When we’re talking about Marvel heroes, everyone usually thinks about X-men, Iron Man, the Hulk or Captain America… The usual popular characters and series. Ant-man, Marvel’s tiniest hero, is better known to hardcore comic book fans, and has had his (surprisingly fun) movie debut in mid-July. Although we’re seeing less and less movie-to-game adaptations, for better or for worst, one small studio has successfully been transferring superhero movie atmosphere onto gaming platforms. We’re of course talking about Pinball FX game series from Zen Studios that we have covered earlier this year about their Portal-themed pinball. We have high expectations, so let’s dive right in and see how Ant-man rates in comparison to other Zen games.
Like on most of Pinball FX tables, dominant positions are given to the main characters –Scott Lang in his Ant-man suit and Hank Pym that does not quite resemble Michael Douglas, who played him in the movie. They will both be narrating the game and comment on particularly good plays. To be sure, they aren’t voiced by their movie counterparts, which is a bit of a shame, but understandable, because that would make the table cost much more than a few Euros. If you choose one particular camera angle, you’ll notice that the whole pinball machine is on a table that’s under the microscope and is surrounded by abundant details, which is a very nice touch. The table is visually reminiscent of old Marvel pinballs, with many metal parts, but without the usual oversaturated color palette. Maybe the design could have been a bit more varied, because like this it might look slightly bland, although that could interfere with overall visibility which would have been a worse outcome.
The pinball game is very clear and there are no complicated rules, making this table a good choice for pinball beginners and veterans alike. Active missions are marked by bright yellow arrows that strongly contrast their surroundings, so you won’t have to look at the mini-display to know what you have to do. Unlike, for example Portal pinball, in this game the modes aren’t separated, so you can combine several of them and reach pretty high scores. Of course, only after you’ve mastered ball control and learn what activates where. There are a few very interesting gadgets around the table, and some of them are not pinball standards or plain physically impossible to translate to a real pinball machine. The big blue Particle ball in the upper part of the table can shrink itself to twice the size of a regular ball and that starts the multi-ball during which you can shrink the regular ball almost to the size of a pixel, with barely any mass. In the middle, under the window, there is a mini-game that you can sometimes trigger. If you manage to lose the ball in the far left gutter, you’ll have a chance to win it back through another mini-game. The gameplay is very fast, so it will challenge even the players with the quickest reflexes.
The Ant-man Pinball might not be as hilarious as the movie adventure, but is more than good fun for the price. We would have liked it if they used the license even more, yet even like this, this table is among the best Marvel-themed ones. Like we have mentioned in out Portal Pinball review, the physical model might not appeal to the players that are used to other simulations or even real pinball machines, but even then, we still recommend getting this DLC even if you’re not a Marvel fan.
Author: Bojan Jovanović
Pinball FX2 Marvel’s Ant-man
Pros:
- Clearly visible table with no oversaturation
- Clear rules for beginners, while remaining challenging for pinball masters
- Gadgets around the table
Cons:
- License could have been better used
- Physics model
