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Harry Potter Pinball By JJP | First Impressions | Close-up View & Cabinet Tour

Gonzo's Pinball Flipperama·video·22m 58s·analyzed·Jun 11, 2025
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.019

TL;DR

Gonzo's first look at Harry Potter CE: stunning art, fast gameplay, complex rules, excellent flow.

Summary

Gonzo provides a first-impressions cabinet tour and early gameplay of the Harry Potter Collector's Edition pinball machine by Jersey Jack Pinball. He highlights the exceptional artwork quality with foil/sparkle effects, matte finish with depth, laser-cut armor details, and glitter on the playfield. Gameplay observations emphasize speed, snappy flippers, quick staircase movement, busy rule complexity, and strong ball flow despite the upper playfield.

Key Claims

  • The Collector's Edition artwork features the same artists from the Harry Potter books

    medium confidence · Gonzo states: 'the collector's edition has the artwork from the book I believe the same artists have designed the artwork on this game'

  • The Collector's Edition has glitter effects on the playfield while other editions do not

    high confidence · Gonzo observes: 'with this particular version here, the collector's edition, it's the same play field, but it's got a bit of sparkle in it'

  • The Harry Potter game staircase moves faster than expected based on video previews

    high confidence · Gonzo notes: 'That upper staircase moved far more quickly than I was expecting it to. in the videos, the staircase seemed to move... I don't know. to move it as quickly as that.'

  • The game has snappy, responsive flippers

    high confidence · Gonzo states: 'The flippers are snappy' and later 'very snappy very sharp very fast'

  • The upper playfield in Harry Potter is functional and enjoyable despite Gonzo's general aversion to upper playfields

    high confidence · Gonzo says: 'I get quite bored of upper play fields but that works' and 'that upper playfield is decent really enjoying that'

  • The game has strong ball flow and playfield design

    high confidence · Gonzo observes: 'There's decent flow on this game' and 'The game is shooting really well'

  • The Wizard Edition (one tier down from Collector's) also has an impressive apron

    high confidence · Gonzo states: 'I also thought the apron that I saw on the Wizard Edition which one edition down from this I thought the apron on that looked great as well'

  • The game is very loud during gameplay

    high confidence · Gonzo notes: 'it's so loud i don't even have the mic if the microphone is going to pick up what i'm saying'

  • The game has a lot of rules complexity that requires learning

Notable Quotes

  • “this amazing artwork... it's stunning I wasn't expecting it to really be a matte finish but it is so it's a matte finish but with a sparkle it almost like a foil effect”

    Gonzo@ 1:09 — Initial impression of the Collector's Edition art package, highlighting unexpected quality and finish

  • “That upper staircase moved far more quickly than I was expecting it to”

    Gonzo@ 8:26 — Gameplay observation about mechanical speed being faster than anticipated from video previews

  • “There's decent flow on this game, there is decent flow on it”

    Gonzo@ 14:37 — Positive assessment of playfield design and ball routing despite complexity

  • “I get quite bored of upper play fields but that works”

    Gonzo@ 15:03 — Qualified praise for the Quidditch upper playfield, noting it overcomes his general skepticism about upper playfields

  • “Once you learn those Quidditch shots, they're definitely repeatable. Definitely.”

    Gonzo@ 19:11 — Assessment of upper playfield shot learning curve and repeatability

  • “It just makes you want to play it again and again and again. That's very impressive.”

    Gonzo@ 22:11 — Overall enthusiasm and positive impression after extended play session

  • “That's really, really cool pinball game.”

