Review: Pinball FX2 “Iron and Steel Pack” DLC

The folks over at Zen Studios have been kicking out pinball tables for quite a while now. They’ve hit several home runs with themed table packs from both Marvel and Star Wars, yet curiously original tables have been MIA. That has finally been rectified for the first time in three years, which is great; Zen’s original intellectual property has always been top notch, from “Excalibur” and “Epic Quest” to “Pasha” and “Rome”.

The first of the two new tables is “Wild West Rampage”. As the name suggest it’s a western themed table complete with a train robbery, bar fight, duels, and flying dynamite.  Table layout is fairly traditional, with less ramps and orbits than most Zen Studio tables. Actually, now that I think about it the table feels and plays a lot like the ‘Thor’ table. It’s fairly easy to get into a groove and chain some combos to rack up a decent score. Between the two tables I think this is the one that will be most newbie  friendly, in the sense that you can essentially just smack the ball around and do okay.

Sure, there are missions to do if you feel so inclined. They are varied and fun and only a couple are really demanding of precision shots and skill. There are classic duels, a train robbery that gets more challenging as you go, and there’s even a mission where you have to blow up dynamite being thrown at you. Graphically it’s a good looking table with the classic western color palette, full of lots of browns, oranges and yellows. The soundtrack is top notch as always and fits the table perfectly.

With all the good about this table there are two things I dislike. One, the ball seemingly has a magnet in it when it’s on the lower left section of the table and seems to always find the outside drain lane. Being that it is such a confined space it’s hard to salvage anything that goes into that area. Nudge the table once, and if it goes back there to soon, you risk a tilt trying to save it again. The second thing is in the same area, there is a flipper just above that area. When trying to use this flipper even being just a little off is an instant drain shot. The only way I attempt that shot anymore is if I have an active ball save. It’s just too much of a frustrating shot to attempt otherwise.

With that said it’s a fun table. Sure a little frustrating at times, but still a lot of fun to play.

The second table in the pack is the “CastleStorm” modeled after 2013 Zen Studios tower defense game of the same name. Fans familiar with the tower defense game will immediately recognize Sir Gareth and the evil Chief Ramhorn. Sir Gareth’s donkey even makes an appearance as the plunger to launch the ball onto the playfield. After putting a multitude of hours into the tower defense game it was fun to see how it was interpreted into a pinball table.

The first thing I noticed was there is a lot going on with the table. With the amount of blinking lights, and lanes it feels very much like a classic pinball table. That classic feel went away the moment I realized there was a large fire breathing dragon, I mean why wouldn’t there be a fire breathing dragon. Where “Wild West Rampage” is a methodical table, “CastleStorm” has a more frenetic pace demanding quick reflexes and the ability to judge where a shot needs to go on the fly. Thankfully, the lanes and ramps are somewhat forgiving. There is one ramp in the upper left that seems to be placed at a spot that’s just different enough from other tables that it took a little bit of a learning curve to hit consistently. That’s the beauty of pinball though, not every table is the same.

There are some elements at play within the table that veteran Pinball FX fans will recognize, such as the attacking barbarian horde (“Plants vs Zombies” table), a night mode with a glowing ball (“Sorcerer’s Lair”/”Deadpool” tables), and the mini-playfield in the upper right. Even knowing that these elements have been in tables before, and will probably be used in the future, they fit together well and don’t give off the sense of “Oh they used that again”. It still feels like new table with a ton of stuff to do.

The graphics and colors are perfect. It feels like a continuation of the original game. Even the music is ripped right from the game which makes it even more enjoyable. The added humor and the nods to the original game make this a must play for CastleStorm fans.

These two tables are in line with Zen’s classic pricing structure; all up, $5.99 USD is a great value. While the two tables in this pack may not be in my top three favorite tables list, they are both tables that I can see myself playing quite a bit. I keep coming back to them, determined to find secrets and other elements I didn’t know were part of the table. If you’re looking for something to play, Pinball FX2 is something I will always recommend.

Pinball FX2‘s “Iron and Steel Pack” DLC was reviewed using a copy on PC.