Black Rose

The Black Rose is a solid-state electronic pinball machine from July 1992, designed by John Trudeau and Brian Eddy for Midway Manufacturing (under the Bally trade name) on the Williams WPC Fliptronics 2 platform. With its swashbuckling pirate-fantasy theme and a confirmed production run of 3,746 units, it is a distinctive entry in Bally's early-1990s lineup.

One of the standout features of Black Rose is its elaborate playfield, boasting three flippers, three pop bumpers, and a trio of ramps that carry players through a fantastical pirate's realm, plus three 3-bank standup target sets and 2- or 3-ball multiball. The machine's crowning achievement is its below-the-playfield ball cannon: the left ramp mechanically raises and lowers, and at certain times it rises to load the catapult-style cannon, which oscillates until the player fires it by pressing the Fire button on the lockdown bar. A separate Broadside vertical up-kicker launches the ball onto the center habitrail above the playfield and delivers it to the flippers. This combination of mechanisms sets Black Rose apart from other machines of its era.

From a design and art perspective, Black Rose features colorful pirate-themed artwork by Pat McMahon - and, according to designer John Trudeau, the backglass art contains likenesses of himself and artists Greg Freres and Pat McMahon. With its cannon gimmick and lively theme, Black Rose is sure to captivate anyone who gets a chance to play it.