Episode 30: King Kong Pinball Is Finally Here… But Does It Deliver?
The wait is over—the full trailer for Stern’s King Kong is finally here, and in this episode of The FlipSide, we’re breaking it all down together. From the layout glimpses to the art and animations, I’m sharing my unfiltered first impressions and live commentary as we dissect everything revealed so far. I won’t be playing the game until Thursday at the Stern Media Day event, but trust me—there’s plenty to talk about already. Is this another instant classic from Keith Elwin, or is there reason to be cautiously optimistic? We’ll dig into the shots, toys, theme integration, and all the little details you might have missed. Whether you’re hyped, hesitant, or somewhere in between—let’s explore it all together. 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 reacts to Kong launch trailer; impressed by shot layout, skeptical of spider toy.
Synopsis
Retro Ralph's reaction to King Kong: Myth of Terror Island's launch day trailer reveals a busy four-flipper Keith Elwin design with positive mechanical features (subway car lock, gong bash, vertical up kicker, wireform ramps) but mixed feelings on the spider toy. Ralph confirms he will play the game at Stern's media day Thursday and plans to gather feedback from developers on code direction and feature implementation.
Highlights
- King Kong: Myth of Terror Island is Keith Elwin's first design since Jaws
- Kong features four flippers total (two at bottom, one upper left, one in upper playfield area)
- Kong uses Spike 2 architecture, not Spike 3, despite anticipation for platform upgrade
- Kong artwork was collaborative effort between Kevin O'Connor, Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti), and Greg Ferris
- Jeremy Packer was promoted to head of art division at Stern Pinball
- Brian 'Q' Quinn from Impractical Jokers provides custom voice acting for Kong
- Kong features progress tracking similar to Dungeons & Dragons (save progress feature)
- Pro and Premium/LE versions share identical Kong sculpture but animatronic differs
- Spider toy mechanism is exclusive to Premium/Limited Edition models
- Kong playfield features ball lock via NYC subway car mechanic with Kong multiball and spider multiball
Entities
- Flip N Out Pinball· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Pinball at the Zoo· event
- Stern Pinball Media Day· event
- Avengers: Infinity Quest· game
- Dungeons & Dragons· game
- Evil Dead· game
- Godzilla· game
- Jaws· game
- Jurassic Park· game
- King Kong: Myth of Terror Island· game
- X-Men· game
- The Flipside Pinball Podcast· organization
- Brian Quinn· person
- Dwight Sullivan· person
- Elizabeth· person
- George Gomez· person
- Greg Ferris· person
- Jeremy Packer· person
- Kaneda· person
- Keith Elwin· person
- Kevin O'Connor· person
- Retro Ralph· person
- Zach Sharpe· person
- Spike 2· product