Despite it being one of our best selling reconditioned pinball machines (and it not being a pool table), we are surprised at the amount of times we get asked this: "How Do you play World Cup Soccer?". World Cup Soccer is an undeniably fun game released in the early 90s, and one of the easiest to understand in terms of features and modes. With this in mind, we've compiled a complete guide on how to play this incredible Bally title. Most of the explanation will come from the video guides which we've created, so dive in and find out how to make the most of this highly rewarding game.
Goals and Ultra Modes
Being a soccer based pinball machine, goals naturally make up a big part of your scoring potential in the game, and do more than just score points each time you sink a ball into the back of the net.
Lighting and scoring Goals
The goal can be found right at the back of the playfield will be lit right from the start of every game, and scoring a goal couldn't be more easy to explain: Shoot the ball past the goalkeeper into the net to score! This will score you a quick 10 million points! After you score a goal, the goal area itself de-activates and has to be re-lit for subsequent goals to be scored.
You can set up the next goal by rolling over the four stars leading up to the goal area. You'll know that the goal is ready to collect when the goalie is moving left to right, and the large rubber soccer ball is spinning.
Ultra Modes
Scoring a goal not only nets you 10 million points, but also activates one of four ultra scoring modes. An ultra scoring mode vastly increases the amount of points certain playfield features score, and are massive contributors to the end-of-ball bonus. The four ultra modes are as follows:
Ultra Ramps: Each ramp shot is worth 5 million points in bonus
Ultra Spinner: Every spin of the spinner is now worth 1 million points.
Ultra Jets: Every pop of the jets in the game's pop bumpers score 1 million points a pop.
Ultra Goalie: Every hit to the goalie is worth 5 million points.
Every ultra mode caps at 30 million points, with an additional 10 million point reward on top for hitting the maximum. These ultra points aren't rewarded immediately, but are all loaded into your end-of-ball bonus, where it has the capability to be multiplied for a huge additional score.
Multiball
One mode players often shoot for for big points quickly is Multiball. Multiball is one of the couple of places where you can try for victory against some of the biggest teams in the world. There are a couple of steps to complete before Multiball can begin however.
Lighting and Collecting the Lock
The first step to playing a round of multiball is to complete the soccer ball in the centre of the playfield. It's made up of 5 segments to complete: Strength, Stamina, Skill, Spirit and Speed. To collect a segment, simply shoot any segment marked with a flashing 'Build' light on the playfield. These can be found on the left loop, left ramp, right ramp or the striker hole at the back of the game.
With the soccer ball completed, lock will be lit. You can collect the lit lock by shooting either of the two ramps. Whichever you shoot, the ball will then make its way to the trophy, before being snatched away from the ramp with Pinball's first ever magnetic ball lock!
Playing Multiball
With the ball locked away, Multiball is just one shot away. Plunge the next ball onto the playfield, and as safely as you can, send your ball into the Final Draw Scoop. It's a tricky shot, but is best made as a direct shot from the left flipper. Sink the shot, and Multiball will begin.
Launching the third ball into play will release the other two balls onto the playfield.
Multiball is played in 'matches', the first match begins with the multiball against the lowest ranking opponent in the tournament. To defeat your opponent, simply score a goal against them! Sinking the ball into the net will award a jackpot, and move you up a rank in the tournament standings.
You can begin the next match by shooting either ramp.
The process then repeats, with the jackpot increasing in value with every match you play.
Victory Laps
After defeating the top seeds Germany, multiball changes, and you can begin shooting for victory laps. Victory laps can be scored on both ramps and the goal at 50 million points a piece, and will continue on until you're down to your last ball.
Cities and World Cup Final
Throughout World Cup Soccer, you will find yourself visiting many cities around the United States, up to 9 in fact. Cities are on a first glance not that important, but the cities end with Los Angeles which lights the game's wizard mode: World Cup Final. Below will explain how to reach new cities in the game.
How to Visit a City
In order to visit a city, players must collect two ticket stubs, then travel to the destination with the left loop. Tickets can be obtained in a couple of places: The left and right ramps, or the two rollover lanes in the back right of the playfield. The easier of these two options is the rollover lanes, accessed from the left loop. With two tickets collected, the city will be lit for collection on the left loop. Below details what each city will reward you with:
Chicago: 10 Million Points
Dallas: 10 Million Points
Boston: 10 Million Points + Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party is a very quick hurry-up round, where the player is tasked with shooting the left loop as fast as possible to claim a rapidly decreasing reward. If you're fast enough, you can claim a cool 40 million points.
New York: 15 Million Points
Orlando: 15 Million Points
Washington D.C: 15 Million Points + Light Extra Ball
Washington D.C lights a very useful extra ball at the Striker hole. Sink it into hole to claim an extra ball.
