For many players, Williams’ Medieval Madness is simply the greatest pinball machine ever made. Released in 1997 from designer Brian Eddy — fresh off Attack from Mars — it pairs a riotous Monty Python-esque sense of humor with a layout so smooth and satisfying that it has topped “best of all time” lists for over two decades. You’re a knight laying siege to a series of castles, and bringing down each drawbridge to smash the castle gate is one of pinball’s purest joys.
The brilliance is in the escalating goals. Each castle you destroy is worth more than the last, while battling trolls, rescuing damsels, and taunting the king build toward the legendary Battle for the Kingdom wizard mode. Veterans hoard Troll Bombs — earned by hammering the troll targets — and never face the final King of Payne without at least two. The catapult, the pop-up trolls, and the booming voice work (the maidens were famously voiced by a young Tina Fey) give the table irresistible character.
Strategy rewards a knowing hand: shoot the castle gate from the left flipper for safety, cross-cross the ramps during multiball, and light Trolls and Mode Madness together for a stacked, ball-saved assault. Funny, fast, and flawlessly balanced, Medieval Madness is a machine that delights newcomers and obsesses experts in equal measure — a crown jewel of the 1990s and a grail for collectors everywhere. Long live the king.