Bally’s Centaur, released in 1981, is one of the most revered solid-state machines ever made — a dark, menacing masterpiece and the final design from Jim Patla. Its unforgettable look came from artist Paul Faris, who proposed both the striking black, white, and red color scheme (radical for an era of rainbow playfields) and the fantasy theme of a half-man, half-motorcycle creature. Backed by a sinister, reverb-drenched voice taunting the player, it’s a machine that oozes attitude from the moment you plunge.

The legendary feature is the ORBS multiball. Hitting the O-R-B-S drop targets below the pop bumpers in order launches an immediate two-ball multiball, and you can lock balls out of order toward a maximum five-ball multiball — released by the standups or the 1-2-3-4 lanes. Completing all four flipper lanes adds a ball, and the recessed red magnet target in the upper right (which briefly holds the ball) is a high-value challenge that the daring learn to backhand with a well-timed nudge.

There’s real depth and skill on offer, from chaining the right-side drops in order to light the right orbit for Collect Bonus, to the clever outlane gates that let you nudge a draining ball back into play. Reaching the full five-ball multiball and keeping it alive is the ultimate Centaur thrill, and a player who can rip the ORBS drops in order while protecting their locks will rack up scores that justify the machine’s legendary reputation. Learning to backhand the magnetic green target, too, separates the dabbler from the devotee. Iconic, influential, and dripping with menace, Centaur is a crown jewel of early-80s Bally design and one of the most sought-after machines in the hobby — a pitch-black classic whose voice still sends a chill down the spine. “Centaur… I challenge you.”