Williams’ Big Guns, released in 1987, is a swashbuckling fantasy adventure from designer Mark Ritchie and artist Python Anghelo — a quest to rescue a captive queen, rendered with Anghelo’s signature larger-than-life style and an unusually tall backbox. With four flippers, twin catapults that fling the ball airborne into habitrails, and no pop bumpers at all, it has a distinctive feel all its own.

The game is built around its multiball and a clever invincibility mechanic. You lock balls at the far-left and far-right shots, then start multiball up the center, and once rolling, shooting the flashing lock shot makes you “invincible” — at which point you race to hit the lit guard targets in time to save the queen for the jackpot. There’s smart risk management baked in: while invincible, you avoid shooting the catapults, since they need a moment to release the ball again, wasting precious time. The “Trolls” in the upper playfield offer safe, valuable points, especially worthwhile when the jackpot is low or hard to reach.

The skill shot is a real prize, awarding a free lock when lit — a strong start for a player who can nail the soft plunge past the upper-right gate. Distinctive, theatrical, and a touch offbeat, Big Guns is a Mark Ritchie gem dressed in Anghelo’s wild artwork — a heroic-fantasy table that rewards a player who masters its rhythm of locks, catapults, and queen-saving heroics.