056: Wizard Mode Anyone?

PodcastJul 15, 2026By Live From The Rock Room

Punk Rock Pinball Podcast

47 min

Summary

Podcast hosts explain wizard modes in pinball and share strategies for accessing them.

Stephanie and Mike from Punk Rock Pinball Podcast discuss wizard modes in pinball: what they are, how to access them, and their favorites across modern games. They explain the difference between main wizard modes (final endgame modes) and mini wizard modes (intermediate achievable modes), highlighting examples from Jaws, Mandalorian, James Bond, Godzilla, and Foo Fighters. They also recommend practical tips like using 10-ball settings and co-op modes to experience deeper game content.

Highlights

CJ (a tournament player) has four gold pins and is customizing a Stern Army denim jacket with Punk Rock Pinball patches and dayglow paint for blacklight effect
Stephanie won a tournament at 8-Bit Arcade in Bloomington on Friday, her second tournament victory overall; her first was a smaller 12-player tournament
James Bond 007 mini wizard mode on Stern's James Bond pinball is one of the best-designed wizard modes, requiring players to complete one instance each of henchman mode, villain mode, bird one multiball, and jetpack multiball
Modern Spike 3 2/3 machines with co-op mode include: Star Wars Fall of the Empire, Venom, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jaws, Mandalorian, and Dungeons & Dragons
Godzilla (Keith Elwin design) has a final wizard mode that ends the game: player wins immediately upon completion
Players can adjust ball-per-game settings to 10-ball (instead of standard 3-ball) in modern Stern games to more easily access wizard modes and deeper game content
Foo Fighters pinball has a mini wizard mode called Combo-Tron that features synth music and requires players to hit combos into a UFO scoop to build jackpots
John Wick pinball has a mini wizard mode (referenced but name forgotten) that was designed similarly to the James Bond 007 mode by Mike Vinikour (MXV)