 rear of advertising flyer | |
| Manufacturer | Williams |
|---|---|
| Release date | September 1981 |
| System | Williams System 7 |
| Model # | 510 |
| Players | 1-4 |
| Design | Roger Sharpe, Steve Epstein, Barry Oursler |
| Programming | Ed Suchocki |
| Artwork | Doug Watson |
| Production run | 2,350 |
Barracora is a 1981 pinball machine released by Williams Electronics. It was based on the Williams System 7 design which debuted with the Black Knight game.
Barracora's backglass art was inspired by the artist H. R. Giger's 1974 painting Li I . Giger is known for his design in the science fiction horror movie Alien (1979). The face was derived from a young Brook Shields. [1] [2]
Among the games elements are two banks of drop targets, including a three-target set (B, A, and RR) and a five-target set (A, C, O, R, A). The playfield is on a single level with no ramps, and was in development for two years. [1]
There is a multiball which can be played with 2 or 3 balls. [3]
It was Williams first game with a "super bonus multiplier", which could increase the bonus count to 25X. [4]
In an early role at Williams, pinball designer Larry DeMar assisted with this machine which was originally called "Las Vegas" [5] with a roulette wheel, [1] before it was rethemed as "Jet Orbit", then rethemed a second time to be released as Barracora. [5]
The drawing for the backglass was called Barracuda, inspired by the song by Heart; [1] and named for the two Barracuda heads. [2] Williams executives disliked the name Barracuda, saying it had "negative connotations"; [1] this may have been because the first two Jaws films had released relatively recently in 1975 and 1978. [6] Doug Watson said he suggested the name Barracora. [6] [2] According to himself, Steve Kordek suggested the name when arguing over the name Barracuda. [1]
Changing from 3+5 letters in the original names to nine letters in Barracora caused two 'R's to be placed on a single drop target.
Taito of Brazil copied the layout but used different artwork for Titan, a pinball machine released in 1982 or 1983.
In a review for Play Meter , the name was confusing, but the backglass appreciated, awarding it 3/4. [7]