Alien Star

Alien Star, designed by John Trudeau with artwork by Larry Day, was released in June 1984 by Mylstar Electronics, the short-lived corporate successor to D. Gottlieb & Company that continued to use the Gottlieb trade name. A four-player solid-state game running on the Gottlieb System 80A platform, it carried model number 689 and had a confirmed production run of 1,065 units, making it one of the less common titles from Gottlieb's mid-1980s catalog.

Gameplay-wise, Alien Star offers a well-rounded feature set for its era. Its 2-ball multiball mode adds a layer of complexity, requiring players to manage two balls simultaneously, while two flippers, three pop bumpers, two slingshots, six standup targets, a kick-out hole, a spinning target, and a rollunder provide ample opportunities to rack up points. The game also features speech, and the whole package weighs in at a measured 225 pounds including legs.

The machine has an interesting production history: partway through the run, wiring and fusing were redesigned and a new game PROM was installed, creating a Model 689A variant with its own manual addendum and a lower maximum credit limit. Designer John Trudeau went on to a long career in pinball design after his Gottlieb years, adding to Alien Star's interest as an early entry in his catalog.