Entities

Harry Potter Collector's EditionproductJersey Jack PinballcompanyGonzopersonHarry PottergameWizard EditionproductMinaLimacompanyPaulperson

Signals

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Upper playfield Quidditch mechanic is well-executed with good shot design, repeatability, and flow despite Gonzo's general skepticism of upper playfields

    high · Gonzo notes it 'works', is 'decent', 'repeatable', and has 'good flow' despite his stated tendency to find upper playfields boring

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Collector's Edition artwork package with foil effects, glitter details, laser-cut armor sparkle, and matte finish with depth receives exceptional positive reception

    high · Multiple comments: 'stunning', 'magnificent', 'really nicely done', detailed observations of sparkle and foil effects throughout back box and playfield

  • ?

    design_innovation: Game mechanics are fast, responsive, and snappy with quick staircase movement and flipper response exceeding video preview expectations

    high · Staircase 'moved far more quickly than I was expecting', flippers are 'snappy', 'sharp', 'very fast', and responsive throughout gameplay

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Game provides strong replayability and engagement, compelling player to want multiple consecutive plays

    high · Gonzo states: 'It just makes you want to play it again and again and again. That's very impressive.'

  • ?

    product_concern: Game complexity is significant; rules require substantial learning, and many mechanics are not immediately intuitive even to experienced player

    high · Gonzo repeatedly states 'i don't know what i'm doing with the rules', 'There's so much going on here', and 'It's quite hard to play and talk at the same time'

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.069

0:00
what we're going to do is because I promised you a video today so I'm going to do a very very quick video on Harry Potter a collector's edition I'm gonna show you the play field we're gonna show you well this wonderful apron which I've just sort of looked at properly for the first time there we're going to show you the fantastic artwork and then we're going to show you a bit of gameplay as well then I'm going to upload it and then use my lights and my cameras and the tripods and everything that we've got ready to do everything else we're going to record a more detailed and in-depth video which I'll I'll release more videos over the next couple of days so a quick look the first thing you're going to look at is this amazing artwork now the collector's edition has the artwork from the book I believe the same artists have designed the artwork on this game it's it's stunning I wasn't expecting it to really be a matte finish but it is so it's a matte finish but with a sparkle in it almost like a foil effect so actually it's probably really best shown on camera here if you can see on the back box here it's it's really quite stunning so anything that you see that's golden is it has like a foil effect but it's it's deep obviously these decals radcals whatever they are they're very thick as if there's a depth to it so even though it's matte there's a depth to this artwork which is probably not going to come out particularly on camera but really stunning i've never read the books but if you are a fan a fan of them then you're really going to like this it's the sorting hat it looks really cool i just wanted to give everybody a good opportunity to to see the game on video but up close i think that's what i'm doing i'm studying it at the moment so you can study it with me um something i hadn't noticed before so where you have the etchings here where the armour has been laser cut there's a sort of glittery effect inside there as well just show you hopefully you can see that really really nicely done you can actually catch it now the camera's just catching the sparkle in there can you see it really nice the let's just go around to the front we'll show you we'll quickly show you everything as I say we'll do a very quick video you can just see here says this is the collector's edition you've got the the volume control there unless let's take a bit of time to really enjoy this magnificent swagger that that's that is a beauty I'm gonna actually turn it round so you can see as much of it as possible I mean it's stunning that's the it's the Quidditch ball I think is called a snitch I think it's called a snitch I'm sure I'll be corrected if it's not I think that's what it's called that is really really nicely done in fact you can see the camera in the reflection of it let's take a look at this powder coating shall we so again I would suggest I'm always just trying to change the brightness here for you to give you the best view of everything it there's more of a sparkle in it in real life I think when I looked at different videos of it it couldn't quite capture the sparkle of it I'm seeing more of that now whether that's going to capture that on the camera now I don't know I'll try and do different angles but hopefully you'll be able to see that we'll do the other side of the cabinet in a second but I've actually got you probably might see got a camera for later on pointing at it I'll move that out the way in a minute let's have a look at the apron now you definitely can see that on the camera you can see the light catching that where it says Harry Potter the apron is stunning that being said I also thought the apron that I saw on the Ellie which the wizard edition which one edition down from this I thought the apron on that looked great as well I don't know is the apron card dead I I think it should be um I don't know whether probably still going to need them on location quite Possibly. Does anybody read them anymore? I don't know.

high confidence · Gonzo states: 'i don't know what i'm doing with the rules' and 'There's so much going on here'

  • The Quidditch upper playfield shots are repeatable and learnable

    high confidence · Gonzo observes: 'Once you learn those Quidditch shots, they're definitely repeatable. Definitely.'

