The temperature is rising — Gottlieb’s Centigrade 37 is an electromechanical single-player wrapped in a fantasy-and-science-fiction theme, designed by Allen Edwall with art by the masterful Gordon Morison. With reel scoring and a confirmed run of 1,721, it’s a handsome and genuinely strategic woodrail-era Gottlieb with a distinctive plinko-style feature.
The strategy has real texture. There are good points wait in the plinko section over on the far right, though its feed to the right inlane can be dicey, so keep a nudge ready — and take care not to let the ball creep up the right flipper, or you’ll lose it. The core scoring loop is satisfying: hit the A-B-C-D rollovers to light the drop targets and increase the saucer value, then complete the drops to light the bullseye targets for 5,000 each. The lit inlanes are among the biggest scores in the game at 5,000, though the standups and drops make the lower-risk path, so a thoughtful player weighs the gamble. Controlled play is key: lift the flipper and let the ball hop to pass it low and under control, without too much sideways english from a cradle.
Centigrade 37 is a fine example of Allen Edwall’s design and Morison’s artwork, pairing a moody sci-fi theme with a genuinely rewarding, risk-managed strategy and that distinctive plinko section. Morison’s art brings the fantasy-science-fiction theme to life. For the collector who loves the golden age of EM pinball and a machine with real strategic depth, it’s a rewarding find. Work the A-B-C-D rollovers, complete the drops for the 5,000 bullseyes, and play those inlanes carefully. Some machines reward controlled, calculated play, and this Gottlieb sci-fi gem is one of them. Feel the heat and drop a coin.