A Battle Plan for Williams’ Medieval Madness Pinball

Medieval Madness is often considered one of the premier pinball games from the 1990s, and it’s not hard to see why. The memorable music, hilarious callouts, and easy-to-learn but hard to master rules make it a game that appeals to players of all ages and skill levels. Released in 1997, Medieval Madness was a collaboration between staple designer Brian Eddy, Mortal Kombat composer Dan Forden, software by the late Lyman Sheats, and callouts by such names as Tim Kitzrow and Tina Fey. Medieval Madness is packed with content that many people may not have seen before–here’s a complete rundown of everything the experience has to offer.

Playfield Overview

Medieval Madness is a 2-flipper fan layout game with familiar shot placement for anyone who has played games such as Attack From Mars, Monster Bash, or Austin Powers. Almost nothing is hidden from the player, and ball paths around the table are intentionally intuitive. 

From left to right, the major shots include:

• The Catapult left lane, which fires the ball around the left habitrail to the left in lane;

• The left Joust orbit, which either feeds the top lanes and pop bumpers or the right orbit;

• The Peasant left ramp, which also feeds the left flipper; 

• The Castle lock shot, which is rather narrow, and has the ball “jump” the moat and pass through an opening to look like it’s blowing a hole in the castle;

• The Castle front door, which includes a drawbridge and gate that open to allow the ball to enter the Castle and destroy it;

• The Merlin’s Magic saucer, which can start Mystery awards, multiballs, and video modes;

• The Damsel right ramp, which feeds the right in lane; 

• and the right Joust orbit, which can also feed either the left orbit or the top lanes.

In front of the Castle lock shot and the Merlin’s Magic saucer are two Trolls, which are small figures that live under the game but pop up to wreak havoc at various times. The “major shots”, as they correspond to game progress, are the Catapult lane, the orbits, and the ramps.

Medieval Madness has a standard Italian bottom layout, with one flipper, slingshot, inlane, and outlane on each side, placed symmetrically. The habitrails from the Catapult/Peasant shot on the left and the Damsel shot on the right drop the ball above the corresponding inlane switch, making the ramps a reliable way to light the inlanes. The 4 in/out lanes spell Fire, which awards bonus multipliers and progress toward video mode.

Medieval Madness continues the late 90s trend of limiting the number of orders of magnitude most players will see in their scores. A good game will reach the 8 figures of score, and an exceptional game will reach into the low 9 figures. Replay scores on default 3-ball settings commonly hover around 20,000,000 points.

Abridged Tutorial

• Shooting the Castle all day gives quality points in a pinch. The angle of the drawbridge and gate means it’s not quite as much of a center drain risk as Attack From Mars’ saucer. Destroying Castles gives increasing points starting at 2,000,000, and destroying 2 Castles lights extra ball.

• Shooting a ramp 4 times, either orbit 3 times, or the left Catapult 3 times qualifies a Multiball Madness the first time, or a hurry-up thereafter. Complete as many shots as you can in this way before starting your Multiball Madness so that more shots are more valuable.

• The Castle lock just left of the main door gives a surprisingly lucrative multiball, but is a rather narrow shot. Castle Multiball jackpots are very frequently worth more than Multiball Madness jackpots, but you have to be accurate to nail the 3 or 6 shots required to get there.

• Battle for the Kingdom wizard mode is one of the loftiest goals in pinball, and requires destroying 6 Castles, fully completing all major shots 3 times each, and bashing 10 Trolls. You may want to focus instead on hurry-ups, which stack every time a major shot is completed and can be somewhat easily compounded if you can reach a flow state comboing the ramps and orbits.

Skill Shot

Medieval Madness has two flavors of skill shot. There’s no manual plunger, just a Launch Ball button, so to switch from the regular skill shot to the Super Skill Shot, you have to hold the left flipper button as you press the Launch button.

The regular skill shot sends the ball to the top lanes, where one of the two top lanes is flashing. Flipper lane change can be used to switch which lane is flashing. Making the flashing lane award +5 bonus multipliers and a score award that starts at 50,000 points and increases by 10,000 with each subsequent skill shot made.

