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][4][5] However, this was not patented by Williams so was available for other manufacturers to use in their designs.[6]
Description
The player assumes the role of an earthquake researcher and has to visit various zones along the California-Nevada border.[7] 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.[8]
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.[5]
Digital versions
Earthshaker! is no longer available as a licensed table in The Pinball Arcade for any platform after June 29, 2018 - just before WMS license expiration on June 30, 2018.
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