Review: Pinball FX – Goat Simulator Pinball (Nintendo Switch)

Poor Pinball FX hasn’t been nearly as well received as its predecessor, both by critics and, to an even greater extent, fans. This review isn’t to recap the issues with the newest incarnation but rather to consider if DLC tables will give it a shot in the arm, as it were. If they’re tables like Goat Simulator, I expect the positive effect to be contained to fans of the property.

As I’ve yet to play a Goat Simulator game, you could say I’m not the audience for this one. Yet a well-made table can still win me over, even without knowing the source material. In this case, I wonder if the table was designed to prioritize attempts at comedy.

This humorous slant was evident before I even started playing, as the annoyingly voiced narrator droned on with backstory. Yeah, he eventually cracked a joke expressing surprise that I hadn’t skipped it, but after a minute plus I wasn’t laughing. Again, in fairness, I’m not the audience.

The table layout isn’t bad, but I feel there’s too much going on at once. As someone unfamiliar with the source material, everything feels slightly disjointed. Scrolling through lengthy table guide pages for side events and the like made me feel a tad overwhelmed.

I can’t say I didn’t have some fun with this one. The music is alright, and I like the mini (emphasis on “mini”) playfield in the top right corner. But overall, Goat Simulator Pinball didn’t make me want to check out the main games, and I imagine this is a DLC table I’ll only return to sporadically. Unless you’re an enthusiast for the source material, save $5.49 and wait for this one to go on sale.