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 all the time 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 referred to as Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye. And like many pinball video games, you may simply stroll up and play with out figuring out the intricacies of the sport, however there’s so much right here to uncover over time.

The factor that caught my eye was the truth that you may choose a personality and degree them up over time, offered you employ Stern’s Insider Linked app. That app already allows you to create a profile and hold observe of achievements, video games in your space, your high scores and different options (you “log in” by scanning a QR code from the app). However with Dungeons & Dragons, you may really enhance your character over time and save your progress by way of the sport’s many modes. Once you first begin, you select a personality and placement, and people decisions will have an effect on the targets you want to obtain. Stern particularly say that its new “PinSave” system will allow you to save character expertise factors, stock gadgets 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 advanced newer video games can get as of late, and Stern already experimented with one thing related on its Venom recreation from 2023. The identical lead designer constructed each Venom and Dungeons & Dragons, and a consultant from Stern mentioned he seemed on the saved progress in Venom as a technique to experiment and trial for the larger system in place for the newest recreation.

I obtained to take Dungeons & Dragons for a spin (the Stern rep informed 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 may glean from a pair performs, it feels very similar to different fashionable Stern machines. That is not a foul factor — the playfield is gorgeous, and the massive dragon on the left facet presents some fascinating challenges. Stern informed me that it may attempt to block pictures and in addition it allows a wild eight-ball multiball mode, with the dragon actively making an attempt to bounce your balls into the drain. I did not get to do this, however I am wanting 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 solid 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 collaborating within the recreation; you may check out the full list here.

I’ve by no means bothered utilizing Stern’s Insider Linked 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 in all probability 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 in all probability benefit from the means of leveling up over time, and it is a characteristic that makes good sense given D&D’s concentrate on development over time.

As standard, this machine just isn’t low-cost — Stern is simply 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 cheap notice, begin protecting an eye fixed out at your native arcades. Stern’s app will assist you discover video games close to you, too, if you wish to go the extra fashionable route.