main index




Topical Tropes

Other Categories

TV Tropes Org
Pinball: Joust
One on one, or all for one?

Joust is a 1983 arcade pinball machine by Williams Electronics. Designed by Barry Oursler, it is a Pinball Spinoff of Williams' popular Joust video game.

Unlike a conventional pinball game, Joust came in a sit-down "cocktail" game cabinet. The playfield was divided into two symmetrical fields facing each other, with identical drop targets, bumpers, and flippers. The player at each end of the cabinet would score points by hitting the targets on their side; doing so would also reset the targets on the other side. As a result, the players would be repeatedly impeding each other throughout the game. Players could also shoot the ball over to the other side and try to induce a drain on the opponent, but a poor shot would let your opponent use your ball for more chances to score. After both players have drained all of their balls, the game would provide 30 seconds of unlimited ball play for a last-chance scoring opportunity. The game could also be played by a single player controlling both sets of flippers simultaneously.

Only 402 units of the game were made, making it a genuine collector's item.

This pinball demonstrates the following tropes:

Johnny MnemonicCreator/Williams ElectronicsJunk Yard
James Bond 007Licensed Pinball TablesJohnny Mnemonic
James Bond 007Physical Pinball TablesJohnny Mnemonic
James Bond 007The EightiesMac Attack

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from
Privacy Policy