Rollerball

Nintendo console exclusive

Pinball is a game loved by people all over the world. And now you can enjoy four of them all rolled into one game! Four different sets of obstavles put a lot of cariety into the game. You have never seen such complicated bounding of the ball.

Released: 1984
Platforms: MSX NES PC-8800 Series Sharp X1
Genres: Pinball Pinball machine
Developers: HAL Laboratory
Publishers: HAL Laboratory
Modes: Single-player
Themes: Action
Country: Japan

About

Rollerball (ローラーボール, Rōrābōru) is a video game produced by HAL Laboratory in 1984 for the MSX. A Nintendo Entertainment System version of the game was released in 1988. It is designed to be played by one to four players, in turn. It is an emulation of a pinball machine.

The pinball machine rendered in Rollerball is composed of four screens, which, by proportion, would be about as long as two standard pinball tables if it were a real table. The graphics on two of the four screens are based on various aspects of the New York City skyline. The topmost screen (hereafter called the bonus screen) merely shows some clouds and a blimp. The second screen (the main screen) shows the top of the Empire State Building, while the third screen (intermediate) shows the lower skyline and the Statue of Liberty. The lowest (final) screen shows only a blue backdrop, representing the Ocean.

Keywords

pinball

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The MSX version had four difficulty levels, which affected the speed of the ball.

In the main mode, each player launches the ball directly into the main screen. To the top is a small loop marked SLOT; if the player sends the ball through this loop, a slot machine display in the center of the screen cycles, with various penalties or rewards given when one of the three symbols (an eggplant, a pair of cherries, or a bell) appears three times. The center of the SLOT loop is open, allowing the player to enter the bonus screen.

Reception

Digital Press found the NES version to have remarkably realistic ball movement and flipper action.

MSX Magazine found the ball movement to be realistic, and the sound effects to be well crafted.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

Releases by platform
Platform	Released	Regions
MSX	31 December 1984	Japan · Europe 31 December 1984
PC-8800 Series	1 October 1985	Japan
Sharp X1	31 December 1985	Japan
NES	20 December 1988	Japan · North America 1 February 1990