Dave's Guide to The Phantom of the Opera
Version Date: June 12, 1995
[[ e-mail Dave Hollinsworth at "ad836@osfn.rhilinet.gov" - ed ]]
1. Overview
The Phantom of the Opera is a 1987 Data East game, based on the 1911
Gaston Leroux novel of the same name (and NOT based on the famous Andrew Lloyd
Webber musical, although it was coincidentally released at about the same
time....) Although the most common complaint about the game is that there
isn't much to do on the playfield, I think that this makes it a good game for
beginners and intermediates to practice hitting shots consistently on.
2. Basic Playfield Features
- Flippers - just the usual lower two. There is a LOT of space between
them, and no center post. Fun.
- Left Outlane - has a kickback and an "Extra Ball" light. It's the
typical "Data East Scoop" design...watch out for it.
- Left Inlane - lights the spinner for a "Mystery Score".
- Grasshoppers - a 3-bank of contact targets. See "Grasshoppers and
Scorpions" below for more information.
- Ramp - called the "Catwalk", it is a red plastic ramp that feeds
around the back of the game and to the right inlane. Each shot adds a letter
to "PHANTOM" and scores 20K + 5K, and completing the word lights the ramp for
unlimited 1 million point shots. A bonus of some sort (it never displays
exactly what) is available by making the ramp after the right inlane, and a
Special is also available here. On the last ball of the game, shoot this ramp
twice in a row to double your score. Whenever the ramp is lit for something
important, the game will say "Shoot the Catwalk", although Išve always thought
that it sounded more like "Shoot the Jetwalk."
- Top Lanes - these are the standard three rollover lanes. Each has a
light with a musical note on it. Completing them starts a 20-second "Jackpot
Build" round where every switch adds 1K to the jackpot; completing them again
during this time will reset the clock for a "Jackpot Build x2" round, and so
on. Completing them also lights the spinner for 5K per spin the next time it
is hit. At the start of each physical ball (i.e. Ball 1, but not any extra
balls earned on Ball 1), one of the lanes will be flashing. Plunge the ball
and get it to drop in this lane (non-steerable) for the Skill Shot, which
awards 100K x ball in play and opens the Organ.
- Bumpers - three in the standard triangle below the rollovers. 1K per
pop, and nothing more remarkable.
- Magic Mirror - a sinkhole located dead center, below the lowermost pop
bumper and hittable from either of the lower flippers. Shooting it will
advance the bonus multiplier by one up to 5x. The fifth shot of each ball
(i.e. the one that would have advanced to 6x bonus, if such a thing existed
here) will light the Extra Ball at the outlanes, and the sixth shot will Hold
Bonus. After the sixth shot, the mirror does nothing except award token
points. Balls shot here are ejected out the Trap Door.
- Organ - this is the main focus of the game. It is a wide incline (not
really a ramp) with three contact targets at the top. Hitting all three, or
making a skill shot, will open the organ, raising the incline to reveal a wide
sinkhole. Shoot this for multiball; see "Multiball" below. Balls shot here
go to a VUK on the left side of the playfield, and are ejected from here into
the left inlane.
- Spinner - this is the entrance to a half-orbit that ends up at the
rollover lanes. The spinner is worth 1K per spin, or 5K if the rollover lanes
are completed. After the left inlane is hit, the spinner scores a "Mystery
Score" (although like the ramp, the game never displays exactly what you get).
- Trap Door - a small, hard-to-hit sinkhole below the spinner. There
are three lights here: Extra Ball, Light Laser Kick, and Instant Lock; I've
never seen the last one lit and don't know how you get it. Shooting here will
Light the Laser Kick if it has been used, and will award one of several random
awards, given below. All of the awards are pretty decent, so if you can get
this shot down it can be quite rewarding. The awards are:
- Points (75K, 100K, 200K)
- Special
- Extra Ball
- Open the Organ - same as hitting the three targets, this will light
the 2-ball lock
- 5x Multiplier - if you get this, try to hit the Mirror as soon as
possible, as it will light the Extra Ball
- Double Jackpot - doubles the current value of the jackpot, maxing at
2M.