San Francisco: 20 Million Points
Detroit: 20 Million Points
Los Angeles: 20 Million Points + Light World Cup Final
World Cup Final Wizard Mode
After visiting Los Angeles, the World Cup Final will be lit at the Final Draw scoop on the playfield. World Cup Final pits you against defending champions Germany in a tense timed battle for superiority. The objective is simple: Score more goals than Germany in 45 seconds! In this mode, goals are worth an incredible 75 million points and not only that, you get an unlimited ball save and a the ability to plunge as many balls as you want onto the playfield whilst the mode is running!
As you score goals, Germany will slowly score goals of their own, and the final score will be announced at the end of the 45 seconds. If you manage to beat Germany's score, then you not only get the World Cup trophy, but a whopping 500 million point reward!
Some guidance points on World Cup Final are not to be too precious about saving balls on the playfield. Quantity is definitely more valuable than quality here, and the unlimited ball save will keep you safe. Equally, whilst the prospect of launching every game the ball has onto the playfield is tempting, don't send so many balls onto the playfield that you'll be overwhelmed, and unable to make shots reliably. It's generally wise to keep at least one ball in the plunger lane so that you can launch straight back into action the moment you're down a ball.
TV Modes
Away from the allure of huge scores in Multiball and World Cup Final, TV modes offer an excellent distraction for some more unique and fun scoring modes.
Beginning a TV mode
Yuo can find TV modes at the Final Draw scoop when lit. The first mode will be lit right at the start of the game to be collected whenever you like. In total, there are four TV modes that you can play. Let's have a look at each of them.
B-I-G Goal Round
B-I-G Goal Round is all about scoring three goals in quick succession. The first two goals are worth 15 million points, the third and final goal scores a bigger 30 million points!
Extra Ball Round
Extra Ball Round is a great opportunity to score an Extra Ball, excellent if going for higher scores. For a limited time, an extra ball will be lit at the striker hole by the goal. Shoot it within the time limit, and an extra ball is yours. If you have time left over, try shooting the hole again for more huge rewards! You can earn 50 million points for each additional shot to the Striker hole within the time limit.
Hit the Goalie Round
Hit the Goalie Round is a very simple to explain: Shoot the goalie for big point rewards! Every shot to the goalie will score a cool 10 million points per shot. The goalie will move to a new position each time he's hit
Find Striker Round
Find Striker is a fun game of hide and seek across the playfield. Striker, the World Cup USA mascot is hiding out somewhere on the playfield. Hit one of the three Striker targets to search that area. Finding Striker will reward a small amount of pints the first time, but will build with each time you find him.
Re-lighting TV modes
Once a TV mode is finished, you can get the next one ready by scoring more goals. By default, a TV mode is lit every four goals scored before it can be collected at Final Draw.
Other Scoring Opportunities
Aside from these modes, there's a number of different smaller features to take advantage of over the course of your game. All of which will help you in your battle to the top of the World Cup rankings.
Skill Shot
The game has a very simple skill shot. Plunging the ball will send it looping into a device called the 'Coin Toss' where it can land in one of three areas. Land it in all three over the course of your game, and you will be rewarded with an additional city!
Magna-Save
The magna-save is an incredibly useful feature that is often forgotten about by players. The magna-save magnet is located just above the left flipper on the goalkeeper's hand, and activated by an additional button on the left hand side of the cabinet. This magnet will try and capture your ball when activated, and could be a quick way to save a ball draining down the centre.
The magna-save can be re-lit by rolling through the left inlane, then hitting the target on the right hand side.
Striker Award
The Striker award is the game's random award, and can give the player some very useful perks during gameplay. This can be things like an unlimited kickback, extra balls, advancing 3 cities or any number of other useful awards. The striker award can be lit by multiple hits to the playfield's Striker targets until S-T-R-I-K-E-R is spelled.
Goal Assist
The Goal Assist is an extremely useful little feature that can make scoring goals and jackpots much easier. The Goal assist is a shallow saucer that you ball can land in. If it does, you're in luck - Simply wait for the goalie to move out of the way, and hit the flipper buttons to kick the ball into the net easily. The assist remains active even if a goal isn't lit, so take advantage of this feature when you get it.
Landing in the assist saucer is also good news during Multiball, where landing in it will kick the ball into the net for a free jackpot.
Free Kicks
One phrase you will hear a lot during the game is "He's got a free kick!", but what does this mean? A free kick is lit when landing in either of the lower two saucers. After being kicked from the saucer, the Free Kick target next to the Final Draw scoop will be lit for a quick 10 million point reward.
So there you have it! If all the information appears too much to take in, just try focussing on one objective at a time, and follow it through to see how you do. Eventually, all of these rules will seamlessly blend into one of the most satisfying pinball experiences you can play. Equally, if our guide has you intrigued about World Cup Soccer, then we often have the game for sale on our website.
Are there any other games that you would like to see us cover? Let us know and we'll look into it!