Backbox Battle: Inside the Speakeasy Special at Offworld Arcade

Hey flipper friends! Bride of Pinbot here—Detroit’s chrome-plated commentator and your personal translator for all things multiball. This time I found myself circling the sun of Offworld Arcade, where 19 players clashed on ten machines each in the Speakeasy Special. With head-to-head action, a clear spring night, and a lineup of machines ranging from 1981 gravity traps to modern monster-fests, it was one of those nights where the tilt bob stayed cool—but the competition definitely didn’t.

A Spaceport for the Bumper-Chasing Masses

Offworld Arcade, located at 1420 E Fisher Service Dr in Detroit, isn’t your run-of-the-mill quarter muncher. This place blends gritty city energy with deep-cut pinball vibes. We’re talking a well-curated mix of vintage and modern machines, a jukebox with everything from the Misfits to Weird Al (hello, multiball polka mode!), and a crowd that knows their way around a spinner. You’ll catch locals hanging out post-match at Tocororo next door, grabbing bites while swapping tilt stories. Honestly, Offworld feels more like a scene than a venue—and that’s a good thing.

Into the Abyss: How to Conquer Black Hole

Let’s take a moment to appreciate Black Hole (Gottlieb, 1981). This machine didn’t just stand out in this tournament—it stands out in the entire history of pinball. It was the first production machine to feature a lower playfield visible through a window in the main one. At the time, it felt like sorcery. And honestly? It still kinda does.

Black Hole is all about risk vs. reward. To score big, you’ve got to activate the lower playfield by knocking down targets to light the entrance gate—then willingly send your ball down into a swirling pit of confusion. Once there, the flippers are reversed, the shots are tighter, and the margin for error is smaller than a Gottlieb manual’s print size.

The trick is learning the flow:

• Hit the top rollover lanes early to light your bonus multipliers. Those can climb fast if you’re stacking value before hitting the lower playfield.
• On the upper level, spot the bank of drop targets—these can light features and open the gate to the lower zone.
• Once you’re in the lower playfield, don’t panic. Concentrate on keeping the ball alive, and use slow, controlled flips rather than aggressive shots. Players often drain here by treating it like a regular field. It’s not.

One of the most satisfying shots? Locking the ball into the center kickout hole on the lower playfield to collect Return from the Void. It’s a high-risk maneuver, but it pays off if you’ve stacked up the pre-requisites.

And here’s something you might not know: Black Hole had one of the highest production costs of its era, thanks to its complex mechanics and speech features. That’s part of why it wasn’t a commercial hit—operators struggled with maintenance, but players who stuck with it were rewarded with one of the most innovative machines of the early solid-state era.

A Lineup Worth Traveling Light-Years For

This wasn’t just any random pile of pins. Let’s look at some of the big players in this tournament and why they matter to pinball fans:

NBA Fastbreak (Bally, 1997)
This game is one-of-a-kind—literally. Bally (operating under Williams by this point) designed NBA Fastbreak as the only pinball machine ever to fully simulate a basketball game. It doesn’t use traditional scorekeeping; instead, you score points like an actual game of basketball. Designed by George Gomez, who would go on to lead development on Deadpool, Godzilla, and a dozen Stern hits, this game has fast-paced combos, unique shots like a hoop dunk, and even a full backboard toy with a functioning net. The head-to-head link option was wild for the time, even if you’ll rarely see it in the wild.

Rick and Morty (Spooky Pinball, 2019)
One of Spooky’s biggest hits, and for good reason. Designed by Scott Danesi (of Total Nuclear Annihilation fame), this game channels the anarchic energy of the show into a brutally fast, tight-shooting, mode-rich game with more character quotes than you can shake a Plumbus at. Its custom LCD animations and adult-only callouts make it not exactly family-friendly, but that’s the whole point. A cult machine with rabid fans and a low production run, it’s a treat to find this one on location.

Star Trek (Data East, 1991)
Let’s go retro. This isn’t the Stern Star Trek with laser-clear rules and ramp choreography. This is the campy, plasticky, let’s-see-what-we-can-do Data East version, complete with a backglass that looks like someone’s bootleg convention poster. But don’t sleep on it—this machine came at a time when Data East was trying to prove itself against Bally/Williams dominance, and the layout is actually pretty strong. It features a unique transporter scoop, decent multiball rules, and one of the earliest attempts at digital voice integration that didn’t sound like static wrapped in a blanket.

Starship Troopers (Sega, 1997)
Designed by Joe Balcer and released by Sega, this game hit arcades when the movie was still hot in theaters. With animated bug targets, a physical Brain Bug toy, and extremely fast-paced multiball, this game is loud, aggressive, and surprisingly deep. You can even upgrade weapons and “recruit soldiers” as part of the ruleset, making it feel more like an arcade shooter than a traditional pin. The light show is intense, and if you’re into kinetic energy, this machine delivers by the truckload.

Back to the Future (Data East, 1990)
The nostalgia machine. Back to the Future was one of Data East’s earlier licensed machines, and it has that “we’re still figuring this out” charm. The music is a chip-tune version of the movie theme, and the ramps feel a little spaghetti-like, but there’s something endearing about its chaos. The time travel gimmick, with modes representing different years, was ahead of its time conceptually—even if the execution was a little rough. And fun fact: because of licensing limitations, Michael J. Fox’s face does not appear anywhere on the machine. Instead, we get a totally-not-Marty stand-in with a mullet. Iconic.

Who Walked Away with the High Scores?

Shoutout to Bill Mann, who topped the night and claimed first place! With 102 events under his flipper belt, Bill may be ranked 77th in Michigan, but he proved experience matters more than numbers in the heat of competition.

Just behind him was J. Utley from Michigan. Don’t let the 14-event track record and lower ranking fool you—this player made smart shots and smooth moves all night long.

Coming in third was Uber Hubris from Detroit, ranked 33rd in the state. With nearly 200 events played, their local knowledge and steady play kept them in the hunt throughout.

And rounding out the top four was Matthew Pagnani from Rochester Hills. Ranked 98th in Michigan, Matthew showed strong form and nearly flipped his way into the top three.

Michigan’s Top 10 IFPA Players

Wrapping Up: No Tilt, All Thrill

That’s a wrap on the Speakeasy Special at Offworld! Huge thanks to Joe Wade for organizing a tournament that ran as smooth as a freshly-waxed playfield, and a special nod to Offworld Arcade for creating a space where old-school cool meets multiball mayhem. From Black Hole’s gravity-bending madness to the variety of machines that spanned four decades of design, this was a night that reminded us why we love this hobby.

Until next time—keep your flippers strong, your nudges subtle, and stay connected for more pinball excitement and tournament highlights!