Tag: Grimm Tales Pinball

Grimm Tales (Pinball FX Table Review)

Grimm Tales
First Released February 16, 2023
Main Platform: Pinball FX
Switch Platform: NOT RELEASED ON SWITCH
Designed by Zoltan ’Pazo’ Pataki
Stand Alone Release ($4.99)
Okay, so using a gigantic castle placed in the center of a table isn’t exactly original. But don’t mistake this as a Medieval Madness wannabe. This is a fantastic original table.

Think of Grimm as being the unholy offspring of Medieval Madness and Tales of the Arabian Nights. The layout borrows heavily from Medieval Madness, maybe a little too closely. Oscar really thought it was just a touch too derivative, and not just because of the castle. Both the left and right long orbits feel very close to MM’s side shots and are such a cinch to shoot and spoon-feed the bumpers that tying a multiball just to them he thinks might have been foolish. I don’t disagree with him about the layout, either, but there’s plenty of effort to make it feel different as well. The ultra-steep damsel ramp has no evil twin in Grimm Tales. Instead, the game utilizes two very tough but fairly well-done toe shots for the gingerbread house (which lights modes) and Magic Mirror. The castle includes new angles as well, including a deceptively tricky “sneak around the back” shot that’s actually the REAL driver of the table, acting as both the mode start and extra ball shot. This is a table that has a lot of very fun shots, and while the ramps share similar placement as Madness, they don’t feel like the ramps on that table. The flow load is completely different.

Signature Shots – The Castle: Grimm Tales’ castle is four shots in one. The table’s driver is in a tiny orbit just left of the castle, and is also the extra ball shot. The gate switches which mode is lit and is always the final shot to end any mode. The two gatehouses act as ball locks for Crystal Multiball and might be too easy to hit, but there’s an inspired twist to that. The locks are still active when you actually start the multiball, and NOT locking a ball doubles the value of jackpots, adding a layer to ball management that we all thought was very clever. That was the part that sealed Sasha’s MASTERPIECE vote when she couldn’t decide which way she was going.
One of the “ANGRY MODE” effects. You’re lucky if you get this one.

The Tales of the Arabian Nights DNA is in the modes. Each mode is based on a fairy tale instead of an Arabian Night, but they’re all relatively short. So short that it’s kind of surprising for a Zen table. Plus, most of the modes are actually a lot of fun. The problem is not every angle is. The “grandmother’s house” bat flipper pathways are maddening to shoot (see the caption below), and the Snow White mode uses the bumpers, which are overvalued in a table with THIS easy of access to them. The easiest extra ball to light is done by juicing the end of ball bonus to past 10x. In our duel, not a single Vice missed that EB in any game. Otherwise, the modes are punchy and rewarding, along with a pair of multiballs that are quick to activate and can be used to finish the modes. I also like the concept of being able to charge-up the table’s score via T-A-L-E lights, which could potentially multiply your score by 2.4x the playfield values. Not after the ball, mind you. DURING PLAY! That’s bold.

Signature Mode – Little Red Riding Hood: as unlikely as it seems, this short little shot is the hardest in the game. Nobody could get a feel for it, but if you’re going to miss, miss late instead of early. Just under the path is a hidden Ritchie Loop that gives you another crack at the shot. Neat. Not neat, and in fact one of the most annoying features on the table, is that in the Little Red Riding Hood mode, the ball is held over the flipper for far too long. “Slow pitch softball” is what Oscar called it, and he HATED it. Cussed a blue streak every time. Angela said “I’m never teasing the dogs by holding the ball too long when we play fetch ever again.” None of us hated the shots. On their own, as part of the Crystal Multiball? They’re fine. Tough, but we like tough. The delay before serving the ball in the Red Riding Hood mode? Well, it didn’t cause Dad or me to drop our score by itself, but we were certainly thinking about it when we voted GREAT instead of MASTERPIECE. It’s so bad that it feels almost like a glitch left in the game. It happens on the lower shot too.

VUKs that aim for the tip of the flippers? Not so much bold as it is annoying, but at least the physics are good enough to be able to clock the throw and  take control of the ball. Actually, this is one of the rare Pinball FX tables that doesn’t feel like it’s specifically trying to prevent ball control, which is why I think the Vices all liked it so much. I’d even say Grimm would make a great trainer table, except one thing: the table seemingly randomly enters “Angry Mode” that screws with the physics or visibility of the ball. One of the “curses” is having a very strong wind push the ball to the left. I’m almost never a fan of screwing with live balls using video game physics. There’s also a witch who flies over the playfield during multiball modes and it’s so distracting. Don’t let any of that turn you off of trying Grimm, though. It’s one of the best stand alone pins you can get for FX and easily worth the $4.99 asking price. There’s a LOT to like about this table, and for some of us, it does enough to reach elite status.

For me, it’s GREAT but just short of the upper echelon. Jordi and Dash were frustrated by the stop-and-go nature of the table and the distracting ANGRY MODE and photo-bombing witch, which are also the reasons I didn’t vote MASTERPIECE. Oscar didn’t because he thought it didn’t have any stand-out shots. It was two kids who really loved it, (but don’t mistake this for a kids table, as both Angela and Sasha are highly skilled pinballers). Sasha was just barely MASTERPIECE, almost agreeing with Oscar that the lack of transcendent shots hurt, but the shot selection and heavy emphasis on flexible strategy won her over. Meanwhile, Angela said Grimm Tales was second only to Battle of Mimban as her favorite Zen original. “Maybe there’s more balanced tables or tables with better shots, but Grimm is just fun. It’s everything I love about pinball and isn’t afraid to be silly. Originally I felt bad giving it MASTERPIECE, but if I had more fun with it than some tables where I did vote that way, why can’t I? It does offer everything pros love, too. Maybe not as well as other top tier pins, fine, so don’t play it for flow. Don’t play it as a test of your skills either, even though it offers that as well. Play it to remind you that pinball is a game and games are supposed to be fun!”
Cathy: GREAT (4 out of 5)
Sasha the Kid: MASTERPIECE (5 out of 5)
Angela: MASTERPIECE
Oscar: GREAT
Jordi: GOOD (3 out of 5)
Dash: GOOD
Scoring Average: 4.0 📜CERTIFIED EXCELLENT📜