It should be no surprise to anyone that we here at BSR are pinball fans. We’ve espoused the virtues of Zen Studios excellent pinball simulations time and time again. Now the Budapest-based team has brought their skills to the portable arena. While the iOS and Android ports have been around for a bit, the version for the Nintendo 3DS’ eShop has been delayed in North America. It finally releases today, is it worth your time? Let’s find out.
First off, because of the way the eShop works, Zen Pinball 3D is a little different for those familiar with Pinball FX2. You unfortunately are not able to play a sample of the game before you buy it. While I was told not to rule out a free table in the future, for now the starting price for pinball goodness on your 3DS is $6.99. For your money, you get a nice bundle of four tables (Excalibur, Earth Defense, Shaman, and El Dorado). What’s especially nice is that Shaman and El Dorado have up until now been PlayStation 3 exclusives. Having them to play on the go is quite nice indeed, though my favorite PS3 table, based on famed scientist and internet darling Nikola Tesla, would be a welcome addition.
I have to commend the team at Zen for the presentation they give Zen Pinball 3D. Not only is the interface attractive and functional, Zen has gone the extra mile to include as many of the console familiar features as possible. If you know anything about the way Nintendo systems usually handle online modes, you’ll be doubly surprised to see that ZP3D not only has leaderboards and the superscore feature from the consoles, but they’ve actually managed to include achievements for each table. I hear the actual 3D effects are no slouch, either (Note: The reviewer cannot see 3D imagery).
Now, onto the gameplay itself. Unfortunately, this is where I wasn’t as satisfied as I’d like to be. Don’t get me wrong, it is still very fun, and decidedly zen-like (see what I did there?), but the 3DS itself has a couple of limitations that kept me from having the experience I expected. I’m not one to obsess over ball physics and technical things like that, but when I was first playing, I did notice things seemed a little off. At first, I chalked this up to the way the ball move to indeed be a little different. What I came to realize after a bit more play though is that I was playing a bit differently because I had a hard time seeing the playfield itself. You see, while the game does allow many view modes to see the playfield, most of them are at an angle, and on the small screen of the 3DS, it’s difficult to decipher things the further back the perspective goes. This is alleviated a bit with the views that focus the camera more on the ball itself, but I wasn’t able to find a view that I felt fit perfectly, unlike on the consoles. That being said, once you get past that, the gameplay is as smooth as silk, and is the high quality you’ve come to expect from Zen.
Normally, I’m not one to give a numbers-based review score, but if I had to score Zen Pinball 3D, I’d give it an 8.5. It looks nice, it plays well, and above all else, it is fun. Couple that with future table packs coming as downloadable content. I can also confirm that the beloved Marvel tables are due to hit the handheld, likely in a 4-pack. In conclusion, I can safely say that this is (so far) the best pinball experience you can get on the 3DS, and you’d do well to pick it up.
Zen Pinball 3D is now available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop for €4.99 or $6.99, depending on your region. A download code was offered for review purposes.