Who you gonna call? — Spooky Pinball’s America’s Most Haunted is a ghost-hunting supernatural machine from the acclaimed boutique manufacturer, and it’s largely the work of one remarkable talent: Ben Heckendorn handled the design, art, animation, mechanics, music, and software. With a ghost figurine, an electromagnet, and a scarce confirmed run of just 150, it’s a genuine labor of love and a real collector’s prize from pinball’s modern indie scene.
The strategy rewards a player who understands its modes and ghosts. The recommended opening is to shoot all the major shots three times so that every ghost is just one shot away at any moment, since the modes are more valuable than the multiball. Prison mode, started by repeatedly shooting the left orbit, is among the most lucrative thanks to multiplied jackpots, as is Hotel mode. Move your skill shot to the pops and shoot there early and often, since the two hardest ghost modes start there and pop hits also fatten your jackpot values. There’s a coded ball save on anything coming out of the right scoop, so don’t flail at those balls and lose control, and during the hospital ghost mode, a left-flipper backhand at the prison door is safer than going at it from the right.
America’s Most Haunted is a standout of the modern boutique era, proof that a single passionate creator can deliver a machine with real depth and personality. Its ghost-hunting theme is a delight, and the mode-focused strategy rewards study. For the collector who loves the plucky indie underdogs, it’s a treasure. Keep your ghosts one shot away, work the pops, and chase those multiplied Prison and Hotel jackpots. The spirits reward the player who does their homework. Happy hunting.