AVENGERS: INFINITY QUEST Pinball Deep Dive!
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Avengers: Infinity Quest is the newest creation from Stern Pinball! Below is an in-depth overview of the machine, and a dive into the features and rules – check it out!
Overview of Avengers: Infinity Quest Pinball
Who’s Who
- Game Design: Keith Elwin
- Rules Design: Keith Elwin
- Rules/Software Support: Raymond Davidson
- Lead Software Programmer: Rick Naegele
- Artwork: Zombie Yeti
- Lead Sound Designer: Jerry Thompson
- Music: Ken Hale
- Lead Mechanical Engineer: Harrison Drake
- Computer Graphics Art Director: Chuck Ernst
Price
Pro
- MSRP: $6,199
- Street Price: ~ $5,800-$6.000
Premium
- MSRP: $7,799
- Street Price: ~ $7,500-$7,700
Limited Edition
- MSRP: $9,199
- Street Price: ~ $9,000-$9,199
Features
All Models:
- Three flippers
- Six balls
- Three pop bumpers
- Hulk spinner – WATCH IT IN ACTION!
- Up post above upper flipper to hold ball – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- Avengers Computer Bingo grid with bank of three drop targets – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- Thor captive ball – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- Lower left ramp (accessible via the plunge, the right orbit, and upper loop shot) – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- Gauntlet ramp (industry first ramp profile, accessible from all three flippers) – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- Avengers Tower magnetic lock ramp with gravitational vari-target and magnet hold – SEE IT IN ACTION!
Pro Model:
- Interactive Dr. Strange spinning kinetic sling ring disc with dual direction velocity detection – WATCH IT IN ACTION!
- Virtual Underground Portal butyrate to show Portal locks with lighting effects
- Thanos Infinity Gauntlet butyrate with lights
- Captain Marvel spinning target – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- Pym Laboratories stand up target – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- 22 RGB software controlled lights
Premium/LE Models:
- Interactive Dr. Strange spinning kinetic sling ring disc with dual direction velocity detection and motorized popup disc scoop – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- Underground Portal, a visible subway capable of holding and staging up to 3 balls through custom playfield windows accentuated with dynamic RGB lighting effects – SEE IT IN ACTION!!
- Custom sculpted Thanos Infinity Gauntlet integrated with light up gems – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- Captain Marvel inverse gravity custom wireform ramp – SEE IT IN ACTION!!
- Pym Laboratories vertical up-kicker (catapults ball onto middle of the Captain Marvel ramp) – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- 25 RGB software controlled lights
Limited Edition Model:
- Mirrored backglass
- LE inner art blades
- Upgraded audio system
- Anti-reflection glass
- Shaker motor
- High gloss infinity yellow powder coated armor
- Autographs by Gary Stern and Keith Elwin
- Limited to 500
Accessories:
- Topper – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- Infinity Gem Shooter Knob – SEE IT IN ACTION!
- Inner art blades
- Laser Cut Side Armor
Rules and Code
NOTE: Subject to change and may need updating as we could not access the instruction card for this game! Huge shout out to the Stern Insider Pinball Podcast for a lot of this information below!!
The Story
Thanos’ Warmasters, The Black Order, have seized the Infinity Gems! The Avengers must use Doctor Strange’s portal to go back in time and battle the Black Order to take the gems before they are given Thanos!
Skill Shot(s)
There is a skill shot rollover in the top middle of the playfield. It appears this skill shot will be completed with a soft plunge to the rollover target. SEE THE SKILL SHOT!
COLLECT AVENGERS
Collect the Avengers represented in the middle of the playfield to reach mini wizard modes:
- Soul Gem Quest (qualified after collecting one round of Avengers)
- Black Order Multiball (qualified after collecting two rounds of Avengers)
- Battle Royale (qualified after collecting three rounds of Avengers)
More information on these mini wizard modes can be found below.
For the first round of collecting the Avengers, you collect them in the following way:
- HULK – collected by hitting a certain number of spinner spins
- IRON MAN – collected by spelling I-R-O-N on the bottom inlanes and outlanes
- CAPTAIN AMERICA – collected by reaching a certain number of pop bumper hits
- WIDOW – collected by hitting the Widow shot 3 times
- THOR – collected by hitting the captive ball
- PANTHER – collected by hitting the Panther shot 3 times
Collecting Avengers gets more difficult for subsequent rounds.
GEM QUESTS
There are five GEM QUESTS, which are the modes where the Avengers go back in time to battle the Black Order to win gems. You can select which quest you want to play. Start Gem Quests by spelling S-T-R-A-N-G-E at Dr. Strange’s spinning disc.
When you enter a Gem Quest, you’ll fight a Black Order member. Dr. Strange decides which Avenger(s) to send through the portal to battle for the gems. Sometimes it will be a one-on-one battle and sometimes multiple Avengers will team up, depends on which mode/quest it is.