    • Gonzo@ 22:44 — Closing endorsement of the game

  • ?

    technology_signal: Game volume during gameplay is very high, making simultaneous commentary difficult

    high · Gonzo notes: 'it's so loud i don't even have the mic if the microphone is going to pick up what i'm saying'

    • 5:27
    What is immediately standing out now? And I'll just do this video. Bear it in mind. I've been watching videos. And making videos about this game for the past week.
    5:38
    Immediately. These slingshot plastics that we seeing here They are these are really nice I didn even think of that there
    5:50
    So you're going to see the ball running under there. That's really cool, that's a really cool idea. So they've incorporated to your slingshot plastics,
    6:02
    or as one with the lane guide plastics basically. Yeah, really nice. It's talking to me. I've not pressed a button yet. I promise you, I've not had a game. You will witness my first game on this.
    6:20
    I know who this is. Dobby. I remember him from the film. He was being overly noisy, if I remember. Sneaking around in Harry Potter's bedroom.
    6:36
    The three main... Oh, hold on a second. And this will tell Hermione. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley. I did it.
    6:46
    Hogwarts. This is really nice. It's a really, really good picture there. And what I'm noticing immediately is the glitter on the play field. So with this particular version here, the collector's edition, it's the same play field, but it's got a bit of sparkle in it.
    7:08
    And it looks really nice. Again, how much of that is being picked out by the light, I don't know. But things always look slightly different on camera to how they look in real life.
    7:21
    Voldemort there. And here is the sorting hat. So I just want to give you a really good look at everything. So first of all, what's striking me is attention to detail. We're seeing that straight away with this game. You can see the blades there, the art blades. Again, very much in keeping with this collector's edition art package. I'll just show you on the other side as well.
    7:54
    In fact, I'm going to get a little bit more light on this right now. Okay. Very wise. I can confirm that I am hearing Harry Potter music. Oh, I take that's plunged into the pop bumpers. Hopefully that gives me a ball save. It does indeed. Oh, that was OK. That upper staircase moved far more quickly than I was expecting it to. In the videos, the staircase seemed to move. I don't know. to move it as quickly as that.
    8:40
    I have heard that the game is fast. So I think that's got into the scoop there behind the flipper. Oh, Quidditch! Quidditch!
    9:04
    Sorry. I'm excited there. Oh, well, OK. That was quite a lot going on there. So I've already, from that top ramp, seen a couple of different ball paths.
    9:30
    Quidditch again. Oh, that was that top loop. I got the top loop in Quidditch. that was cool shoot the Quidditch goalposts actually to be fair I was quite oh I was the Death Eater it's gone into the Death Eater Death Eater battle oh wow that was fast So, presumably I'm still in this death eater battle.
    10:08
    Right, I think accidentally I selected something there without... Without thinking about it. Shoot the side ramp.
    10:23
    There's so much going on here, such a busy game. So I defeated the Death Eater. Oh, damn, and then lost the ball.
    10:46
    And immediately, he's fast. The flippers are snappy. The staircase moves quickly. that Death Eater really fired the ball at me, and the Quidditch stuff is excellent up there. So, yeah, we're looking at three shots up there, as far as I can see, plus the captive balls on the post. It's saying, hit the Quidditch posts.
    11:12
    Right. So that was a bit of a soft plunge that time on the skill shot. Number 12 Grimwald Place Okay It's all locked on the wand there. And you can see that one of the lights is lit. I don't know what I'm doing on that skill shot yet. Maybe I'll give it a little bit more next time. Whoa, that jumped. To be fair, I've got the glass off, and it sort of jumped, so that probably wouldn't happen then without me having the glass off. And the glass is obviously off. Oh, that was a nice shot. The glass is off so you don't get a reflection when I'm filming it. You have to excuse me, There's so much going on here. It's quite hard to play and talk at the same time.
    12:27
    It just feels so busy. There's so much going on. There's your name. Oh, there's a picture of me on there. I am going to... I doubt I'll be threatening any scores yesterday because I think Paul came and played yesterday and he's put some scores on.
