Williams’ Cyclone, released in 1988 and designed by Barry Oursler with art by Python Anghelo, is a joyous carnival of a machine — the middle entry in Oursler’s beloved amusement-park trilogy, bookended by Comet and Hurricane and inspired by the rides of Chicago’s old Riverview Park. Its showpiece is a rotating Ferris wheel built right into the playfield, a delightful mechanical animation that spins as you rack up the fun.
The scoring is bright and brisk. The center Cyclone ramp is the workhorse shot — keep hammering it — and after firing it, a shot to the Ferris wheel returns the ball cleanly to the left flipper for another go. Completing the 1-2-3 rollover lanes starts or extends Double Scoring, which is key because it doubles the lucrative Comet million-ramp shot to two million. The right ramp pays a climbing jackpot when hit three times quickly, and a clever bonus quirk lets a well-timed drain during Double Scoring multiply an already-multiplied bonus into a huge end-of-ball payout.
The bonus multiplier carries over ball to ball (until you max it at 7X), rewarding a player who builds steadily, and extra balls await through the top lanes, the Duck targets, and Spook House mystery awards. Cheerful, fast, and dripping with midway charm, Cyclone is Oursler at his most fun — a sunny, re-playable classic that captures all the giddy thrill of a day at the fair.