American Pinball’s Houdini: Master of Mystery, released in 2017 and designed by Joe Balcer, is a richly themed tribute to the legendary escape artist — and the machine that put boutique manufacturer American Pinball on the map. With three magnets, twin catapults, theatrical spotlights, game-specific flipper toppers, and both a backbox and an in-playfield LCD, it’s an atmospheric, deeply rules-driven table that channels the danger and showmanship of Houdini’s most famous illusions.
The game is built around stage modes, films, and multiballs. You progress through escape-themed Stage modes, and a clean shot up the Stage Alley — traveling through the bumpers into the open Stage — starts the next mode at a valuable 2X. Completing all the SEANCE standups lights Seance Multiball at the right scoop, while the Trunk Multiball locks are best qualified by backhanding the Stage Alley. Both multiballs can run alongside a Stage or Film multiball mode, so the deep play is all about layering them for maximum scoring. The Magic standup targets are your lifeline, spotting a shot for you once per mode.
There’s wonderfully thematic, knowledge-rewarding strategy throughout, from the Straight Jacket mode where you reverse your hands on the flipper buttons, to the King of Cards video mode (hold the flipper for yellow hoops, tap for blue), to the subtle nuance that the “Milkcan Escape” stage mode is worth more when started with no Milkcan multipliers. Beautiful, deep, and bursting with period magic, Houdini is a genuinely impressive debut-era machine from American Pinball — a table that rewards a player willing to study its many secrets, just as the great escapist studied his. Prepare to be amazed.