Episode 29: The Kong Gong – Secrets, Speculation, and First Reactions to King Kong!
In this episode of The FlipSide, we’re diving into Stern’s King Kong pinball teaser. We didn’t get much in the trailer—but let’s talk about what we did see. Are we excited or disappointed? And if it was a bit underwhelming… does it even matter? Because let’s be honest—Keith Elwin always brings the heat. Is Keith’s signature innovation and masterful flow enough to get you hyped for a giant ape-themed game? Or could this be his first real miss? Let’s break it all down. We’re also talking about Barrels of Fun’s upcoming second game—rumored to be Dune. The community might be hoping for G.I. Joe or Goonies, but can David and the team make you care about Dune as a theme? Or will the gameplay be so good that theme doesn’t even matter? Plus, some thoughts on games already in the wild—Dungeons & Dragons is HOT, at least in my opinion, even if content creators seem to have already moved on. Let’s give it the love it deserves. And we can’t skip over Spooky’s Evil Dead—honestly, I’m not even a horror fan, and that game blew my mind. Let’s talk about why. All this and MORE in episode 29 of The Flipside! Looking to Buy a New or Used Pinball Machine? LEAVE ME A VOICEMAIL and I might play it on the show! Looking for more Pinball Content? Check out my pinball podcast “The Flipside Podcast” Video Version of the Podcast can be found here: Want to listen to the podcast instead? Here’s links to Spotify and Apple Podcasts! [RETRO RALPH MERCHANDISE AND CONTACT INFO] If you would like me to do a video review of your product or for other business inquiries, send me an email: retroralph1980@gmail.com
Kineticist’s take
Retro Ralph analyzes King Kong teaser, defends Stern's design philosophy, and previews upcoming media event.
Synopsis
Retro Ralph discusses King Kong pinball machine announcement by Stern, analyzing the teaser trailer and the gong mechanism's historical significance in Kong films. He shares his excitement about attending Stern's media day on April 17th to see the full reveal, speculates about the game's features and why Stern chose an original 'Myth of Terror Island' theme instead of licensing the movies, and touches on recent releases like Dungeons & Dragons, Evil Dead, and upcoming announcements from Barrels of Fun.
Highlights
- King Kong official title is 'Myth of Terror Island' and is an original Stern-created story rather than a licensed movie adaptation
- King Kong media day for press/content creators is scheduled for April 17th, with distributors seeing the game on April 16th
- Keith Elwin is the designer of King Kong
- Dungeons & Dragons is underrated and being overlooked by pinball media despite strong location earnings and player engagement
- Stern may have chosen an original King Kong story to save on licensing costs and invest more in mechanical features
- The gong shown in the teaser trailer is not the main attraction of the game; Stern deliberately withheld the primary mechanism
- Barrels of Fun will be announcing and revealing their next game on the same day as King Kong (April 17th/18th), likely Dune
- Evil Dead is in early code and features a shotgun mechanism and cabin lock multiball
- Retro Ralph has already committed to purchasing a King Kong machine
- Stern is shifting toward more innovative mechanical features after initial feedback on Dungeons & Dragons and Godzilla
Entities
- Barrels of Fun· company
- Flip N Out Pinball· company
- Jersey Jack Pinball· company
- Spooky Pinball· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Dungeons & Dragons· game
- Evil Dead· game
- Godzilla· game
- Harry Potter· game
- Jaws· game
- King Kong / Myth of Terror Island· game
- Labyrinth· game
- The Flipside Pinball Podcast· organization
- Christopher Franchi· person
- David· person
- Kaneda· person
- Keith Elwin· person
- Mark Pearson· person
- Mason· person
- Retro Ralph· person
- Zach Minney· person
- Zach Sharpe· person
- Electric Bat· venue