Lock and fire — Williams’ 1983 Firepower II is the sequel to one of pinball’s most important machines, the original Firepower having helped pioneer multiball and lane-change for the masses. Designed by Mark Ritchie with the Mitchells’ art, this confirmed run of 3,400 carries that proud lineage into an outer-space two-ball multiball game with ten standup targets, a rollunder spinner, and a satisfying lock-and-shoot structure.
The strategy is clean and rewarding. Lock a ball on the right side at the flashing green arrow, then shoot the center target between the bumpers to start multiball — and helpfully, that lock is always lit when you’re not already in multiball, so the path back to the action is never far away. Completing all the FIREPOWER letters lights the spinner, which is especially lucrative paired with the two-times multiball scoring, but there’s a clever bit of timing wisdom here: don’t fully complete the next FIREPOWER on the same ball, so you can save that spinner-lighting payoff for when it matters most. The right inlane lights a mystery score at the left ramp, completing the top lanes increases your bonus multiplier, and after finishing a spot-target group you can shoot the left orbit through the right-orbit gate to activate a bonus holdover.
Firepower II is a worthy heir to a legendary name, carrying forward the multiball-and-lane-change DNA that helped define modern pinball while standing as a fun, fast machine in its own right. For the player who loves a clean lock-and-multiball game with a bit of spinner strategy, it delivers. Lock your ball, light the spinner, ride the two-times multiball, and honor the firepower legacy. The original changed the game — the sequel keeps the flame burning bright.