Cirqus Voltaire
About This Machine
Cirqus Voltaire is a highly regarded solid-state electronic pinball machine from 1997, designed by John Popadiuk and Cameron Silver. As one of the first games to feature a complex, story-driven narrative, Cirqus Voltaire holds significant importance in pinball history. Its innovative gameplay mechanics, intricate art design, and use of speech make it a memorable example of quirky, character-driven pinball.
Gameplay revolves around navigating the ball through a vibrant circus-themed playfield, complete with flippers, pop bumpers, slingshots, stop magnets, standup targets, kick-out holes, and spinning targets. The menagerie ball, trapped above the left slingshot, can disrupt ball direction when hit, adding an extra layer of challenge to the game. Another standout feature is the Ringmaster, an animated head that elevates from the underside of the playfield, cracking jokes at players as they attempt to defeat him by hitting him with the pinball in various modes.
The machine's artwork and design are equally impressive, featuring colorful graphics by Linda Deal and intricate details throughout. The backbox animation simulates a cannon firing a ball to ring a bell, adding an immersive touch to the overall experience. Cirqus Voltaire also makes use of speech, voicing the Ringmaster's wisecracks as he taunts players, though speech synthesis itself had been a pinball staple since the early 1980s rather than something new to this game. Overall, Cirqus Voltaire is a must-play for pinball enthusiasts due to its unique blend of quirky theming and intricate design elements, including its animated Ringmaster head and disappearing "Boom Balloon" pop bumper, the first disappearing pop bumper used in a solid-state pinball machine.
Images (66)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Circus/Carnival
- Model Number:
- 50062
- MPU:
- Williams WPC-95
- Notable Features:
- Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (3), Slingshots (2), Stop magnets (3), Standup targets (9), Kick-out holes (2), Spinning targets (2), Speech, Playfield-mounted dot matrix display. The menagerie ball, a large plastic ball trapped within a cage above the left slingshot, can be hit by the ball in play and disrupts ball direction. The Ringmaster is an animated head that elevates from the underside of the playfield and makes wise cracks at the player, who tries to defeat him by hitting him with the pinball in various modes. A stop magnet is on the top of the Ringmaster's he ad, holding the ball there when the he ad rises up. The "Boom Balloon" pop bumper (on the lower right side of the playfield) is a disappearing bumper, dropping down until its flat plastic top is level with the playfield. The backbox animation simulates a cannonball fired to ring a bell, although the bell is really just a piece of plastic with a bell drawn on it. This animation is mostly activated automatically by the game, but one feature allows the player to continuously fire the cannonball using the flipper buttons in a timed mini-game. Points are given if the ball takes a certain path in the fall (this path having a switch).
Credits
- Designer:
- John Popadiuk, Cameron Silver
- Artist:
- Linda Deal (aka Doane)
- Software:
- Cameron Silver
- Music:
- Rob Berry, Dave Zabriskie
- Sound:
- Rob Berry
- Mechanics:
- Jack Skalon, Louis Toy
- Dots/Animation:
- Adam Rhine, Brian Morris