Road Kings

Road Kings, designed by Mark Ritchie and manufactured by Williams Electronics Games in 1986, is a solid state electronic pinball machine that stands out for its post-apocalyptic theme and high-octane motorcycle action, inspired by the "Mad Max" films. Interestingly, the game went through several working names and themes during development - including "Samurai," "High Noon," and "Gunslinger" - before Ritchie settled on the apocalyptic biker concept.

One of the machine's most notable features is its multiball mode, achieved through a clever combination of ramps, kick-out holes, and pop bumpers. The entrance to the center ramp is blocked by a drop target, requiring players to time their shots perfectly to access this high-scoring area. Once the drop target is lowered, the ball loops upward along a track to a redirect mechanism that alternately sends it toward the center-left or center-right ramp outlets. The upper ramp can also elevate to let the ball roll underneath it toward a kick-out hole and the mega-score switch series.

Road Kings' theme is brought to life with artwork by Tim Elliott, evoking the ravaged, lawless landscape of its cinematic inspiration. While detailed sales and reception figures are not well documented, the game remains a distinctive entry in Williams' System 11 era lineup - notable also for a well-known quirk in its official schematics, which incorrectly depicted the flipper end-of-stroke switch placement, even though the games themselves left the factory correctly wired.