Stern's design breakdown of Mandalorian pinball: flow gameplay, Grogu/ship toys, RPG Foundry system, spaghetti western art.
Summary
Stern Pinball's official behind-the-scenes video showcasing The Mandalorian pinball design process. Speaker (presumed Brian Eddy, lead designer) details core gameplay philosophy centered on flow-based ramp play, key mechanical features (Grogu magnet toy, Encounter mini-playfield, Razor Crest ship, Foundry RPG system), and artistic direction inspired by spaghetti western aesthetics. Emphasizes collaborative team approach, Disney's strict IP control during show production, and positioning Mandalorian as exemplifying modern pinball's 'golden age' with balanced action, heart, and humor.
Key Claims
The Mandalorian is designed as a flow game prioritizing ramp shots and continuous play rhythm
high confidence · Lead designer opening statement: 'The Mandalorian is definitely a flow game. Most of my games are. I like flow.'
Grogu toy on Premium/LE includes magnet mechanism that grabs ball and tosses it to random lanes for mystery awards
high confidence · Detailed mechanical explanation: 'This will grab the ball and then he'll throw it, toss it around, and he'll land in one of the lanes and you'll get a mystery award.'
Encounter mini-playfield uses curved ball guide design to accept ball regardless of rotation orientation
high confidence · Designer credits unnamed mechanical engineer: 'He came up with a really simple, elegant method of just how he curved the ball guide. No matter what rotation it's in, that ball will roll in.'
Razor Crest ship model comprises 27 injection-molded parts glued together
high confidence · Direct specification: 'This ship is actually made of 27 injection-molded parts, and then it's all glued together like a model toy.'
Foundry scoop enables RPG-like gameplay where players accumulate beskar currency to purchase equipment affecting gameplay
high confidence · Designer explains system: 'You build up this currency, beskar, and then at some point you can shoot into the Foundry... you're presented with a screen, a menu of things that you can trade for—like flamethrower, and the rifle, and armor.'
Disney imposed strict secrecy during show production; product teams not allowed to see episodes until air date
high confidence · Designer account: 'Even people were making product like us were not allowed to see anything about each episode until it aired.'
Luke Skywalker character placement was pre-reserved in artwork as blank space per Disney guidance, revealed as surprise post-episode airing
high confidence · Designer recounts: 'Disney kind of alluded to, "Well, you might want to save some space in the artwork for a couple characters over here." As we were creating it, it was just kind of a blank spot... it was Luke.'
Notable Quotes
“The Mandalorian is definitely a flow game. Most of my games are. I like flow. I like getting into that zone when you're playing, when you're just making ramp after loop after ramp, and you just get that cool feeling that you just can't miss.”
Lead Designer (presumed Brian Eddy) @ 0:00-0:20 — Establishes core design philosophy of the game—flow-based, ramp-focused gameplay as primary aesthetic.
“Star Wars was kind of the reason a lot of us got into what we do... I'm a founding member of the church of Star Wars. I just love the universe, right?”
Lead Designer @ 0:30-0:50 — Reveals personal passion and investment in IP, explains team enthusiasm for project.
“We have the Encounter mini-playfield... I wanted that feel in pinball—when you go up there, we set the stage by holding the ball and getting ready, and then we release it. It's action, right? You got to go right there and make it happen.”
Lead Designer @ 3:30-4:00 — Explains design intent of mini-playfield: theatrical pacing with dramatic tension release, mirroring show's quick battle sequences.
“This ship is actually made of 27 injection-molded parts, and then it's all glued together like a model toy. Started here, ended up there.”
Lead Designer @ 5:20-5:35 — Demonstrates manufacturing complexity and craft involved in premium playfield toys.
“Dwight's idea of this Foundry, I think, was genius, because it allows a lot of RPG-like elements and allows players to form a strategy on how they play the game.”
Lead Designer @ 6:45-7:10 — Credits programmer Dwight Sullivan for core gameplay system innovation; establishes depth/strategy as selling point.
