Bally’s Frontier, released in 1980 and designed by George Christian, saddles up a rugged pioneer theme on a clean, fast solid-state playfield. With a three-bank of drop targets, a three-in-line bank, a spinner, and a handful of standups, it’s a tidy late-70s-into-80s machine that delivers the satisfying, uncomplicated gameplay that made Bally’s output of the era so beloved.
The strategy is refreshingly direct: it’s the in-line drops and the spinner, all day long. The left drop targets are your bonus multipliers, with the first drop target lighting the spinner, so the winning loop is to knock down the drops to climb the multiplier and then rip the spinner for points. The left drops also light a bonus collect, giving you a clean way to bank what you’ve built. A tap-pass between the flippers, when you can manage it, helps you line up those repeatable shots and keep the rhythm going.
Brisk, well-built, and full of open-range charm, Frontier is an enjoyable and unpretentious entry from a prolific Bally designer. For collectors who love a fast spinner-and-drops game with a fun Western theme — and the clean, readable scoring of the early solid-state age — it’s a likeable and rewarding classic that captures the spirit of the pioneer trail. Head ’em up and move ’em out.