Introduction
Pinball Freedom for the Nintendo Switch is published by CGA Studio Games. It was released on April 14, 2022. You can purchase the Pinball Freedom on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $9.99. On behalf of the Handheld Gaming Community I would like to thank CGA Studio Games for the review code.
Overview
Pinball Freedom is a game that simulates a pinball arcade. It includes five pinball machines for you to enjoy. They are:
- Sci-fi
- Fairytale
- BMX
- Skate Park
- Chill Panda’s Adventure
Gameplay
The game presents a very straightforward product. You have a mini arcade that has 5 pinball machines and one air hockey table. You control the pinball machine’s paddles with the ZL and ZR buttons. At some points you may need to tilt the machine to shake the ball loose, and you do that with the d-pad. Each direction tilts the machine a different way, so you may have to explore the controls to see what works. Each of the pinball machines have a distinct look about them and play differently.
There are leaderboards for each pinball machine that you can save your high score. Each machine has a set of challenges for the player to attempt as well.
Graphics/Performance
The graphics in Pinball Freedom are nice looking and seem to run very smoothly. During the first few seconds of each machine, you will get a fly through the machine. Each of the pinball machines is rendered in three-dimensional graphics and looks nice.
Story
This is a pinball simulator, and as such doesn’t really have a story. It presents you with a classic looking arcade setting with a room and five machines and an air hockey table. After that you can play each machine as much or as little as you would like.
Sound
The sound effects are what you might expect from a pinball simulator.
Value
You can buy Pinball Freedom for $9.99 on the Nintendo Switch eShop. I don’t think that I would have bought this game for that price. If you have nostalgia for pinball machines, or are curious about them, wait until a sale comes along (it appears to happen frequently). Coincidentally, the game is just coming out of a sale where it was $1.99. Unfortunately, for $10 there just isn’t enough game there to justify the price.
Conclusion
Pinball Freedom is a solid pinball simulator. The pinball machines look particularly good and play well. I played each of the games a few times and had fun. The problem I had was that I couldn’t find much more to do except play them again. I wish there was more of a game in Pinball Freedom. Especially considering the $10 price point. I feel that you should wait for a sale and pick this one up at $2. You can pick up Pinball Freedom on the Nintendo eShop for $9.99. On behalf of the Handheld Gaming Community, I would like to thank CGA Studio Games for the review code.