“Even people were making product like us were not allowed to see anything about each episode until it aired. And Disney kind of alluded to, 'Well, you might want to save some space in the artwork for a couple characters over here.'”
Lead Designer @ 11:50-12:15 — Reveals Disney's IP control intensity and the collaborative mystery of incorporating unrevealed show content.
sentiment_shift: Designer positions Mandalorian as exemplifying modern pinball's 'golden age' with balanced action, heart, and humor; rare achievement of quality across all dimensions (rules, aesthetics, sound)
high · Designer: 'Pinball today is experiencing another golden era... Mandalorian is that package. That's how all the pieces come together to make a great game.'
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competitive_signal: Foundry RPG system adds strategic depth through equipment selection and timing; enables player control over difficulty via 'possible play' mode with flipper recharge mechanics
high · Designer: 'It's really up to the player to kind of form a strategy of which items should I buy and when should I use them... I've added... "possible play." It allows the player to come up and set the game to very hard and disables trapping.'
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design_philosophy: Game's visual direction draws explicitly from spaghetti western poster aesthetics—bright colors, expressive paint strokes—rather than typical sci-fi or modern comic book style
high · Art director: 'I kind of knew right off the front that we wanted to do a spaghetti western kind of a feel... What we liked about the spaghetti western was those very bright colors, very expressive strokes of paint on all the posters.'
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design_philosophy: Mandalorian emphasizes flow-based ramp gameplay as core design principle, contrasting with target-heavy machines; designer states 'most of my games' follow this philosophy
high · Lead designer: 'The Mandalorian is definitely a flow game. Most of my games are. I like flow. I like getting into that zone when you're playing, when you're just making ramp after loop after ramp.'
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Topics
Flow-based game design philosophyprimaryMechanical toy innovation (Grogu magnet, Encounter mini-playfield, Razor Crest)primaryRPG gameplay system integration (Foundry currency/equipment trading)primaryDisney IP licensing and secrecy controlsprimaryReal-time show-to-game content adaptation during productionprimarySpaghetti western visual design inspirationsecondaryMulti-disciplinary team coordination (design, art, programming, mechanics)secondaryModern pinball's 'golden age' and quality standardssecondary
Sentiment
positive(0.92)— Uniformly enthusiastic and celebratory tone throughout. Designers express genuine passion for Star Wars IP, pride in mechanical innovations, and confidence in final product quality. No critical perspectives or design concerns raised. Official marketing format emphasizing accomplishment and technical excellence.
Transcript
youtube_auto_sub · $0.000
the mandalorian is definitely a flow game most of my games are i like flow i like getting into that zone when you're playing when you're just making ramp after loop after ramp and you just get that cool feeling that you just can't miss you are the mandalorian you're going on missions you're doing bounty hunting you're being ambushed you're collecting baskar we want the player to be the mandalorian when it came out i think it reignited that spark that the star wars universe really needed we all took it on because we were so excited to do it star wars was kind of the reason a lot of us got into what we do but star wars has always kind of renewed itself for every generation i'm a founding member of the church of star wars i just love the the universe right the question was you know why do i love mandalorian and because it's great like have you seen the show watching the show and then getting to like go to work and work on this was just so fun yeah it's my job to come up with the vision the in the direction of the project in the play field and then take everybody who's involved and kind of wrangle them together to create this thing you know we have these teams a game designer a software guy a mechanical guy when we're in the very beginning stages and we start looking at it we always want something crazy and new in brainstorming it was really about what are the core elements of the show what are people going to react to and respond to the mandalorian of course obviously a key to it is shift the razor crest of course you had to have the child grogo as we know now this is the very first pools out of the mold that made all the childs that are in the game we went from from that guy down to that guy and that's what's in the game we're gonna take you over to where we keep some grogoos right now normally they keep these under lock and key because if they get out at night they wreak havoc in the factory here we are a whole bunch of grogoos right here okay so we're here on the rotisserie i just want to walk through a few of the unique features on the game for you we have grogu of course up here in the corner and since this is a premium playfield he has the magnet underneath him this will grab the ball and then he'll throw it toss it around and he'll land in one of the