Holding the left flipper button as you plunge starts the Super Skill Shot, which sends the ball around the back of the game to the left flipper itself. Immediately shooting any major shot will collect the Super Skill Shot, which scores 100,000 points (does not increase) and starts a Hurry-up at the Castle worth 1,000,000 points. This does not award any bonus multipliers, and it does not complete an entire shot once like the similar Super Skill Shot on Attack From Mars, so it’s not particularly worth going for.

Completing Major Shots

The orbits, ramps, and Catapult left lane can be “completed” by shooting them repeatedly. 

Catapult: completed by making 3 shots, which are Catapult Wham (50,000), Catapult Bam (75,000), and Catapult Slam (100,000). Along with Catapult Slam, the third Catapult shot lets you fire one of 5 objects: a duck, a cat, a cow, a bowling ball, and a skull, which are worth 10,000, 25,000, 100,000, 250,000, or 500,000 points. Firing all 5 over the course of the game starts Barnyard Multiball, a 3-ball multiball where every switch in the game scores 75,000 points and adds 75,000 to the Barnyard Jackpot, which is collected at any major shot. There is a standup target at the end of the Catapult lane; a strong shot to the Catapult lane hits this target, then falls into the launcher itself. The target counts as a Catapult hit all its own, so you can get two for the price of one with good aim, which is good since the Catapult is by far the hardest major shot to hit.

Peasant left ramp: completed by making 4 shots, which are Rabble Rouser (25,000), Angry Mob (50,000), Ugly Riot (75,000), and Peasant Revolt (100,000). 

Damsel right ramp: completed by making 4 shots, which are Dragon Breath (25,000), Dragon Snack (50,000), Dragon Death (75,000), and Damsel Saved (100,000). The fourth shot opens a diverter to the castle tower in the back right of the game and drops the ball into the bumpers afterward; this extends the ramp, making it a slightly taller and more difficult shot.

Joust orbits: completed by making 3 total shots, and either side counts as one of the 3. The 3 shots are Joust Charge (50,000), Joust Clash (75,000), and Joust Victory (100,000). Joust Charge and Joust Clash go all the way around the orbit to come down the other side, while Joust Victory (or any orbit shot while Super Jets is running) will be directed to the top lanes.

Trolls: hit either of the standup targets to the sides of the Castle main entrance a total of 8 times to qualify Trolls! at the saucer. Hitting the standups a total of 8 more times before starting or during Trolls! earns a Troll Bomb. Troll Bombs can also be earned as a Merlin’s Magic mystery award or by ricocheting off a Troll and into either Merlin’s saucer or the lock lane. During the Trolls! mode, you have 30 seconds to hit both Trolls popups 3 times each. A Troll Bomb counts as one hit on whichever Troll has taken more damage, biased towards the one on the left if they’re tied. Completing the Trolls! mode qualifies Troll Madness as part of Multiball Madness.

Multiball Madness and Hurry-ups

If Multiball Madness has not been played yet, completing any of the 5 shots listed above lights a Multiball Madness at the saucer. The more shots you complete, the more Multiball Madnesses can be lit at once; you want to light as many as possible, because the more Madnesses are stacked, the more balls you get for multiball and the more points jackpots are worth. Shots corresponding to earned Madnesses score Super Jackpots, while other major shots just score regular jackpots.

• 1 Madness: 2 ball multiball, jackpots score 100,000, super jackpots score 400,000

• 2 Madnesses: 3 ball multiball, jackpots score 125,000, super jackpots score 550,000

• 3 Madnesses: 3 ball multiball, jackpots score 150,000, super jackpots score 700,000

• 4 Madnesses: 3 ball multiball, jackpots score 175,000, super jackpots score 850,000

• 5 Madnesses: 4 ball multiball, all shots score super jackpots worth 1,000,000

Shots to the Castle lock during Multiball Madness award 2x the super jackpot value.

If Troll Madness is part of Multiball Madness, the Trolls will pop up alternately. Hitting one awards half of the super jackpot value and causes the other Troll to pop up instead.

