Bonus Episode - Best Game Ever: BLACK KNIGHT SWORD OF RAGE

Connor argues Black Knight Sword of Black Knight Sword of Rage (Pro) is the best game ever for its replayability, flow, and elegant design.

Synopsis

Connor from pinballranker.com delivers a passionate defense of Black Knight Sword of Rage (Stern, 2019) as the best pinball game ever made, focusing specifically on Black Knight Sword of Rage (Pro) model. He argues the game excels through fast, replayable gameplay with simple but elegant rules, strong art direction by Kevin O'Connor, excellent sound design by Jerry Thompson with music by Scott Ian and Brendon Small, and a superlative topper. Connor positions the game as a gateway title despite its difficulty, praising Steve Ritchie playfield design and Tim Sexton rule programming while dismissing criticism from collectors who prefer the upper playfield in Premium/LE models.

Highlights

• Black Knight Sword of Black Knight Sword of Rage (Pro) model is the best pinball game ever made
• Black Knight Sword of Rage (Pro) model's lack of upper playfield is a massive positive, unlike Premium and LE models which include it
• Black Knight Sword of Rage has only a single ramp and requires left flipper passing skills
• The game has relatively shallow code compared to modern Stern games but compensates through replayability
• As of June 13, 2026, Black Knight Sword of Rage ranks #6 on Pinball Ranker and #53 on Pinside (LE version)
• Scott Ian from Anthrax composed the soundtrack alongside Brendon Small
• Steve Ritchie designed Black Knight Sword of Rage with programming by Tim Sexton
• Black Knight (1980) sold 13,075 units and Black Knight 2000 (1989) sold 5,703 units
• The game is a strong gateway title for new players despite its reputation for difficulty, because rules are easy to understand

Entities

• Black Knight· game
• Black Knight 2000· game
• Black Knight Sword of Rage· game
• Godzilla· game
• Wedgehead Pinball Podcast· organization
• Alan· person
• Alex the Waterboy· person
• Brendon Small· person
• Brian Schmidt· person
• Connor· person
• Dan Forden· person
• Doug Watson· person
• Ed Boon· person
• Jerry Thompson· person
• Kevin O'Connor· person
• Larry DeMar· person
• Scott Ian· person
• Steve Ritchie· person
• Tim Sexton· person
• Tony Ramunni· person
• pinballranker.com· product
• Pinside· product