- 5000 Box Lit - lights the spinner for 5K per spin
- Phantom Shot Lit - immediately lights the ramp for million shots
- [did I miss any?]
Note that if the Extra Ball light given above is lit, the game cheats a
little; the ball is awarded by having the Trap Door award an Extra Ball, not
by awarding it and then a normal Trap Door award.
- Scorpions - a 3-bank of contact targets. See "Grasshoppers and
Scorpions" below for more information.
- Right Inlane - has a "Catwalk Mystery Score" light. Rolling over this
inlane lights the ramp for a mystery award.
- Right Outlane - has an "Extra Ball" light.
3. Grasshoppers and Scorpions
The two 3-banks of contact targets each have four awards associated with
them: 100K, Hold Bonus & 50K, Light Extra Ball, & Light Special. At the
beginning of each ball, the game will pick one of the awards; the only way to
change it is to collect it or drain the ball. Completing both banks will
award the selected value, and select another one. All except the 100K award
will only be available once per ball. The Light Extra Ball award lights at
the Trap Door, not the outlanes.
Note that the game seems to think that these awards are very
important...the available award is displayed in no fewer than THREE places on
the playfield: in front of each bank, and just above the flippers.
4. Multiball
Multiball in Phantom of the Opera has three "stages" to it. First, you
must open the Organ, either by making the skill shot or by completing the
three contact targets at its top. Once the Organ is open, shoot it (it's big,
trust me, you can't miss) to lock the ball. The game will display "Ready for
2 Ball Play", and a second ball will be served to the plunger. Hitting any
switch except the top rollovers (no skill shot for this ball) will immediately
open the organ and eject the locked ball into play.
During 2 ball play, all you gotta do is lock both balls within 10
seconds of each other. Lock the first one, and the game will show you how
much time remains until that ball is put back into play. Warning: in order
to count, the second ball must actually be in the lock area before the time
expires, not just heading there. If you're just a little bit to slow, not
only will the game kick out the first locked ball, but then the second ball
will arrive, the game will think its kickout failed, and it'll kick that one
out too!
Once both balls are locked, "Ready for 3 Ball Play" is displayed, and
the Organ will close. A third ball is served, same as above. This time,
however, the Organ does not open for free. While more than one ball remains
in play, a single hit of one of the Organ targets will open it for 5 seconds.
During this time, put a ball inside it for the Jackpot. Once a Jackpot has
been collected, the Organ closes, and you get to bat the remaining balls
around aimlessly until you lose all but one. It's also worth noting that
there is a small grace period on the Jackpot: if you lose all but one ball
while the Organ is open, the game will display "Back to 1 Ball Play", and then
start to close the Organ. Shooting a ball into the Organ under the closing
door will still award the Jackpot...great for impressing the onlookers.
5. Other Stuff
Well...there's pretty much nothing else to do on this game. I told you
it was a simple game. :-)
6. Tips, Tricks, Strategies, and such
The two biggest sources of points on this game are Multiball and the
ramp millions. Multiball is by far the easiest to get, so concentrate on it
first. Just make the skill shot and you've got one free Multiball each ball.
During Multiball, after you've gotten the Jackpot, I usually try to herd
the balls toward the Magic Mirror. On the machine I play, the Trap Door
kickout is amazingly flaky (I've seen it spit balls into ALL THREE possible
drain sites), and so the two or three balls in play give you a little
insurance against automatic drains. Once I've collected everything the Mirror
has to offer, I'll either start on the ramp letters (yes, you can get the
Million shot during Multiball), or flail balls toward the Grasshoppers or
Scorpions.
You CAN start the "Double your Score" during Multiball...avoid that ramp
at all costs unless you've got another ball waiting on the flippers for a
clear shot.