It is possible to start Trolls! mode and Multiball Madness at the same time. If you complete Trolls! mode during Multiball Madness, Troll Madness will be added to the multiball, and the multiball will restart, adding any lost balls back into play and raising all jackpot values. 

If Merlin’s Magic mystery award is lit at the same time as one or more Multiball Madnesses, Merlin’s Magic can add another Madness to the multiball that was not previously lit.

If a shot is completed multiple times, or if a shot is completed for the first time but Multiball Madness has already been played, it will start a Castle Hurry-up instead. Castle Hurry-ups start at 1,000,000 points and count down to 250,000 before timing out. To collect a hurry-up, shoot the Castle front door once. The hurry-up counts down somewhat slowly, and there’s enough time to complete another major shot before the hurry-up times out. If you do, the hurry-up restarts, but at increased value; this is referred to as stacking hurry-ups. A 2-hurry-up stack starts at 3,000,000 points. A 3-hurry-up stack adds 2,500,000 to the starting value, for a total of 5,500,000. Each hurry-up stacked past the 3rd adds 500,000 more than the previous one did, so the 4th hurry-up adds 3,000,000 for a total of 8,500,000, the 5th adds 3,500,000 for a total of 12,000,000, and so on. There is no meaningful limit to how many hurry-ups can be stacked.

The game keeps track of how many hurry-ups you collect in a game. Every hurry-up in a stack is counted if more than one is running, so a 5,500,000 point hurry-up counts as 3. Extra balls are lit after collecting a total of 10 and 40 hurry-ups over the course of the game. 

Royal Madness

If all 5 types of Multiball Madness (Catapult, Joust, Peasant, Damsel, and Troll) have had their shots completed at least once, and Multiball Madness itself has been played, then Royal Madness will be lit at the saucer during single ball play. Royal Madness is a single-ball mode with the goal of making 2 shots each to the Catapult, the orbits, and both ramps, as well as 1 shot to each Troll. The first shot to a feature in Royal Madness scores 200,000 points, and the second scores 1,500,000 (plus an additional 250,000 for each time Royal Madness has previously been played this game). Royal Madness is timed to 20 seconds, but the timer resets every time a shot is made. Completing Royal Madness awards either an extra ball or 15,000,000 points, depending on game settings, and resets all Madness progress so Multiball Madness can be played again the next time each major shot is completed. 

Castle Multiball

Castle Multiball is started by locking 3 balls at the Castle lock lane just left of the main entrance. For the first Castle Multiball, all 3 locks are lit, so it takes 3 shots for multiball. After Castle Multiball has been played once, each lock must be lit before it can be made, for a total of 6 shots for multiball. Locks are virtual, and balls shot into the lock lane will be kicked out to the left so they can roll down the left orbit toward the flippers.

Multiball starts as soon as the 3rd ball is locked, and there is a ball save at the start of multiball. Each Castle Multiball begins with a jackpot value of 750,000 points. Castle Multiball has 3 phases.

1. Make a total of 5 shots to the two ramps. Each shot scores a jackpot.

2. Shoot the Castle lock lane to score a Super Jackpot, worth 2x the normal jackpot value. The first time you complete this phase in a game, an extra ball will be lit at Merlin’s saucer.

3. Shoot the Catapult lane, both orbits (separately), the Castle lock shot, and both ramps. Each shot scores a Super Jackpot. Completing this phase sends you back to phase 1, but with the base jackpot value increased by 250,000.

Unlike the Saucers on Attack From Mars, you can continue to make progress on Castles indefinitely during multiball. It is sometimes preferred to bash the Castle as much as possible with the safety net of a second ball in play rather than go around the playfield for jackpots, especially if you are in phase 2 or 3 and require a shot to the rather narrow lock lane.

Castle value and Battle for the Kingdom wizard mode

Progress toward Battle for the Kingdom wizard mode is indicated by the 6 blue inserts that make a path leading up to the castle front gate. Here’s how to light them.

