Capersville

Capersville, designed by Ted Zale and manufactured by Bally in December 1966, is one of the standout electro-mechanical games of its era. This four-player fantasy-themed machine enjoyed a large confirmed production run of 5,120 units, and it showcases two of Zale's signature innovations: zipper flippers, which close the gap between the flippers when triggered, and 3-ball multiball play, a feature Bally had introduced earlier on its 1963 'Star-Jet.'

The playfield is a multifaceted layout featuring three pop bumpers, six mushroom bumpers, two kick-out holes, and a single slingshot next to the left flipper. A left ball kicker lane shoots the ball to the top of the playfield, while an upper-right return gate delivers the ball to a four-step captive ball alley before sending it back to the shooter lane — and remarkably, this captive ball walker's progress carries over from game to game, giving the next player something inherited from the last. Maximum displayed score is 9,999 points per player, with a replay wheel that tops out at 25 replays.

The artwork by Jerry Kelley comes with a great piece of trivia: Kelley revealed to a German collector in 2000 that his inspiration was 'Alphaville,' the 1965 French detective film starring American actor-singer Eddie Constantine — and comparing old movie posters makes it clear that Constantine is the man on the backglass. A special version of the game was also produced for Germany with its own schematic part number, rounding out the story of one of Bally's most interesting mid-1960s machines.