lanes and you'll get a mystery award so it's a physical mystery award it's whatever grover wants you to have is what you're going to get we have the encounter mini playfield two full-size flippers and six targets up at the top we go up the ramp we have this diverter that just comes straight down so we can give you a few seconds to like get ready because it's a really fast action mini playfield from the beginning brian wanted a mini playfield in the game you want to call it a mini playfield and i think it's more of a interactive toy that moves and you have to accomplish goals while you're interacting with it i wanted that feel in pinball was when you go up there we set the stage by holding the ball and getting ready and then we release it it's action right you got to go right there and make it happen and we wanted that to be a quick short battle because a lot of his fights are over really quick but the trickiest part i think that i didn't have a solution for they said tom here you do this you're the magical guy on this was how to have that ball enter no matter what rotation that the mini play was turned out to be quite the trick because now you have this moving area and you got to get a ball to it and you don't know where it is so it could be anywhere and he came up with a really simple elegant method of just how he curved the ball guy no matter what rotation it's in that ball will roll in and right into the play field we have the razor quest which is what we're calling an uplift target and as you hit the razor quest it qualifies multiball so you hit it x number of times go up the center ramp and the ball is held over here for a multiball start so the razor quest it's obviously it's it's mando's home so we see it in almost every episode because he travels everywhere with it and that's kind of the same feel in the game so hitting the target is traveling in the razor quest until you get to the destination where we play out another scene from the show this ship is actually made of 27 injection molded parts and then it's all glued together like a model toy started here ended up there so another fun project of course we have a spinner kind of a tie fighter spinner on the game so on the left side of the play field is a scoop that just holds the ball this is where the foundry is dwight's idea of this foundry i think was genius because it allows a lot of rpg-like elements and allows players to form a strategy on how they play the game you build up this currency best car and then at some point you can shoot into the foundry which is just a scoop on the playfield and you're presented with a screen a menu of things that you can trade for like flamethrower and the rifle and armor and you're then using that equipment later in the game to benefit you and get you further along it definitely has it like rpg uh vibe to it but one of the cool things is you if you pay attention you can see that the gear changes on mandalorian on the on his body like the armor will swap out the emblem will swap out and things like that it's really up to the player to kind of form a strategy of which items should i buy and when should i use them so i think that adds a lot of depth to the game i love that you can go up to the game and the player has some amount of control over how hard it is or you know like i can play as a team or i can play as co-op so i'm really excited about a new play feature that i've added to mandalorian it's called a possible play it allows the player to come up and set the game to very hard and it disables trapping in that you can only flip the flipper for like two and a half seconds before it's going to shut off on you you're constantly having to recharge the flipper by letting it go we were learning about the show as we were making the show because they couldn't they they're real like no leaks after each episode came out i would watch it and then like message tom and message my co-workers and be like oh this would be cool for this they'll be like hey i just saw this last night you know there's the dragon comes out and eats the mandalorian that would be a perfect thing for a match effect there would be an explosion of chatter like in the next morning and then randy would be all over sending us pictures of the new artwork with the new stuff that we just saw last night working on this game while the show is coming out is probably the most interesting aspect it was so secretive even people were making product like us were not allowed to see anything about each episode until it aired and disney kind of alluded to well you might want to save some space in the artwork for a couple characters over here as we were creating it it was just kind of a blank spot we just knew there was going to be a character to put there we didn't know who it was going to be of course it was luke and it was a pretty special moment to a star wars fan to actually see that happen i kind of knew right off the front that we wanted to do a spaghetti western kind of a feel that's where the big inspiration came from what we liked about the spaghetti western was those very bright colors very expressive strokes of paint on all the posters what matters most is composition and the excitement we took kind of that comic book style we looked a little bit at that concept art that they put at the end of all the episodes and i think it looks amazing the programs would come to us with