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Pinball Rule Sheets

A repository of rulesheets for pinball machines

Pinball Brothers Alien

Game Information:

Originally planned to release under startup company Heighway Pinball before their abrupt shutdown, Alien returned to production in 2022 as Pinball Brothers’ first release. As Ellen Ripley, the player must fend off alien creatures in their quest to survive in the darkness of space.

Rules Overview:

Layout:

Skill Shots:

Plunge the ball using the launch button. The ball is fed to the right flipper, and all shots are lit for skill shot. Each shot scores points that increase each time the same skill shot is made, and a different award depending on which one was made:

If three different skill shots are made in a single game, a Super Skill Bonus of 5M is awarded along with any awards from the skill shot itself.

Missions:

At the start of the game, the player can choose between which of the two films they want to play. Each film has a set of four missions and one wizard mode. The Air Lock is lit by default for the first mission of the game. For further missions, the Air Lock has to be lit by rolling through the left and right return lanes (“WEYLAND” and “YUTANI”).

Points from successfully completed missions (ie. without time running out or the ball draining) are added into end-of-ball bonus, and special lights at the right outlane after 4 completed missions. They also boost the values of the final wizard modes for each movie set, and award the next Weapon.

Once either set of missions have been played, the player will switch to the set of missions that they didn’t play.

“Alien” Missions:

After playing all four missions, the next mission will be Self-Destruct.

“Aliens” Missions:

After playing all four missions, the next mission will be Loader Battle.

Multiball Modes:

There are four multiball modes in Alien, with a final wizard mode available after playing all four. Multiballs are mutually exclusive, though missions that were started earlier continue to run during multiball, and Sentry Guns Multiball can stack onto any active multiball and double all jackpot scores.

Hypersleep Multiball:

Light the hypersleep ramp for lock by completing the APC drop targets on the far right of the game. For the first Hypersleep Multiball of the game, only 2 balls need to be locked at the ramp - subsequent Hypersleep Multiballs require 3 balls to be locked. Shooting the hypersleep ramp, even if it isn’t lit for lock, also lights one of the left outlane rollovers for Revive.

During Hypersleep Multiball, all shots are lit red to revive members of the crew from hypersleep and score jackpots. Once all seven shots have been made, they will relight. The jackpot value can be increased by completing the APC drop targets, or multiplied by +1x by completing the APC drop targets in order.

Sentry Guns Multiball:

Once enough ammo has been collected by hitting enough switches or shots (500 for the first multiball), Vent 1 lights for Sentry Guns Multiball. Subsequent Sentry Guns Multiball attempts require 1000 ammo to light.

During Sentry Guns Multiball, shoot the spinners to light the Xenomorph targets for a jackpot determined by the number of spinner shots made. Once the ammo on the display reaches below 50, the Air Lock lights for a super jackpot based on the total jackpot values collected before the super was made. The sequence then resets.

Ambush Multiball:

Shoot the targets under the Xenomorph enough times to begin Ambush Multiball. The first Ambush Multiball of the game requires five shots to the targets to qualify - this number increases on subsequent hits. Using the shotgun also registers two Xenomorph hits. Before starting Ambush Multiball, the base jackpot value can optionally be increased by completing Xenomorph lifecycles.

On the final shot, the game will darken and attempt to hold the ball on the magnet below the targets so that the Xenomorph can capture the ball and Ambush Multiball will begin. Aliens are attacking from four different quadrants on the display - make shots on the playfield to score jackpots, increase their value, and drive them off. If an alien reaches the center on the display, the jackpot value will reset to minimum and the center Xenomorph target must be made to relight the jackpots. After all attacking aliens have been defeated, Vent 3 will light for a super jackpot based on the total jackpot values collected before the super was made, decreasing over time.

Save Newt Multiball:

Complete two Xenomorph lifecycles to start Save Newt Multiball. The lifecycle sequence is as follows:

On the final shot, Save Newt Multiball will start (taking precedence over any progress towards Ambush Multiball to prevent the two from stacking). This is a complex 4-ball multiball split into three different phases:

Other Scoring:

Weapons:

Weapons are scored in various ways throughout the game:

To select a weapon, use the flipper buttons to select the weapon you want (extra ball button on the original Heighway model). Then, to use the weapon, press the launch button. Using the launch button will remove the weapon from your inventory, forcing you to collect it again.

The weapon awarded from any of these methods will always be the next one in sequence. At the start of the game, for instance, the first weapon will always be the handgun; then, if the player hasn’t used the handgun already, the shotgun; etc.

Collecting all five weapons lights the extra ball at the hypersleep ramp or activates a short ball saver if the extra ball has already been collected.

