If you’re a pinball fan, then you’re going to dig the new stand-alone table now out on Nintendo Switch. Come check out our Safari Pinball review!
We’ve had stand-alone budget pinball tables on Nintendo Switch based on many themes, with several for monsters – mummies, werewolves, dragons, and even mythological titans -, one on pirates, another one on soccer, and more. This time around, you’re about to take a journey into nature on a safari trip. You’ll be taking on a table with several missions to finish, the word SAFARI to light up, a great-looking image right in the center of the table with a lion, an elephant and a giraffe, as well as some other 3D details thanks to this being a digital pinball table.
There’s a massive elephant on the upper left corner of the screen, several huts around the upper part of the table, a camera for taking pictures – since, after all, you are on a safari adventure -, a video camera on the left side of the table – ditto -, all wrapped in a general savanna setting. Add a few ramps, dozens of targets to hit, another flipper on the right side of the playing area, and you have a fast-paced pinball table that is a lot of fun to play as you aim at getting a high score that can win you a spot in the online leaderboards.
Controls are easy to understand for Safari Pinball, since you’ll be controlling the left flippers on the table with the L or ZL buttons, and the right flippers with R or ZR buttons. When you’re ready to send a ball soaring into the playing field, you can do so by flicking the right analog stick. As is sometimes the case with real pinball tables – of which nowadays there are less and less out in the wild -, you might need to give the table a little nudge to not lose your ball, and you can do this with the B button or the left analog stick. But just as with real pinball tables, you need to be careful when shaking the virtual table in Safari Pinball, or else the machine will tilt, and you will lose control of the flippers, making you lose your ball.
There are also different views for you to select from when playing Safari Pinball, so be sure to press the – button so that you can interact with the different options so that you can feel the right one for you. Speaking of the different ways there are to view the action, there’s something I wanted to mention: you can play in vertical mode! Just take your Nintendo Switch with you on Portable or Tabletop mode – or use a Nintendo Switch Lite – and you’ll be able to flip the screen over vertically, making the whole experience feel closer to what you’d get when playing on a real pinball table.
For an even better experience, be sure to buy a Flip Grip so that you can play in style. The one complaint about the game I have is that the screen actually flips “the other way around,” so when using a Flip Grip, your console won’t be securely locked into place. It’s not a deal-breaker, but something for you to consider if you’re already the owner of a Flip Grip, or if you’re looking into getting one for your arcade-style gaming on the go.
Safari Pinball is a fun and fast-paced pinball table now out on Nintendo Switch at a budget $2.99. The table offers a nice layout, a mini playing field, and some nice combo opportunities for you to take on at home or on the go. If you’re a fan of pinball, then you should give this one a try.
Disclaimer
This Safari Pinball review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by SuperPowerUpGames.
