Butterfly, a 1977 electromechanical from the Spanish manufacturer Sonic, is a colorful reminder that great pinball came from well beyond the big American names. Sonic was one of Spain’s notable coin-op makers, and Butterfly shows off a fantasy theme on a durable polyurethane playfield — a nice detail of the era — along with a fun quirk where the match number is drawn from the last three digits of your score rather than the usual two.

The scoring revolves around spelling out the game’s name. Knocking down the drop targets lights the letters in B-U-T-T-E-R-F-L-Y and awards game features, with the value of those letter rollovers climbing from a humble 100 points when unlit to 1,000 when lit. The drop banks themselves reward escalating play: the first set lights BUT and Double Bonus, the second lights TER and an extra ball, and the third lights FLY and the special — with the drops growing from 100 to 1,000 to a hefty 10,000 points apiece as you progress. The top-left saucer, fed by the top lanes, pays handsomely once your bonus is maxed.

Distinctive, well-built, and a little off the beaten path, Butterfly is a treat for collectors who enjoy exploring European pinball. It’s a charming, escalating-reward machine that rewards a player willing to work through all three sets of drops.