Combat, a 1977 electromechanical from the Italian manufacturer Zaccaria, marches into a wartime adventure theme with all the lively flair that made the company a force in European pinball. The standout feature is a piece of backglass theater: a light animation flashes to depict an exploding battleship each time you knock down the drop targets, turning every successful hit into a small cinematic payoff. A “biri-biri” sound effect celebrating a high-score threshold adds to the drama.
The playfield is built around a five-bank of drop targets, a spinning target, and a kick-out hole, with a clever bit of design in its open-elbow inlanes that let the ball pass freely between inlane and outlane — a double-edged feature that can save a ball or doom one. As the game’s own players note, the spinner can be a dangerous shot, so there’s real risk-reward tension in chasing those points versus playing it safe.
Atmospheric, animated, and distinctly European, Combat is a treat for collectors who enjoy venturing beyond the familiar American manufacturers. With its exploding-battleship backglass and Zaccaria’s signature sense of showmanship, it’s a characterful and engaging late-70s classic that brings its theme vividly to life.