Garden Pinball

Garden Pinball is a single table with two flippers, three mushroom bumpers and three star coins. You have three balls. Launch each one, keep it in play with the flippers, and bounce it off the mushrooms to build a score.

How to play

To launch a ball, press and hold the Launch button (or Space, or touch the table), then let go. Holding a little longer shoots the ball harder.

• On a phone or tablet: touch the left half of the table to flip the left paddle, and the right half for the right paddle. The big Left and Right buttons do the same.
• On a computer: use the left and right arrow keys. Space or the down arrow launches.

When the ball is coming down the table, flip at the right moment to send it back up. A ball that drops out at the bottom is lost, and the next ball is ready in the launch lane. When the third ball is lost, the game is over.

Mushrooms give 100 points when the ball bounces off them. Light all three star coins and you get a bonus of 1,000 points. On the easier levels, a lost ball may be given back once, if it is lost soon enough after you launch it.

The levels

The level changes how steep the table is, how wide the side channels are, how strong the flippers are, and how long a lost ball can be given back.

• Easy: a gentle tilt, narrow side channels and strong flippers. A ball lost in the first 25 seconds after a launch is given back.
• Medium: a steeper table and wider side channels. A lost ball is given back in the first 12 seconds.
• Hard: a steep table and weaker flippers. Only the first 5 seconds are forgiven.
• Expert: the steepest table, wide side channels, the weakest flippers and no second chance.

A steeper table means the ball falls faster, so there is less time to react.

Today's game

There is a Medium game each day, where the table behaves the same way for everyone. Stop part way, and your ball is saved on this device.

Tips

1. Wait until the ball is close, then flip. Flipping too early only pushes it away, and you lose the chance to control it.
2. Watch where the ball meets the flipper. A hit near the tip of the flipper sends the ball differently from a hit near the base, so try both and see.
3. A longer hold on the launch sends the ball higher. Experiment with it on Easy to see how hard you need to shoot.
4. Aim for the mushrooms. They are worth 100 points a bounce, and the ball often bounces between them for several hits.
5. Go for the star coins. All three give a 1,000 point bonus, which is worth about ten mushroom hits.
6. The harder levels have wider side channels beside the flippers. A ball heading towards one is best hit early, before it gets too close.
7. Stay calm. Quick tapping on both flippers rarely helps, and a steady, timed flip works better.

A bit of history

Pinball grew out of an older table game called bagatelle. Flippers, which let the player steer the ball, were added in the 1940s.

Questions

How many balls do I get? Three. When the third one is lost, the game ends.

Why was my lost ball given back? On the easier levels, a ball lost soon after launch is given back once. Easy gives you the longest time.

How do I launch harder? Hold the Launch button or Space for longer before you let go.

How do the flippers work on a phone? Touch the left half of the table for the left flipper, and the right half for the right one.