Stern’s newest pinball machine is a loving tribute to Dungeons & Dragons

Yearly at CES, Stern Pinball has a brand new recreation to point out off. They’re one of many oldest and most well-known pinball producers (to not point out one of many few left standing in 2025) so it is at all times enjoyable for me, a pinball nerd, to take a look at what they’ve to point out off. This 12 months, it is a new machine meant to rejoice 50 years of Dungeons & Dragons known as Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye. And like many pinball video games, you’ll be able to simply stroll up and play with out understanding the intricacies of the sport, however there’s quite a bit right here to uncover over time.

The factor that caught my eye was the truth that you’ll be able to decide a personality and degree them up over time, supplied you utilize Stern’s Insider Related app. That app already enables you to create a profile and maintain monitor of achievements, video games in your space, your prime scores and different options (you “log in” by scanning a QR code from the app). However with Dungeons & Dragons, you’ll be able to truly enhance your character over time and save your progress by means of the sport’s many modes. Whenever you first begin, you select a personality and placement, and people decisions will have an effect on the objectives you might want to obtain. Stern particularly say that its new “PinSave” system will allow you to save character expertise factors, stock objects and recreation marketing campaign progress throughout a number of video games.

That is a subtly wild transfer for a pinball recreation — often you get three balls and that is it. It is a nod to how complicated newer video games can get nowadays, and Stern already experimented with one thing comparable on its Venom recreation from 2023. The identical lead designer constructed each Venom and Dungeons & Dragons, and a consultant from Stern mentioned he appeared on the saved progress in Venom as a solution to experiment and trial for the larger system in place for the most recent recreation.

I acquired to take Dungeons & Dragons for a spin (the Stern rep instructed me I used to be the primary one who wasn’t an worker to play the sport), and whereas there’s solely a lot you’ll be able to glean from a pair performs, it feels very like different fashionable Stern machines. That is not a foul factor — the playfield is gorgeous, and the massive dragon on the left aspect presents some fascinating challenges. Stern instructed me that it could actually try to block pictures and likewise it allows a wild eight-ball multiball mode, with the dragon actively attempting to bounce your balls into the drain. I did not get to do this, however I am trying ahead to seeing it eventually. There’s additionally a gelatinous dice that may freeze your ball in place through magnets.

Lastly, there’s a formidable voice forged on this recreation, together with Michael Dorn (Worf from Star Trek) and Kevin Smith, in addition to Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray and Laura Bailey from Essential Position. That is only a handful of these taking part within the recreation; you’ll be able to check out the full list here.

I’ve by no means bothered utilizing Stern’s Insider Related app earlier than, largely as a result of I am lazy — but when there is a Dungeons & Dragons machine close to me I am going to most likely give it a shot. When you can simply benefit from the recreation and play your three balls with out making an account, extra hardcore gamers will most likely benefit from the strategy of leveling up over time, and it is a function that makes excellent sense given D&D’s give attention to development over time.

As typical, this machine just isn’t low cost — Stern is just making 740 complete, with costs starting from $6,999 for the Professional version as much as $12,999 for the restricted version. Begin saving these quarters, D&D / pinball followers. Or, on a extra affordable observe, begin protecting a watch out at your native arcades. Stern’s app will make it easier to discover video games close to you, too, if you wish to go the extra fashionable route.