Castle Crusher: you must destroy all 6 of the Castles that belong to the King of Payne and his 5 henchmen. The henchmen are fought in random order, and the difficulty of a Castle only depends on how many you’ve destroyed, not who you’re fighting. The King of Payne is always fought last. Destroying a Castle works as follows:

1. The drawbridge begins raised. Shoot it to lower it. This requires 1 shot for the first Castle, and increases by 1 each time, up to 6 for the King of Payne. 

2. When the drawbridge is lowered, shoot the Gate blocking the Castle entrance. To open the Gate, hit it 2 times for the first Castle, which increases by 1 each time, up to 7 for the King of Payne. Each Castle hit scores 200,000 points for the first Castle, which increases by 200,000 for each Castle up to the 5th; both Castle 5 and the King of Payne score 1,000,000 per Gate hit.

3. When the Gate is opened, shoot inside the Castle one time to destroy it. This scores 2,000,000 for the first Castle, increases by 2,000,000 for each Castle up to the 5th, and jumps to 20,000,000 for the King of Payne’s Castle. Destroying any 2 Castles also lights an extra ball at Merlin’s saucer.

Joust Champion: you must score a Joust Victory 3 times. A Joust Victory can be earned with 3 total shots to either orbit during normal play, or by shooting either orbit during Royal Madness.

Catapult Ace: you must score a Catapult Slam 3 times. A Catapult Slam can be earned with 3 shots to the Catapult in normal play, or by shooting the Catapult once during Royal Madness. Remember that the standup target above the Catapult counts as a Catapult hit itself, so with strong and precise shooting, you can earn double value from each Catapult shot.

Patron of the Peasants: you must score Peasant Revolt 3 times. Each Peasant Revolt requires 4 left ramp shots, or you can get 1 Revolt by shooting the left ramp during Royal Madness.

Defender of Damsels: you must rescue 3 Damsels. Each Damsel Rescue requires 4 right ramp shots, or you can get credit for 1 Damsel by shooting the right ramp during Royal Madness.

Master of Trolls: you must defeat a total of 10 Trolls. During Trolls! mode, it takes 3 hits to a Troll to count as defeating it. If Troll Madness is part of Multiball Madness, or if the rare Smack-a-Troll mode has been started from Merlin’s Magic mystery, each hit to either Troll counts as one Troll defeated. 

When all 6 blue lights are lit, shoot inside the Castle during single ball play to start Battle for the Kingdom wizard mode. This begins as a 4-ball multiball with a generous ball saver. As long as you are in multiball, there is no timer on Battle for the Kingdom, but if you drain down to one ball, you only have 10 seconds to make a shot before the mode ends (making a flashing shot resets the 10 second timer). 

• In part 1 of Battle for the Kingdom, collect Battle Jackpots from the 6 jackpot shots: the Catapult, both orbits (separately), both ramps, and the Castle lock. Battle Jackpots always score 2,500,000, and earning them all advances to phase 2.

• Part 2 of Battle for the Kingdom requires hitting the Gate 7 times to open it, then shooting inside. Each Gate hit scores 5,000,000 points, and shooting inside afterward scores 50,000,000 and completes the wizard mode. During this phase, both Trolls pop up stay up for the entire mode to partially block the Castle entrance; the only way to get rid of them is to use Troll Bombs, and you can’t earn Troll Bombs during Battle for the Kingdom, you can only bring in Troll Bombs that you earned during the main game.

Completing Battle for the Kingdom allows all balls to drain and plays a lengthy animation and sound package as you’re cheered for your efforts. Then, keep shooting; all your progress resets, and reaching a second Battle for the Kingdom requires defeating all 6 Castles again, beating 10 more Trolls, and earning 3 more Joust Victories, Catapult Slams, Peasant Revolts, and Damsels Saved.

Miscellaneous Features

FIRE bottom lanes: roll through an unlit in/out lane to light that letter in Fire. Flipper lane change is available for rotating which bottom lanes are lit. Spell Fire to earn +2 bonus multipliers. Reaching 8 or 50 spellings of Fire qualifies Save the Children video mode at Merlin’s saucer. In Save the Children, use the flipper buttons to run back and forth stabbing falcons that are trying to kidnap crawling babies. Each falcon killed scores 100,000 points, and you get a 1,000,000 completion bonus for killing 30. Falcons are sometimes replaced with EB symbols, which score an extra ball. Once per video mode, press the Launch Ball button to instantly kill all falcons currently on screen.

