Eclipse

The 1982 Gottlieb Eclipse is one of the rarer solid-state machines of its era, with only 193 complete games confirmed produced. This widebody four-player game on Gottlieb's System 80 platform, designed by John Buras and Shing Lam, has an interesting lineage: it uses the same playfield layout as Gottlieb's 1981 'Black Hole', but without that game's famous lower-level playfield - what would be the entrance to the lower level on Black Hole is instead a captive hole for multiball on Eclipse.

The machine rewards a strategic approach. Its four flippers work a playfield loaded with four pop bumpers, eight standup targets, two kick-out holes, 5-bank, 4-bank, and 3-bank drop targets, a kicking target, and a spinning target. Achieving multiball requires specific targets to be hit in sequence, and only one extra ball per ball in play is awarded. The tilt penalty is unforgiving: the ball in play is lost, all playfield lamps turn off, and all accumulated bonus and bonus multipliers are wiped out - so players must balance aggression with caution.

Beyond the 193 complete games, a considerable number of Eclipse kits (comprising a backglass, playfield, and game ROMs) were produced, usually used to convert 'James Bond 007' cabinets - the kits are Model 671 and the full games Model 671A. This unusual production history, combined with its Black Hole DNA, makes Eclipse a distinctive footnote in early-1980s Gottlieb history.