The weapon sequence is:

MU/TH/UR Mystery:

Mystery lights at Vent 1 after making shots to Vents 1, 2, and 3. It can also be lit by making a skill shot to Vent 1 at the start of a ball.

Mystery, as usual, is pseudo-random and will typically help you out based on what’s currently active. Awards include:

2x Scoring:

Spell DROP and SHIP at the left ramp and right ramp, respectively, to start 2x scoring for 20 seconds. Subsequent DROP and SHIP completions during the game increase the timer by 20 seconds per activation, to a maximum of 60 seconds.

The “2x” insert on the center of the playfield flashes whenever 2x scoring is active, accompanied by a series of beeps that gradually intensifies as the boosted scoring is about to expire.

2x scoring can also be activated by using the pulse rifle (always for 20 seconds) and from a random mystery award.

Recharge Target:

The target under the hypersleep ramp marked “Recharge” lights during any mission or multiball mode and generally helps the player out in several ways, based on the currently active mode. (Any info?)

Combos:

Combos can be a lucrative source of points thanks to the long timers for each shot and just how many shots there are on the playfield. Shoot any shot on the playfield to light another shot for an X-way combo and some points that increase depending on the length of the combo. The last 2 shots made in a combo won’t be lit to continue it, so a variety of shots have to be made to keep going.

In addition, there are two special combos that function slightly differently:

Bumper Scoring:

Shots to the bumpers over the course of the game destroy eggs, indicated on the screen by a green egg symbol with a number over it indicating the amount of eggs destroyed. The orbits send the ball to the bumpers when hypersleep lock is lit.

Rolling through an inlane, then shooting the opposite orbit increases all bumper scoring by 5x for as long as the ball remains in the bumpers after shooting it. This will always divert the ball to the bumpers regardless of current status.

Bumper hits determine scoring during the “Derelict Ship” (Alien) and “Queen’s Nest” (Aliens) missions.

Rescue:

Completing the APC drop targets in order - from top to bottom - activates Rescue. A quick countdown can be seen on the display. Shoot the Xenomorph, when flashing yellow, to lock in the countdown value and start a frenzy with all switch hits starting at that value. Completing the APC drop targets during the frenzy, in any order, awards the built up value - and the Xenomorph can be shot during the frenzy to increase the timer. Further Rescue attempts require more APC drop target completions, and start at a lower value.

Revive (Left Outlane Ball Save):

At the start of the game, one of the two rollovers at the left outlane area is lit for Revive, which will instantly save a ball that rolls over it. Once Revive has been used, it can be relit by shooting the hypersleep ramp. Both Revives can even be lit at the same time by doing this.

Extra Ball / Special:

Extra balls can be lit at the hypersleep ramp by:

The right outlane can be lit for Special by successfully winning 4 missions from any set.

End-of-Ball Bonus:

Bonus is determined by:

All multiplied by the bonus multiplier, which increases by completing “L-V” at the top rollover lanes. These lanes don’t change with flipper operation.

Wizard Modes:

Self-Destruct (“Alien” Wizard Mode):

After completing all four missions in the Alien set, the next mission will be Self-Destruct.

Ripley realizes that the only way to truly kill the Xenomorph is to shut down the entire ship, force the alien out of the air lock, and potentially risk her own life in the process. To successfully escape the ship and the Xenomorph, the following shots must be made within 60 seconds:

After winning phase 3, 4-ball multiball begins with Victory Laps active based on the missions that were completed prior to the wizard mode. Victory laps can be relit by completing all major shots, and are deactivated once the multiball ends.

Loader Battle (“Aliens” Wizard Mode):

After completing all four missions in the Aliens set, the next mission will be Loader Battle.

Take control of a giant mech suit to ultimately kill the Alien Queen by making the following shots within 60 seconds:

After winning phase 3, 4-ball multiball begins with Victory Laps active based on the missions that were completed prior to the wizard mode. Victory laps can be relit by completing all major shots, and are deactivated once the multiball ends.

All-Out War (Final Wizard Mode):

Once all missions and all multiball modes have been played in a single game, the center column of inserts will begin flashing white, along with the Xenomorph target. Seems like something good is about to happen - shoot the Xenomorph target to find out.

At the start of All-Out War, your performance over the course of the game is calculated to determine the jackpot values of the multiball before 4 balls are launched into play and the chaos begins:

During the multiball, along with scoring all the points described above, you can score even more by completing any of the following shot sequences…

All-Out War ends once the player returns to single-ball play. Multiball progress at this point is remembered, so if you were to start a second All-Out War in the same game, you would “just” need to play all 10 missions to start it.