Rollers of the Realm Critic Reviews

It’s an enormously fun and creative take on two genres you would never think to see in bed together. The gameplay is tight and responsive, the boards are intricate and clever, and the splendid voice acting is an added delight.

Rollers of the Realm is much more than a pinball game. For the measly price of $9.99, it is absolutely worth getting even if pinball games aren't normally your thing, there is plenty here to enjoy anyway.

Immensely challenging and beautifully synergistic systems come together to form an unexpectedly refreshing genre hybrid. If you're a die-hard pinball fan and not afraid of a challenge, Rollers Of The Realm will absolutely delight you.

With plenty of levels, several endless modes and multiple characters, there's a lot of replay value to be had in Rollers of the Realm. The relatively toned back violence makes this a game I'd readily recommend to younger audiences, and the story is very good on the inclusivity front with representation for characters of various races, genders and ages.

Rollers of the Realm is quite a lot of fun, though the story doesn’t last very long and the ‘Arena’ mode gets repetitive very quickly as it just recycles level designs from the campaign. The core gameplay, though, is totally solid. If you’re not into pinball, this probably isn’t one for you. If you’ve been known to dabble in the art of Pinball Wizardry, however, you should give it a shot.

Rollers of the Realm gets points for its unique play style and responsive, approachable play. It’s definitely not an easily mastered mix of genres, but it’s well-done enough that it takes more skill and concentration than it does luck.

Rollers of the Realm manages to say something new in the pinball genre.

Rollers of the Realm aimed for the big points and, while it might not be dead centre, they’re mostly on target.

It’s clear it likes pinball as much as it likes role-playing games, because the whole game is one big love letter to both, the things mashed together into some odd blender without reason or deeper purpose.

With a bit more polish and tweaking, Rollers of the Realm would stand out for more than its genre mixing.

Gentle RPG systems collide with robust pinball design, triggering a modest gaming jackpot.

Rollers of the Realm, by most respects, is an excellent pinball and RPG hybrid. However, it takes a great amount of skill and no small share of luck to get through it.

Rollers of the Realm oversells its limited RPG element quite a bit in advertisement, and perhaps that was smart, because it managed to pique my interest enough to give it a try.

Mixing RPG and pinball is a risk, or a crazy thing, or a bit of both. If you love pinballin', this might still be worth a try.

It’s most compelling as a one-and-done. If you have a difficult time grasping the concept of abstract narrative in pinball, it will be a fantastic eye-opener. Taken any further than that, expecting the replay of almost every other pinball option out there, and it disappoints.

A fantastic concept that is never lived up to. It’s definitely more pinball than RPG, and bravely strides into uncharted territory, but I’m not sure who I would recommend it to. Pinball fans have dedicated games that are vastly superior, and RPG fans are going to find the offering meager at best. Right now, it just sits in some strange limbo.

An interesting premise, but Rollers of the Realm struggles with its identity.

There's some potential to an RPG/pinball mash-up, in fact, Zen Pinball has a table that shows that this is a viable mix, but unfortunately Rollers of the Realm is not the game to realize that potential.

Its flaws are too numerous, and its strengths seldom manage to work in concert. The end result is more disappointing than it is entertaining, which is a real pity if it means another 25-year delay before someone takes the next crack at doing the concept justice.