Tales from the Crypt (Data East 1993)

TL;DR

Manu streams Tales from the Crypt at Wormhole Pinball, explaining mechanics and struggling with difficult shots.

Summary

Key Claims

• Tales from the Crypt has 12 creature feature modes that must be played to reach Crypt Jam wizard mode

  high confidence · Manu states this explicitly during gameplay explanation; confirmed by multiple references throughout stream

• The doorknob plunger on Tales from the Crypt allows players to lock in their preferred creature feature mode

  high confidence · Manu demonstrates and explains this feature multiple times: 'You can lock in your creature feature by using the doorknob' and 'if you want to play a specific mode, hit the plunger, which is basically the doorknob'

• Most Tales from the Crypt machines only have a button now because the doorknob mod is gone

  medium confidence · Manu references Todd Tucky's TNT Amusements video: 'Todd talked about how most Tales from the Crypt machines only have a button now. Because the whole mod is gone.'

• The right ramp on this Tales from the Crypt is exceptionally difficult to hit

  high confidence · Manu repeatedly states: 'I've never hit the right ramp ever. I've never, ever hit that right ramp' and 'The crypt is way harder to shoot than you think'

• John Borg designed Tales from the Crypt

  high confidence · Manu states directly: 'This is a John Borg game, by the way'

• John Borg also designed Guardians, Indiana Jones, and Metallica

  medium confidence · Stream chat members (Swizzle) provide this information in response to Manu asking 'what else did he do, you guys? Did John Borg do Metallica?'

• The machine at Wormhole has a custom doorknob plunger and captive ball feature

  high confidence · Manu shows the plunger on screen: 'Here's a funny thing I was watching Todd Tucky earlier an old TNT Amusements video' and demonstrates the captive ball: 'there is a captive ball on the left side'

• Super Crypt Keeper mode lights the kickback for the entire rest of the ball

  high confidence · Manu explains at end of stream: 'Super Crypt Keeper lights your kickback for the entire rest of the ball'

Notable Quotes

• “You can lock in your creature feature by using the doorknob. I wish I had a shot at this. But you guys should look at this. This actually has the doorknob shooter. It's not a plunger. It's a doorknob.”

  Manu@ 9:27 — Explains the unique mechanical innovation of Tales from the Crypt's doorknob plunger system

• “I've never hit the right ramp ever. I've never, ever hit that right ramp. I know you're probably saying, well, yeah, Manu, because you suck.”

  Manu@ 20:50 — Emphasizes the extreme difficulty of one of the game's key shots

• “What is wrong with John Borg? What friggin' anger thing was he going through? Was he going through a divorce when he wrote this game?”

  Manu@ 28:33 — Comic complaint about the game's punishing difficulty, reflecting on designer's intent

• “There's a field trip happening right now, I think.”

  Manu@ 25:51 — References the venue context of summer camps bringing children to Wormhole Pinball

• “I don't know anybody who's ever done Crypt Jam. Because to do all 12 of those, you either have to speedrun them, or be Kyle, or Brian, or somebody way better than me.”

  Manu@ 16:59 — Emphasizes the extreme difficulty of reaching the wizard mode by completing all 12 creature features

• “This is a John Borg game, by the way. That crypt is way harder to shoot than you think.”

  Manu@ 19:28 — Direct attribution and commentary on game design difficulty

Entities

Signals

• ?

  community_signal: Wormhole Pinball uses location venue for content streaming and community building, hosting summer camps and tournaments while supporting content creation

  high · Stream takes place at Wormhole Pinball during busy summer camp day; venue functions as both arcade and streaming studio; mentioned as hosting events and community activities

• ?

  design_philosophy: John Borg designed Tales from the Crypt with exceptionally difficult shots and challenging playfield layout, including a notoriously hard-to-hit right ramp and crypt shot, suggesting intentional punishing design approach

  high · Manu repeatedly emphasizes difficulty: 'I've never hit the right ramp ever' and jokes about Borg's emotional state during design. This aligns with known John Borg design philosophy.

• ?

  product_strategy: Tales from the Crypt features aftermarket doorknob plunger modification that has been widely replaced with standard buttons on most machines

  high · Manu references Todd Tucky's TNT Amusements video noting most Tales from the Crypt machines now only have buttons because the doorknob mod is gone. This machine has the original/restored doorknob.

• ?

  technology_signal: Tales from the Crypt (1993) demonstrates Data East's mechanical innovation with the doorknob plunger as unique shot selection device predating modern digital shot selection

  medium · The doorknob plunger system for locking creature features represents a mechanical solution to mode selection that Manu emphasizes as notable and worth explaining to viewers