Bram Stoker's Dracula is a 1993 pinball game based on the 1992 film of the same name by Williams Electronics. It is designed by Barry Oursler.
The goal is simple: Kill Dracula, kill his concubines, kill his werewolves, destroy his rats, scare his bats, and overcome Dracula's mist. It's pretty standard pinball fare, with video modes, ball locks (known as Castle and Coffin Locks), and other such pleasantries. Its main gimmick is its three multiball variations - one of which is "Mist Multiball", where a magnet would drag the ball across the field until it was knocked loose by another to start it. More noteworthy is "Multi-Multiball" - all the multiballs are started independently, and it is possible (and highly encouraged) to run two, or even all three, at the same time. It's held in high regard by many players for its gameplay, which manages to be fast, simple, yet deep all at the same time, requiring true mastery for high scores.
The game was also known for being for "loop friendly", since you could get an infinite loop by shooting it into a certain spot. In keeping with the film, the dot matrix was done in a unique red coloring. You can see a playthrough of it here
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A digital version was formerly available for FarSight Studios' The Pinball Arcade before their license to all Williams and Bally tables expired on July 1, 2018.
The pinball table provides examples of:
- Adapted Out: Mina Murray and Jonathan Harker do not appear in the game, as neither Winona Ryder nor Keanu Reeves would allow their likenesses to be used. Prototype playfield plastics with their characters appear in promotional material, however, allowing aftermarket retailers to sell them to collectors.
- Antagonist Title
- Anti-Frustration Features: The "Love Never Dies" ball saver.Dracula: "Everlasting love."
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Attempting to start a game with insufficient credit will have Dracula address the player with "Aren't you forgetting something?"
- Cap:
- The end-of-ball bonus multiplier (not including bats or rats) tops out at 10x.
- Scores roll over upon hitting the 10 billion point plateau.
- Department of Redundancy Department: The credits mention "M.E.L. laboratory". "M.E.L." refers to Williams' "Manufacturing Excellence Laboratory", a division that manufactured early versions of prototype parts.
- Double Unlock:
- To score a Castle jackpot, you must shoot a ball up the left ramp to light the jackpot at the hole (or two to light a double jackpot). Then you must shoot the hole to collect it.
- Also applies for multi-multiball, which requires starting one of the three multiball rounds (Mist, Castle, and Coffin) during another.
- Easter Egg:
- If you can get Dracula to cross his eyes and hit the launch button while he does so, an animated picture of Fluffy the Vampire appears, and the player gets 20 points.
- Entering "SUN" as your initials prompts the screen to display "No, not the sun, arghhh!"
- Game-Breaking Bug: On earlier revisions of the software, getting a tilt warning while the ball is draining denies the player their end-of-ball bonus despite the fact that they didn't actually tilt. Considering that the Bats and Rats bonuses can get quite large, this can be infuriating to players who had taken the time to build up a huge bonus.
- Game Face:
- Whenever you get Bat Mode, Dracula will turn into his bat form.
- When you get all the castle locks, the brides will show their monstrous faces.
- Golden Snitch: The only realistic way to score multiple billions of points in a few minutes is to stack all three multiballs. Somewhat averted in that it takes a good amount of deliberate setup to get the whole stack going.
- Holy Burns Evil: Getting a Castle Jackpot will show one of Dracula's brides being reduced to dust from a cross.
- Large Ham: Going into Mist mode will having Dracula shout his infamous "Winds! WINDS!" line from the movie.
- Match Sequence: The game displays a pool of blood draining, revealing the match number.
- Mercy Mode: Mist Multiball is lit for free at the beginning of the last ball if the player has not lit it yet.
- Not Quite Starring: Averted with Dracula, who is voiced by Gary Oldman himself. All the other characters, however, play this trope straight.
- Painting the Medium: The blood-red display could be considered this.
- Score Multiplier:
- Stacking two multiballs will multiply scoring 2x, and stacking all three will multiply scoring 3x.
- Less prominently, 2x Coffin can be lit to double the scoring of the coffin ramp shots. Coffin jackpots are doubled, and two DRACULA letters are given per shot if three or more balls are in play, compared to two-ball play.
- Secondary Adaptation: The game's source material, Bram Stoker's Dracula, is itself an adaptation of Stoker's original novel.
- Skill Shot: A timing-based skill shot: plunge the ball with the center head (Dracula's head) lit on the three-headed statue on the display yields incrementing millions of points (1 million, 2 million... up to 5 million), and advances V-I-D-E-O and the Coffin ramp if it is not open yet.
- Spelling Bonus: You have to spell D-R-A-C-U-L-A during Coffin Multiball to light the jackpot, and spelling V-I-D-E-O lights Video Mode.
- Swarm of Rats
- Timed Mission: The Bats and Rats modes.
- Vampires Are Sex Gods: One of the score multipliers screens has Dracula seducing and biting a woman, to which she moans in pleasure.
- Video Mode: Which involves you shooting down werewolves that try to attack you.
- Dracula: "We shall do battle once more."
