Episode 109 - A Casual Look Back at 2025 w/ Megan the Watergirl
Podcast
Wedgehead Pinball Podcast
1 hr 22 min
Summary
Casual pinball player Megan reviews 2025 releases with focus on layout, art, and vibe: no industry knowledge.
Wedgehead Pinball Podcast 109 features casual player Megan reviewing 2025 pinball releases from a non-enthusiast perspective. Unlike typical pinball media dominated by obsessive hobbyists, this episode captures feedback from someone who plays ~1-2 times weekly without following industry news. Megan evaluates games using a layout/art/vibe rating system, offering valuable market insight on what casual location players actually want.
Highlights
- Megan gave D&D (Stern) 13/15 overall (layout 4/5, art 4/5, vibe 5/5), praising the storytelling and fantasy execution
- Megan gave Evil Dead (Spooky) 11.5/15 (layout 3/5, art 3/5, vibe 5/5), criticizing oversaturated colors but praising horror-comedy tone alignment
- Megan prefers muted, hand-painted art styles from early 1980s games over modern oversaturated color packages
- Recent pinball art is too busy and oversaturated; games should look like single comic book covers, not full comic books
- D&D Stern Insider integration is the first game where it feels like a necessity rather than optional feature
- Casual location players represent a 'silent majority' in pinball who don't follow news, tournament results, or designer credits
- Evil Dead skill shot is poorly designed and untimed, frustrating for casual players who expect 'gimme' skill shots
- Evil Dead color palette doesn't match the actual 1980s movie aesthetic, which appears more muted
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