American Battle Dome

Overview

American Battle Dome is a competitive multiplayer pinball game for four players. Each player has a pair of pinball flippers and a goal area and must ensure that any balls that fall near are deflected away or sent towards a points-scoring target on the table. The balls will change to a player's color once they touch that player's flippers, and the player will earn points by sending that ball through the goal of points-scoring targets and the goals of other players.

The game was exclusive to the Super Famicom. Despite the name, it was never released in North America.

Gameplay

The goal of the game is to deflect balls away from the player's goal using the two paddles, ideally into the goal of another player or towards another target on the table. Each table has further scoring conditions. Each player's "quadrant" has its own gravity, pulling nearby balls towards the player's goal.

A paddle can held upwards to "hold" a ball, but will eventually be put out of commission temporarily if held too long. Many courses have random characters wandering around the center of the arena that, once destroyed, will create a temporary ball-blocker for that player.

The game features six tables, each has their own rules and player configuration:

• Moon Space: A space-themed table with each player taking one of the four corners. Players also have to contend with UFOs passing through the table and craters at the cardinal directions that accelerate the ball towards either of the two closest corners.
• Pyramid: An Egyptian-themed table with each player taking one of the cardinal directions. There is a pit in the center of the stage that spawns various bonuses, as well as obstacles like sandstorms and mummies.
• Black Hole: A space-themed table that has each player taking one of the cardinal directions. Unlike the previous stages, players are all defending the center of the stage, where the eponymous black hole resides. Facing each player is a UFO that creates a tractor beam that holds balls in place.
• Haunted: A horror-themed table that has the players lined up across the bottom of the screen. Balls disappear on one side and appear on the other, so that players on the edge aren't given an advantage. At the top of the screen, balls and spooky characters continually spawn. It's possible for one of the player's two paddles to disappear temporarily, making it harder to deflect balls.
• Heaven: A fantasy-themed table that, like Black Hole, has all four players defending different cardinal directions around the center. Three monster characters appear above each player's goal, getting closer as they get hit. If they get close enough, they become ball-blockers temporarily until they reset back at their initial position.
• Fantasy: A fantasy-themed table where players take the four corners. The goal is to attack the large flower in the middle of the screen with balls of the player's colors. In this case, it's beneficial to keep balls in the player's corner for multiple hits on the central flower.