Secrets and tips

Metroid Prime Pinball boasts a short but sweet selection of unlockbles. Read on for handy tips and game secrets.

Single mission tables

The following tables can all be unlocked for use in a Single mission:

• Phendrana Drifts: Defeat Thardus in Multi-mission mode.
• Phazon Mines: Defeat the Omega Pirate in Multi-mission mode.
• Artifact Temple: Enter the Artifact Temple in Multi-mission mode.
• Impact Crater: Defeat both forms of Metroid Prime in Multi-mission mode.

Expert mode

Unlock Expert mode by collecting all twelve artifacts in Multi-mission mode and subsequently complete the game by unlocking the Impact Crater and defeat both forms of Metroid Prime. In Expert mode all mini-games begin at Level 2. Turn this on or off via the Option screen.

Stop the Triclops

Pesky Triclops will appear on the Tallon Overworld and Phendrana Drifts tables (in the Triclops Terror mini-game for the Tallon Overworld and in pairs at Phendrana). Normally if a Triclops manages to snag the ball it'll mercilessly deposit it right down the drop zone, giving you little chance to recover. But if you rub the touch screen to shake the table, the little beast will let go, giving you a much better chance of survival.

Strike early at Shriekbats and Beetles

The Shriekbat Shootout and Beetle Blast mini-games are quite tough, especially on higher levels. With only a single beam, Samus normally can't fire in more than one direction at a time. So your best bet is to try and track the targets as they appear, going for each one in the order they appear (they all travel towards Samus at the same velocity, so pick off the earlier ones). You can also fire a cluster of all the Missiles in your payload out in every direction, but use it wisely as you've only got one shot.

Recover the ball from the kickback ramp

This trick tends to be quite tough to pull off, but with practice can help recover an otherwise-lost ball. On the Tallon Overworld and Pirate Frigate tables, there's a kickback ramp beside each of the lower flippers. If a ball manages to sneak down one of these ramps, there's normally a pump mechanism that bounces the ball back into play. But after returning your ball, these pumps will disappear and leave the ramp unguarded.

If the ball rolls down the unguarded ramp, you've got one chance to recover it before it falls off the table. Whichever ramp it falls down, hold the respective flipper up and rub the touch screen to shake the table just as the ball is about to fall in the hole. If performed properly, the ball will magically flick back up out of the hole between the flippers and return to the table. Definitely some strange physics, but give it a try and see if it works for you.

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