Each gem has a perk tied to it. If you win the battle, you get the gem you’re fighting for, but if lose that battle for the gem, Thanos gets the gem and when you get the wizard mode the gems he has will work against you.
GEMS
Collect gems by defeating the Black Order members, then you can use the perk for that gem. Gems lose power the more you use them and must be recharged (how?).
The gems you are battling for during the GEM QUESTS include:
- POWER GEM – will help your Avengers power up to make the battles against the Black Order easier
- SPACE GEM – when you shoot it you can rotate all the gems – once an Avenger uses a gem so many times they can’t use it anymore because it has run out of power. The space gem will rotate the gems to recharge the gems so everyone has a freshly charged new gem
- MIND GEM – depending on how powered up it is you can use it to spot the shot it is placed at, or use it for any shot (similar to the Boom button on Deadpool)
- TIME GEM – ?
- REALITY GEM – ?
You can place gems on a shot to get a perk such as a shot multiplier, added time, etc.
SOUL GEM
The Soul Gem is special because it allows you to replay any GEM QUEST battle that you lost so you can get that gem back from Thanos. In order to obtain the Soul gem, you’ll need to beat the mini wizard mode called Battle for the Soul Gem (more on that below).
AVENGERS COMPUTER BINGO GRID
Shoot the drop targets at the Avengers Computer to earn awards. Each box when you knock down a drop target is its own award, including:
- Bonus X
- 750K Points
- Spot Avenger
- Lock
- 2X Shield
- Spot Bullseye
- 2X Arc Reactor
SUPER AWARDS
Get a SUPER award at the Avengers Computer by getting three in a row. With Super awards you can unlock other modes and features. There are at least six modes tied to the Avengers Computer Bingo Grid.
HAWKEYE CHALLENGE MODE
During the Hawkeye Challenge mode, the tower in the back left will hold a ball and there will be a countdown. The ball will release when the countdown hits zero and you have to hit a specific shot for an award. The Hawkeye Challenge gets harder each time you do this mode.
COMBOS
The game keeps track of combos and will give you awards as that number increases.
MULTIBALLS
There several multiballs in the game:
Thor Multiball
This is the easiest multiball to reach in the game. Shoot the captive ball four times and you enter a two ball multiball. During Thor multiball you can add a ball by shooting the Dr. Strange disc, then shoot the Sanctum target to add a ball.
Iron Man Multiball
Light the I-R-O-N lights in the inlanes and outlanes. There is no lane change with the flippers – to lane change or rotate the lanes you need to shoot the Dr. Strange disc. There is also a Spot Iron feature on the Sanctum target.
Once I-R-O-N is lit, shoot the tower lock three times to start Iron Man multiball.
Portal Lock Multiballs
By locking balls in the portal under the playfield, you can bring in a multiball into a GEM QUEST mode. It can be a two ball or three ball multiball, and the scoring will increase by two times for a two ball multiball and three times for a three times multiball.
To lock balls in the portal, you must shoot under the Doctor Strange disc when it is raised.
When you start a game you are gifted a couple portal locks. Other ways to light portal locks during game play include:
- Combos – Get a certain number of combos to light a portal lock
- Computer grid bingo reward
- Secret Skill Shot
Wizard Modes
There are three mini wizard modes in the game which you can qualify by collecting Avengers:
Battle for the Soul Gem Mini Wizard Mode
Qualified after one round of collection Avengers, this unique wizard tracks how many times you use your flippers, and you have to complete the mode under a certain number of flips to beat the mode.
You have seven or eight shots you have to hit but you have to do it with less than 40 flips. The flips countdown every time you flip. When you hit one of the shots it adds flips. The whole time you are in this mode the ball saver is running, but if you drain you lose a certain number of flips for you don’t want to let the ball drain. If you get through all the shots with flips remaining, then you get the SOUL GEM.
Black Order Multiball Mini Wizard Mode:
Qualified after two rounds of collection Avengers.
Battle Royale Mini Wizard Mode:
Qualified after three rounds of collection Avengers.
Battle Thanos(?)
Stay tuned…
Trophy Mania
Stay tuned…
Teaser Videos
Stern released several teaser videos for Avengers: Infinity Quest – first is the game trailer:
Then the features on the Pro Model:
Then the features on the Premium/LE Models:
And finally the features on the accessories that are available:
Stern Insider Pinball Podcast
Our friends at the Stern Insider Pinball Podcast released a panel discussion with Keith Elwin, Rick Naegele, Harrison Drake, Jeremy Packer (aka Zombie Yeti), Jerry Thompson, and Chuck Ernst!
Keith talks about the Avengers Theme, getting things approved with Gary Stern, the chaos of a single post spinning disc, they talk about the development of the crazy ramps and the development of the wide ramp, the shot between the pops being the hardest shot in this game, Chuck talks about the graphics, they talk about this group of creators staying together, Jerry talks about Marvel providing the voice work, they steepness of the ramps, and they share some of the challenges of creating this machine during the pandemic.
Sign up to be a Stern Insider and check out that podcast here!!
