Goblin City will be made available as start from start so like what Stern's been doing for a few years now.'
gameplay_signal: Nearly every shot on Labyrinth's playfield offers two alternative outcomes/paths, intentionally reflecting the left/right choice theme of the source material.
high · David Van Ness: 'When approaching this layout was making sure every shot literally has two outcomes cuz in Labyrinth no matter if you went left or right there is always an alternative outcome the only shot that doesn't have an alternative take path is the right ramp.'
gameplay_signal: Game features six selectable modes at game start, with player choice mechanism integrated into plunging sequence; modes grouped by character affinity (Hoggle/Ludo/Damus) affecting score scaling and difficulty.
high · Bowen Kerins gameplay demonstration shows mode selection via plunge timing, character-color correlation (yellow=Hoggle, orange=Ludo, blue=Damus), and multiball integration tied to character collection.
business_signal: Barrels of Fun prioritizes quality control over production speed; games failing internal quality expectations are removed from shipment pipeline, treating production flexibility as cost of quality assurance.
high · David Van Ness: 'If the game doesn't meet my expectations it goes back. It's an expensive thing, but I don't want to give you guys something that's subpar.'
venue_signal: Labyrinth showcased at Pintastic New England convention with hands-on demonstration and designer Q&A, reflecting market engagement strategy targeting collector and enthusiast communities.
high · This video is a recorded presentation from Pintastic New England venue featuring live gameplay demonstration, audience questions, and direct designer commentary.