Super Jets: hitting enough bumpers over the course of the game starts Super Jets, which gives an instant score award and increases the value of the next 40 bumpers hit. The first Super Jets needs 50 bumpers to start, awards 1,000,000 for starting it, and makes the next 40 bumpers worth 25,000 each. Subsequent Super Jets each need 25 more hits to start, award 1,000,000 more for starting them, and increase the per-bumper value by 25,000 for the 40 hits where Super Jets is running. While Super Jets is running, any shot to either orbit will be redirected to the top lanes for pop bumper hits, even if it was just a Joust Charge or Joust Clash shot that would otherwise have made the full loop around the game.

Merlin’s Magic: this is a mystery award that is lit at Merlin’s saucer just to the right of the Castle entrance. It is lit at the start of the game, and relit by hitting all 3 standup targets labelled with stars in the lower right. Merlin’s Magic will display 6 awards, then select 1 to give you. Possible awards include:

• Points: 250,000, 500,000, or 1,000,000

• Light Lock or Award Lock for Castle Multiball

• Instantly start Castle Multiball

• Light or Start Trolls!

• 3 Troll Bombs

• +5 Bonus X

• Hold Bonus X

• Light Extra Ball

• Start Hurry-up: this works just like any other Castle Hurry-up. If one was already running, this award will stack another hurry-up and increase the combined value, just as if you completed a major shot while a hurry-up was running.

• Lower Drawbridge, Destroy Castle Gate, or Destroy Castle toward Castle progress

• Video Mode: this only appears after spelling Fire enough times as described above, and will always be selected if it’s present

• Smack-a-Troll: a rare mode that makes it very easy to light the Master of Trolls light toward Battle for the Kingdom. This is a single ball mode with a 15 second timer. The Trolls will raise and lower alternately. Hit one to score 300,000 points, one defeated Troll towards the requirement of 10, and reset the timer.

End of Ball Bonus

Every switch in the game contributes to the end of ball bonus. It’s quite difficult for the base end of ball bonus to exceed 1,000,000 points. Its value, then, comes from the bonus multipliers. You earn 1 multiplier for lighting both of the two top lanes during normal play; 2 multipliers from completing the Fire bottom lanes; or 5 multipliers from a successful skill shot or a possible Merlin’s Magic mystery award. The bonus multiplier can exceed 100x. Playing various multiballs frequently builds the bonus multiplier quickly due to how often the orbits and occasionally the right ramp will feed the top lanes. There is no way to carry the bonus over from ball to ball or collect the bonus mid-ball. Bonus multiplier is only held from ball to ball if the Hold Bonus X award is earned from Merlin’s Magic mystery. End of ball bonus tends to be more than peanuts, but not game-breakingly so like the bonus on Theatre of Magic or Tales of the Arabian Nights can be.

espie’s Recommendations

• Try to play Multiball Madness with as many Madnesses running as possible. This means complete major shots, but don’t shoot the Merlin saucer, so you can have as many high value shots lit for Super Jackpots as possible.

• Castle Multiball is very valuable if you can get there. If you can find the Castle lock shot consistently, it can be the best thing to aim for from the right flipper, especially early on when only 3 shots are required to start multiball.

• Castles all day is a viable strategy, especially in many tournaments. Destroying a Castle is often the fastest way to collect a quick couple million points in a pinch. Explore whether it’s safer to shoot for the Castle entrance from the left flipper or the right, as this can vary between copies. Remember the Castle progress can be made during any multiball. Castles are often the hardest requirement for reaching Battle for the Kingdom wizard mode. 

• Medieval Madness is a flow game at its core. Comboing ramps back and forth is incredibly satisfying, and if you’re really good at it, can lead to stacked hurry-ups that are nothing to sneeze at.