Williams’ Barracora, released in 1981, is a fast aquatic-adventure machine with a notable design pedigree: its credits include Roger Sharpe — the writer and player famous for the 1976 demonstration that helped overturn New York City’s pinball ban — alongside Steve Epstein and the prolific Barry Oursler. With twin drop-target banks, a horseshoe lane, a rollunder, and both two- and three-ball multiball, it packs serious depth into an early-80s solid-state package.
The scoring is built around locks and multiplier stacking. Completing the left drop targets in order lights a lock for two-ball multiball, and completing both the left and right banks in order lights two locks for a three-ball affair — so the drops are essential to progression. A clever tactic is to put a ball in the top lock first via the right-side drops while avoiding the lower lock, which lets that locked ball act as an extra ball if you drain. The real fireworks come from the multipliers: a green X and an orange X compound one another for a possible, eye-watering 25X, with the green carrying over ball to ball.
Deep, fast, and rewarding to a player who masters its backhand shots and drop-target sequences, Barracora is an underrated early-80s Williams machine. For collectors who love multiball and big multiplier math — and a connection to one of pinball’s most important figures — it’s a genuine hidden gem.