story ideas and ideas of like which episode they want it to come from and we would take the footage from the actual show and then dig in there and try to find like the little versions of the story but there were a couple other things like the more pinball things like you know extra ball and like ball save and things like that that we would have to come up with and either find in the show or hand draw and to later be animated we really wanted to capture all the aspects of the show that make it so fun you know all the different adventure the western aspect of it the humor i was a big fan of ig 11 and i got to do the skill shots the super skill shots in the game are actually our own 3d models of the characters and we got to animate them and everything like that that was really cool let's take a look at it from underneath we have the motor here for the encounter mini playfield and then we have the magnet over here for grogu of course the other interesting things about the backside is all the wiring i think there's like a mile of cables or so it's like the spine of the game you also see some of the coils on the game these here are the pop bumpers so we have the slings here and then we have the flippers and here's the trough that kicks the balls out and this is the kicker on the shooter lane so as you can see all the fun is on the top side that's our challenge is to make every game fun and have all those pieces come together in a fun way star wars as a whole and in particular a lot of like disney shows kind of walk that line really well of having action but also having heart and also having humor and i think that this game also does a good job of that pinball today is experiencing another golden era in the 90s we just made lots of games and it was popular but that's because sort of arcades were popular now pinball is popular it's another golden in nature pinball the game has to be fun and it has to have a good rule set and it has to be dynamic and aesthetically pleasing and it should have a good sound package it's very rare when all those things come together and all of them are very very well done and mandalorian is that package that's the mandalorian pinball that's how all the pieces come together to make a great game what makes him so cute his big beady eyes just he gets into so much mischief he can't be mad he's just so adorable i think the fact that he's super force sensitive and could kill you if he wanted to somehow that adds to him being cute
Mandalorian's visual direction draws from spaghetti western posters: bright colors and expressive paint strokes
high confidence · Art director explains: 'I kind of knew right off the front that we wanted to do a spaghetti western kind of a feel... those very bright colors, very expressive strokes of paint.'
“Pinball today is experiencing another golden era... Pinball the game has to be fun, and it has to have a good rule set, and it have to be dynamic and aesthetically pleasing, and it should have a good sound package. It's very rare when all those things come together... Mandalorian is that package.”
Lead Designer @ 16:00-17:00 — Positions game as exemplar of modern pinball quality; reflects confidence in final product and industry-wide perspective.
“I was a big fan of IG-11, and I got to do the skill shots. The super skill shots in the game are actually our own 3D models of the characters, and we got to animate them and everything like that.”
Animator/Art Team Member @ 13:20-13:40 — Demonstrates technical depth of digital animation work integrated into pinball; personal creative investment.
design_philosophy: Real-time show-to-game content integration: design team watched episodes immediately upon airing and rapid-iterated artwork/modes based on new content
high · Designer: 'After each episode came out, I would watch it and then like message Tom... There would be an explosion of chatter like in the next morning, and then Randy would be all over, sending us pictures of the new artwork with the new stuff that we just saw last night.'
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licensing_signal: Disney imposed strict real-time show secrecy on product team during Mandalorian series airing; pre-reserved character reveal spots (Luke) as surprise gameplay element
high · Designer account: 'Even people were making product like us were not allowed to see anything about each episode until it aired... Disney kind of alluded to, "Well, you might want to save some space in the artwork for a couple characters over here."'
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product_strategy: Grogu magnet mechanism is Premium/LE exclusive feature; generates mystery awards as physical toy interaction differentiating from Pro version
high · Designer explains: 'since this is a Premium playfield, he [Grogu] has the magnet underneath him. This will grab the ball and then he'll throw it, toss it around, and he'll land in one of the lanes and you'll get a mystery award.'
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product_strategy: Encounter mini-playfield uses novel curved ball-guide solution to accept balls regardless of playfield rotation, solving complex mechanical problem
high · Designer credits mechanical engineer: 'He came up with a really simple, elegant method of just how he curved the ball guide. No matter what rotation it's in, that ball will roll in and right into the playfield.'