14 DAY TRIAL // 
Zen Studios has been on a roll with its hit arcade action simulator Zen Pinball 2, especially as far as new and exciting popular franchise tie-ins go.
The latest in the company's efforts to provide a little bit of something for everyone is the release of the Star Wars Rebels table, delivering all the yumminess of Disney's animated show in classic pinball form.
Pinball is a sort of timeless experience that can be enjoyed by everyone, drawing upon some very basic mechanics, but also having the potential to offer complex challenges, the more details tables get.
The transition to a virtual environment has certainly benefited the game, as developers can focus on designing exciting gameplay without having to worry about the actual physical limitations of wood, metal and glass, thus delivering a ton of enhanced gameplay opportunities.
In addition to this, enthusiasts can enjoy them on a PC or console right in their living room, simulating the game in all its glory. Granted, nothing compares to the real thing, but when you factor in convenience, the wealth of themed tables you can instantly access, and the exciting innovations that Zen Studios came up with, you end up with a pretty sweet deal.
Setting
The Star Wars series needs no introduction, having some of the most recognizable pop culture icons in the world, and being universally held as one of the most influential cultural phenomena of recent history.
Being so influential, there is no wonder that many eager creators jumped at the opportunity to play around in its thrilling universe, crafting what is now known as the Star Wars expanded universe, an impressive cache of lore.
One of the numerous Star Wars spin-offs is Star Wars Rebels, an animated television series produced by Lucasfilm, taking place between the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, following the Galactic Empire's rise to power, and the emergence of the rebellious resistance.
The show tells the story of an unlikely group that bands together aboard the Ghost, a freighter starship, in the fight against the Galactic Empire, outlining how a common goal can transcend the barriers between very different individuals.
Zen Studios took the themes of the show and some of the adventures of Ezra, Hera, Chopper, Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb, and translated them into a pretty complex mesh of classic pinball interactions, while also putting an exciting spin on the action with some unique elements, just like in the case of The Walking Dead, Deadpool, or the Guardians of the Galaxy tables.
Gameplay
First of all, as with any of the themed tables released for Zen Pinball 2, you can recognize the familiar elements right off the bat. If you know the show, you're going to get the hang of what to do pretty fast, but the table is set up to be easily accessible even to those who are only looking for some fresh pinball action, without any interest in the theme.
Taking full advantage of the medium, Zen Studios has decorated the table with a ton of interactive doodads, from a fully animated Ghost starship to TIE fighters, Storm Troopers, and a lot of other animated models coming into play whenever you engage in one of the multiple game modes.
Everything starts off pretty standard, with a skill shot, trying to hit a target for extra points when first launching the ball, but things can escalate pretty quickly from there. There's also a third flipper in the top right, coming in handy when trying to pull off some of the more advanced moves.
The table offers several missions, so to say, that you can engage in by performing a series of tasks, by hitting certain ramps and targets in a designated order, resulting in massive bonus points upon completion.
As pinball games have evolved, merely getting a high score by randomly hitting targets is neither the goal, nor the most efficient means of progression.
“There's plenty of action and it's confusing at first, but fortunately, things get better pretty fast, even if you're generally inexperienced at pinball.”
Performing the correct sequence of moves can activate certain special missions, where you have to load some cargo into the Ghost, hit some menacing Storm Troopers, and there's even a mini-game involving Chopper, the grumpy R2-D2 lookalike.
While at first things may seem a bit too hectic, there are handy descriptions for each of the areas that you can check out, together with helpful instructions on how to activate the various missions and hot spots, offering you a better grasp of the core concepts.
After experimenting for a while, you'll be able to hit most of the targets, but there will still be some challenging shots to pull off. There's plenty of action and it's confusing at first, but fortunately, things get better pretty fast, even if you're generally inexperienced at pinball.
The biggest challenge is to learn how to time your shots so that you hit the lateral targets without losing your ball on the side lanes (sort of like stoppers), and consistently hitting the engine thruster in the center without having your ball fall right between your flippers.
Aside from the now "standard" secondary objectives, that allow you to gain extra balls and the ability to sling the ball right back into action instead of losing when hitting the side lanes, there is also an assortment of drop targets, spinners and rollovers to activate.
There are also some switches, jackpots, and all the other standard pinball elements, but the action gets the most exciting when you activate the multiball feature and you have to juggle several balls, setting off targets and mechanics all over the board, scrambling to keep them out of the drain.
As usual, the table supports online leaderboards, so you can test your skill against players from all around the world, and you can also compete against friends, or even enjoy it in local multiplayer, in either hotseat or splitscreen mode.
Visuals and sound
Overall, the graphical layout is pretty well designed and follows the show's aesthetic. The theme is masterfully implemented, with the missions following each of the main characters, and resulting in some specific mini-games of sorts, that feel pretty well designed and easy to figure out and execute.
Fans of Star Wars: Rebels will immediately feel at home, but those who are only familiar with the classic series will most likely feel a little lost, as aside from a cameo from Darth Vader and some TIE fighters, there's nothing much for them here.
In any case, with fully animated 3D models of a couple of the characters, and the camera panning and zooming when you activate special objectives, as well as plenty of interaction and visual feedback from the numerous targets on the table, there's a lot of eye candy, a lot to catch the eye while playing.
The sound design is pretty good, having voiceovers from the show accompany the usual bevy of pinball noises, as well as the familiar futuristic sounds of lasers, robots and machinery.
However, since the game relies on repeatedly hitting the same targets over and over again, things might get a bit annoying, as the voice bits will be repeated ad nauseam.
The good thing is that their repetitiveness is offset by the superb orchestral soundtrack of the show, keeping you alert and immersed throughout your playthrough.
The Good
- Accessible mechanics
- Solid theme integration
- Exciting gameplay
- Creative mission design
The Bad
- It feels somewhat generic at times
- Repetitive voiceovers
Conclusion
The Star Wars Rebels table feels satisfying in both the amount of content offered and the content's nature and diversity, and pinball fans will no doubt have a pretty good time with it, even if they're not great fans of the show.
Zen Studios has been doing a pretty good job overall with its themed tables, managing to capture some of the essence of the popular culture franchises it pursued. Star Wars already has its own classic array of tables, but this one seems geared toward the show's audience, being a little more noob-friendly than some of the others.
It has a few unique mechanics, but it also feels familiar as far as pinball table design goes, a fact that may put off some players looking for something a little more innovative. All in all, it's a fun table and it shows some of the developers' creativity, but it doesn't take too many chances.
It has plenty of high-speed and high-stakes action, it moves pretty fast at times, but it also gives you the time to plan your next move between objectives, and to select the ones you feel most familiar with.
