Earthshaker! is a pinball game designed by Pat Lawlor and released by Williams Electronics in 1989. The game features an earthquake theme and was advertised with the slogan "It's a Moving Experience!" Some prototypes have a building that when the shaker motor is activated will fall down but the team removed it due to cost savings.[1]
Earthshaker! was the first pinball machine with a shaker motor that causes the table to rumble along with the theme of the game.[2][3] However, this was not patented by Williams so was available for other manufacturers to use in their designs.[4]
Description
The player assumes the role of an earthquake researcher and has to visit various zones along the California-Nevada border. During the game the two states split apart and become a rail for the ball.[5]
Sample games feature an "Earthquake Institute" building that sinks into the playfield. About 200 of these sample machines were produced before this toy was made stationary due to cost savings.[1] Some hobbyists re-add this feature in their custom pinball machines.[6]
The music and voices of the game are typical for its era, although the pinball machine is known for a female voice saying "Bitchin'!" which was unusual for its time. "Family" ROMs that censor the questionable language by omission was developed.
One of the modes on a 2017 pinball machine also designed by Pat Lawlor, Dialed In!, has a mode named after this machine.
Earthshaker! was released as a licensed Williams table in The Pinball Arcade for several platforms in 2014,[10] but was delisted with the loss of the Williams license on June 30, 2018.[11]
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