The Collection Chamber: DISNEY'S PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN PINBALL

Argh! Set sail for an epic voyage of high-speed pinball action with Pirates of the Caribbean. Explore your ship - where secrets, treasure and bonus points will lead to supreme victory. Dare to enter the Bone Brig to destroy the skeletons and trigger the multi-ball game. Only a true pirate can defend this great vessel from the Pirates of Skull Island and a bone-chilling sea serpent. Fire the cannons and sink those scurvy scoundrels. Knock down your enemies, destroy skeletons and battle buccaneers to score big points with Pirates of the Caribbean Pinball!
3 Cursed Boards - Explore the main deck and pilot deck, and dare to enter the Bone Brig!
Multiple Pinballs – Hit the fuse, escape the Bone Brig, or lock the skull ball in the cannon to activate the multi-ball game. Score big with multiple pinballs!
Mini-game – Aim your ball at the cannons to start the Cannon Mini-game. Fire your cannons and defend your ship from the Pirates of Skull Island in an exciting sea battle
Bump & Tilt – For fun on the rough seas, bump or tilt your board to change the course of your pinball
Bonus Points – Score big points when you collect treasure chests, knock down pirates, destroy skeletons, and more!

~ official press release

After Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Pinball is the last entry in the triptych of Disney Online pinball games. Sold digitally for a little over $10, these solid titles could've easily been packaged together for a full physical release. I'd wager it would've done quite well back in 2005.

If you've played the other two games, you get the formula. Play three interconnected tables to earn points and solidify your initials on the high score table. Based on the Disneyland ride over the Hollywood blockbuster, Pirates of the Caribbean Pinball is a mix between the single-screen tables and mini-games of Aladdin and the three-tiered tables of The Little Mermaid. We begin on the Main Deck which is the most featureful of the lot. Open treasures, bonk barrels and avoid trapdoors before its time to defend the Black Pearl from oncoming frigates aiming to ram into your side.

The tutorial describing how to reach the Hold (left).

The tutorial on what to do when you get there (right).

To defend, you first have to position your ball in front of the cannons on the left hand side. If you're not under attack, the ball will flip back out but if the parchment on the top left of the screen indicated incoming danger, you will be directed to a mini-game. The game-play will shift to a mouse-controlled gallery shooter where you aim cannons at approaching pirate ships. Bizarrely, Skull Rock from Disney's other pirate property - Peter Pan - can be seen in the background.

There are two other tables to find, though both are decidedly more difficult to access than the other two games in the series. To reach the Hold, you first have to load a cannon on the top right of the table by aiming your ball into it. Then, when a second ball enters play, flip a switch to its right to aim it before hitting the fuse that sits between them. If you ignite the fuse before aiming, you will get a multi-ball. If you aim correctly, you will be shot up into the crows nest before falling down into the Hold.

Use your mouse to aim and shoot the cannon (left).

Hit them four times to sink (right).

The Hold is a simpler table than the Main Deck. A ghost ball is hanging in the ceiling trapped in a cage. To free it, and earn some mega points, you have to "annoy" each skeleton in the three barrels but bouncing off them. Each time you do, the coloured circle underneath them with turn red then green if hit a second time. Make all of them green and one will disappear. Do it again with the barrels remaining and the ghost ball is freed.

Of that sounds a bit convoluted, that's because it is. Getting to the Upper Deck is less so. All you have to do is climb those stairs. This table has you scaring off seagulls making it one of the less interesting objectives. Ironically, I found it to be the hardest to get to and stay in. It takes a lot of momentum and precise aim to get up those steps and when you do, the gap left by the piddling flippers mean you're unlikely to stay there long.

It's the other elements of Pirates of the Caribbean Pinball that are a blast, though. I'd say it's probably the most entertaining of the three but we still have to remind ourselves that this is a budget title exclusively distributed on an online platform aimed at children. We're not getting a deep skill-based experience here. What we do have is a fun, short pinball game that doesn't wear out its welcome as quickly as you might think.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber runs natively on Windows. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 19.1 Mb. Install Size: 34.2 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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