Krull is an arcade pinball machine from Gottlieb, designed by John Trudeau and illustrated by Keith Parkinson.
Based on the 1983 Cult Classic Science Fantasy movie of the same name, this game casts the player as Prince Colwyn, who must defeat The Beast and his army of Slayers to rescue Princess Lyssa and liberate their world. Venture to the lair of the Crystal Spider in the upper level and knock down the target bank to enable the extra ball, then drop to the middle playfield and defeat the Slayers to enable the Transfer. Hit the center target banks to power up the Glave, then drop down to the lower-level playfield and challenge the Beast in the bowels of the Black Fortress.
Krull's most notable trait is its lower-level playfield; while earlier games like Black Hole and Haunted House had simplified mini tables below the main level, Krull had a second, nearly full-sized playfield inside the cabinet, which the player viewed through a plexiglass lenticular window. Unfortunately, this significantly increased the cost of the game — and when the movie bombed at the box office, management canceled it just before mass-production was to begin.note Only 10 completed prototypes exist, making the game a genuine rarity that's highly sought after by collectors.
The Krull pinball demonstrates the following tropes:
- Big Bad: The Beast.
- Evil Overlooker: The Beast watches Colwyn and Lyssa on the backglass.
- Faceless Goons: The Slayers wear full body armor with face-concealing helmets.
- Fairytale Wedding Dress: Princess Lyssa wears one on the backglass even while entering into battle.
- Fuuma Shuriken/Impossibly Cool Weapon: The Glaive.
- Giant Spider: The Crystal Spider.
- Heartbeat Soundtrack: The game plays a rhythmic thrumming sound that builds in speed as the game progresses.
- Licensed Pinball Table
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Beast's red eyes can be seen on both the backglass and in the lower level.
- Science Fantasy
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Spiritual Successor: The game can be seen as a more elaborate version of Haunted House. - Teleporters and Transporters: The player can only reach the lair of the Black Fortress after enabling the Transfer.
