Flash

"Flash" by Williams Electronics (1978) is a landmark solid-state pinball machine and an early triumph for designer Steve Ritchie, who would go on to become one of the most celebrated figures in pinball. It was the first game from any manufacturer to feature a dynamic background sound during gameplay - a continuously cycling sound, created by Randy Pfeiffer at Ritchie's request, that rose in pitch and speed as the player did well, broadcasting a hot game to the whole arcade. It was also the first game from any manufacturer to use Flash Lamps, bursts of flashing light under the playfield used purely for dramatic visual effect.

The playfield offers three flippers, three pop bumpers, two slingshots, a 5-bank and a 3-bank of drop targets, two standup targets, a spinning target, a kick-out hole, and five star rollovers, with the ball shot crossing the playfield to reach the top. The fantasy theme, rendered by artists Constantino and Jeanine Mitchell, features a dramatic black-background backglass that management initially feared players wouldn't accept - blue and red prototypes were printed as backups, but the black version shipped and proved dramatic and widely accepted.

Far from rare, Flash was a massive hit: a confirmed 19,505 units were produced, far more than any previous Williams game. Steve Ritchie recalled asking why Williams wouldn't push past 20,000 units, and being told by the VP of sales, "We want to leave the market wanting." Its combination of pioneering sound, lighting, and Ritchie's fast gameplay makes Flash a genuinely significant machine of the late 1970s solid-state boom.