Grip it and rip it through the mud — Bally’s Blackwater 100 is a motocross-themed solid-state four-player designed by the great Dennis Nordman with art by Tony Ramunni, named for a grueling off-road endurance race. With five flippers and an alphanumeric display, plus a confirmed run of 3,000, it’s a spirited late-’80s Bally built around the dirt-flinging challenge of its racing theme.
The strategy has real depth. The bonus multiplier stays lit for the whole game, so it’s well worth going for early — with bonus scoring at 100K per course, 10K per section, and 1K per partial section, a player who builds that multiplier reaps rewards all game long. The skill shot is a hoot: you plunge three balls to start the game, and when the backglass flashes Ready/Set/Go, you push the buttons below the flipper buttons on “Go” for big points. During multiball, if you manage to qualify the special test, shoot the top saucer as soon as possible — the ball parks there until you drain to one ball, then the test begins — and with a pending special test, your only priority is completing RAIN for the playfield multiplier.
Blackwater 100 is a fun, well-designed Nordman machine that pairs a rugged endurance-racing theme with a genuinely rewarding bonus-and-multiplier strategy. That three-ball Ready/Set/Go skill shot is a memorable opening, and the RAIN playfield multiplier gives a strategic player something to chase. For the collector who loves late-’80s Bally design and a satisfying ruleset, it’s a worthy pick. Build that game-long multiplier, nail the Go skill shot, and complete RAIN for the big scores. It’s off-road pinball with real grit, and it rewards the rider who paces the race. Twist the throttle and drop a coin.