    12:49
    Right, I'm gonna have another game. It's today's high score at least. And it keeps taking pictures of me. Right, I'm gonna have another game. And then I'm gonna upload this video. Okay.
    13:28
    Okay, I'll choose number four, Goblet of Fire. and the goblet of fire. And that was it. So I think I've got to earn a position in Quidditch there.
    13:57
    It's like a few dragons. Oh that is cool, that's a cool shot there. an extra ball. That's cool, that Quidditch shot is cool up there, that loose shot, I think it really works. There's decent flow on this game, there is decent flow on it. Now I haven't actually learned what that flow is because the ball takes different ball pass. There does seem to be a bit of everything on here actually. I've got to say again that upper plate field doesn't seem to get as excited. I get quite bored of upper plate fields but that works. The game is shooting really well. I think you can probably combo that stuff in the Quidditch section
    15:43
    I've got to get better with that upper flipper but yeah it was very snappy very sharp very fast there's flow on it i don't know what i'm doing with the rules i don't even have the mic it's so loud i don't even have the mic if the microphone is going to pick up what i'm saying i mean that is there's a lot going on here Potter! Potter!
    16:14
    And I can definitely hear... Everyone's saying Potter. I can definitely hear it. That was a lot, that was some quite intense pinball.
    16:43
    Right, let's see if I can work out a better skill shot. I think I've got to hit it harder, go round to the upper flipper maybe.
    16:59
    Okay. That okay I tell you that upper play field is okay oh for goodness sake talking and not concentrating that upper playfield is decent really enjoying that really enjoying i don't even know i don't know what shot it is there's a shot that's taking it round and taking it back to this left hand side what i might do is i might actually just change the camera now excuse me i'm going to change the camera slightly for you guys let's have at least you've got a slightly different look on the playfield now we'll get some better better angles later on in a separate video but I just wanted to get one up oh that's a nice shot Potions.
    17:57
    Potions. Oh, dear, dear, dear. That was... Oh, I got one more ball. There we go. Good. I wanted you to get at least some of the game from this angle.
    18:17
    Oh, okay. Ball one locked. So I was actually able to lock the ball by hitting the correct shot from the upper flipper from the plunge. So like a skill shot, but not, I guess. Let's see if I can do it again.
    18:32
    No. Whoa, fast. Really fast. Whoa, that's so fast. So I think I've locked another ball there again. One, two, lock.
    18:51
    Oh no, it's okay, didn't lock it that time, so that was something different. I think I'm doing alright at this Quidditch business, I think.
    19:09
    I definitely think that is repeatable. Once you learn those Quidditch shots, they're definitely repeatable. Definitely.
    19:21
    Oh, that was close. Oh. The screen is amazing on this game. 2x playport multiplier. Oh, no, no, no, it's all right. I think I got, yeah, I got a ball save.
    20:19
    That was my own fault then. I was not concentrating. There's so much to look at and I was looking at it.
    20:42
    So there's three balls up on the ones there. Golden trio multi-ball. dropping through the cauldron second
    21:16
    and now i'm just hitting balls here i don't i don't know what i'm supposed to be doing and I've lost them anyway.
    21:25
    Okay. During my excitement, I actually kicked the camera. So let me just check that you can still see. I think you can.
    21:35
    That's a nice shot. That is a nice shot. I think it's only the second time I've hit it. Oh my goodness. That's some terrible skills there.
    21:46
    There you go. Quidditch bonus. Wow, quite a lot of bonus there. 22 million. Well, don't mind if I do.
    21:58
    It does take an unflattering photograph because it catches you right when you're concentrated. Wow, I really enjoyed that.
    22:08
    Honestly, I thought that was excellent. It just makes you want to play it again and again and again. That's very impressive.
    22:18
    I don't know why I'm putting this. This won't be on there for any time at all. But I'm going to put my name up just to show that you can.
    22:29
    No, I don't... I've even tried to pose for that last picture. That's really neat. Look, the match. I'm going to get this video uploaded. That's a really, really cool pinball game.
    22:48
    you