Time Machine

Time Machine, released by Data East Pinball in December 1988, is notable for its unusually mechanically intricate design. Designed by Joe Kaminkow and Ed Cebula, the game blends complex playfield mechanisms with an unconventional theme.

Gameplay in Time Machine is marked by an interplay of mechanisms, including three pop bumpers, two slingshots, a vertical up-kicker, nine standup targets, and two star rollover lanes, plus a cellar hole and a left outlane kickback. Its most distinctive feature is a time-travel gimmick built into the display and sound system: when gameplay reaches the 1950s decade, the digital score displays emulate electro-mechanical scoring reels and the electronic sound effects are replaced by a real chime box mounted under the playfield.

With 2,896 confirmed units produced between December 1988 and April 1989, Time Machine stands out among late-1980s solid-state machines for this EM-emulation gimmick, a clever nod to pinball's own history built directly into the game's electronics.