Bally’s Fireball II, released in 1980 and designed by Gary Gayton, is the solid-state successor to the legendary electromechanical Fireball, carrying the fiery fantasy theme into the electronic age with a three-ball multiball and a clutch of clever mechanics. Chief among them is a rubbered post between the flippers that kicks the ball upward — activated by an extra button below the right flipper — plus an under-playfield captive ball that scrolls across a scoring rollover for the Fireball Bonus.
The scoring revolves around locks, multiball, and that fiery bonus. You hit the top-left targets to light locks, bank balls in the vertical up-kickers, and hit again to release them for multiball — and with at least one ball locked, the next lock completion releases them all. A saucer is always lit for the Fireball bonus collect (multiplied by your bonus X), and lighting the lock makes collecting it far easier. The center target bank adds “demon credits” for the post kicker and a Doomsday bonus multiplier, while spelling ABCD advances the Fireball bonus multiplier.
There’s smart, era-specific strategy baked in: unused “Little Devil” credits for the kicker post are paid out at 10K each in the ball-three bonus, so don’t tilt if you’re sitting on a few. Fast, deep, and dripping with demonic theme, Fireball II is a worthy follow-up to one of pinball’s most famous names — a fiery, multiball-driven classic that rewards a player who masters its locks and that devilish center-post kicker.