Black Knight (pinball)

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Black Knight
BlackKnight pinball.jpg
Publicity Flyer
Manufacturer Williams
Release dateNovember 1980
SystemWilliams System 7
Design Steve Ritchie
Programming Larry DeMar
ArtworkTony Ramunni
VoicesSteve Ritchie (Black Knight)
Production run13,075

Black Knight is a 1980 pinball machine designed by Steve Ritchie (who also provides the Knight's voice) and released by Williams Electronics.

Contents

Ritchie designed two sequels: Black Knight 2000 , released by Williams in 1989, and Black Knight: Sword of Rage, released by Stern Pinball in 2019. [1]

Design

This machine is the first to use PERC software in masked ROM's created by Larry DeMar, natively supporting 7 digit scores with commas. [2] This software allowed for multitasking and the use of timers. [3]

This game uses two-level playfield, the first solid-state pinball game to do so; [4] most game designers of the time, including Harry Williams thought of the idea of multi-level playfields, but how to design one had been elusive. [5] The most difficult design problem was having sufficient ball clearance under the upper playfield with components placed so the ball couldn't strike any of the parts hanging below the playfield. [6] As the ball cannot drain from the upper playfield, [5] the lower playfield was designed to be fast and prone to drains to keep playtime reasonably low. [3]

The game introduced the patented "Magna-Save", [7] in which a player-controlled magnet is used to prevent outlane drains. This is first of a series of four games in 1980/1 that are both two-level and feature magna-save, [8] with the other games called Jungle Lord , Pharaoh, and Solar Fire. [9] When activated the machine controls the time the electro-magnets of magna-save are active (adjustable by the operator from three to nine seconds). [10] Magna-save is activated by the player pressing one of two buttons placed on each side of the cabinet, just above the flipper buttons. When a ball drains down the outlane in spite of using magna-save, the machine to laughs at the player, reinforcing the theme of the game as an evil knight vs. the player. [10]

It is the first game to use faceted inserts in the playfield. [11]

The game uses a loud bell instead of a knocker when a special (free game) is won. [12]

After its initial production run of over 10,000 machines, it was put back into production six months later to satisfy demand. [13]

Layout

The upper playfield is reached by three ramps, one of the left, and two on the right. It contains two flippers, a bumper, and six drop targets. [6]

The lower part of the playfield contains a bank of three drop-targets in the middle, with a kick-out hole to the right of these. To the left of the drop-targets is a loop which goes beneath the upper playfield. On the left side of the machine is a further group of three drop-targets. [14]

The artwork features a sword on the lower playfield, and the Black Knight on the backglass. [14]

Gameplay

By hitting various targets the bonus can be advanced to a maximum of 49,000 and a multiplier of 5X. [10]

Each of the in-lanes starts a timed hurry-up shot. The main objectives are to hit sets of drop-targets, and play multiball. [14]

This machine introduced the "bonus ball" in multiplayer games, where the player at the end of a game with the highest score awarded a multiball to play for an additional 30 seconds on factory settings. [15]

Reception

Roger Sharpe awarded the game 4+/4 in a review for Play Meter , calling it an "exceptional, dramatic breakthrough for pinball". [14]

In 1981, the game won Play Meter awards for best pinball, and for best technical innovation for the diagnostics on the front door of the machine. [16]

Digital versions

FarSight Studios released the table for Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection on several systems between 2008 and 2011. [17] The same developer released the table in season one of The Pinball Arcade in 2012, and it was available until June 30, 2018, when all Williams tables were removed due to licensing issues. [18]

References

  1. ↑ Claiborn, Samuel (March 26, 2019). "Black Knight: Sword of Rage Pinball Revealed: First Images, Video, Details, and an Interview with Creator, Steve Ritchie". IGN. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  2. ↑ DeMar, Larry. "wms software history". GitHub. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Pinball Expo 2003". Pinball News. November 2003. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  4. ↑ US 4606545,Ritchie, Steven S,"Bi-level pinball machine providing interlevel ball travel",published November 10, 1981,issued August 19, 1986
  5. 1 2 "The Flipside profile: Steve Ritchie" (PDF). The Flipside. Vol. 4, no. 3. 1995. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Horowitz, Ken (2023). From pinballs to pixels: an arcade history of Williams-Bally-Midway. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN   978-1-4766-8937-1.
  7. ↑ US 4373725,Ritchie, Steven S,"Pinball machine having magnetic ball control",published October 24, 1980,issued February 15, 1983
  8. ↑ Rossignoli, Marco (2011). The Complete Pinball Book: Collecting the Game and Its History (3rd ed.). Schiffer Publishing. pp. 215–216. ISBN   978-0-7643-3785-7.
  9. ↑ "The Williams CPU". GameRoom. March 1995. p. 18.
  10. 1 2 3 Black Knight instruction booklet (PDF). Williams Electronics. December 1980.
  11. ↑ "World Poker Tour". Pinball News. 2006. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Confessions of a coin-op addict". GameRoom. Vol. 12, no. 10. October 2000. p. 40.
  13. ↑ Kurtz, Bill (November 1990). "Pinball Corner". GameRoom. Vol. 2, no. 11. pp. 9–11.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Sharpe, Roger C. (February 15, 1981). "Critic's Corner". Play Meter. Vol. 7, no. 3. pp. 63, 66–67, 71.
  15. ↑ Shaloub, Michael (2004). The Pinball Compendium 1970-1981. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. p. 171. ISBN   978-0-7643-2074-3.
  16. ↑ "Williams cops two top game prizes in Play Meter Awards". Play Meter. Vol. 7, no. 22. December 1, 1981. p. 38.
  17. ↑ Harris, Craig (September 18, 2009). "Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection Review [PS3/Xbox 360]". IGN. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  18. ↑ Lawson, Aurich (May 8, 2018). "The Pinball Arcade is losing its classic tables; grab them while you can". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
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