PINBALL FIELD GUIDES
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TechniquesDictionary
Indiana Jones — original cabinet backglass

Williams · 1993

Indiana Jones

Start all twelve movie adventures, then return to the left-side adventure hole for Eternal Life, a six-ball finale.

Start the expedition →

The expedition

Objective

The short hole on the left starts each adventure. During an adventure, follow the display and flashing arrows. Starting all twelve makes Eternal Life available at that same hole.

  1. Open the idolKnock down E-N-T and shoot the lock hole three times.
  2. Start adventuresShoot the Mode saucer whenever it is available; ramps change the selected mode.
  3. Advance the PathComplete A-D-V-E-N-T-U-R-E, then shoot the right ramp to reach the tilting mini-playfield.

Read the ruins

Shots

An explorer reaches for a golden idol as a stone boulder breaks into a jungle temple

Mode saucer

Mode saucer on the left side of the installed playfield

The short left-side tunnel. It starts adventures and awards Hand of Fate or a lit extra ball.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Aim at the dark opening of Mode saucer, not at its rim or the nearby posts. After the ball settles in the hole, watch where the machine kicks it back and regain control.

Left ramp

Left ramp on the installed playfield

A main adventure shot and the switch that lights regular multiball jackpots.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Aim through the two posts at the bottom of Left ramp and use a firm forehand so the ball climbs the ramp. If it starts up and rolls back, let it reach a flipper before shooting again.

Idol lock

ENT drop targets and idol lock hole

The hole behind E-N-T. Drop the targets, then shoot through to lock three balls in the idol.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Aim through the open channel at the bottom of Idol lock; the ball must pass the entrance switch and continue up the lane. If a weak shot rolls back down the same lane, let it return to a flipper before trying again.

Installed Indiana Jones playfield viewed from the flippers
Your installed VPWmod 1.1 playfield. Tap to enlarge.

Captive ball

Captive ball and its guard target

Three guard-target hits expose it for Quick Multiball. During regular multiball it awards Super Jackpots.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper and hit the exposed ball at Captive ball as squarely as possible. The trapped ball moves into its switch; your ball rebounds, so be ready to catch it.

Right ramp

Right ramp and Path of Adventure entrance

Awards regular jackpots and sends a ball sent there while its lamp is flashing onto the Path of Adventure.

How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper. Aim through the two posts at the bottom of Right ramp and use a firm forehand so the ball climbs the ramp. If it starts up and rolls back, let it reach a flipper before shooting again.

Path of Adventure

Tilting Path of Adventure mini-playfield

Use the flipper buttons to tilt this upper field. Roll over lit stones, then take the lit hole.

How to try it: First make the entrance shot named in the card. Once the ball reaches this upper area, use the flipper buttons only for the controls shown there and follow the flashing path.

No trick launch

Launch

This L-series game has no conventional skill shot. Launch to the top I-N-D-Y lanes and use the flipper buttons to shift the lit lane toward the ball. Completing I-N-D-Y raises bonus and lights a friend; at maximum bonus it can light an extra ball at the Mode saucer.

A braided woman explorer studies a chrome ball approaching three stone targets and a golden idol
Three targets, one hidden hole.E-N-T opens the lock. Ramps advance Dogfight and select the next adventure.

A workable opening

First game

  1. Start a modeShoot the Mode saucer. It is the table’s busiest and most valuable single shot.
  2. Work E-N-TDrop the center targets, then shoot the lock hole. Repeat for three locks and regular multiball.
  3. Alternate rampsRamp shots advance Dogfight, choose the next mode, and prepare jackpots.
  4. Use the Path aloneIf Path of Adventure is lit, play it before multiball. Steering the mini-playfield while protecting several balls is a bad trade.

Twelve scenes

Adventures

Castle Grunewald

Drop the captive-ball guard, then hit the captive ball three times.

Tank Chase

Follow the lit orbit and ramp shots until the chase is complete.

Choose Wisely

Watch the correct cup, move the choice with the flippers, and select with Launch.

Monkey Brains

Shoot ramps and orbits during the timer. Every successful shot serves another helping.

Steal the Stones

Shoot the right ramp, then steer across the lit stones on the Path.

Escape in the Cart

Use the flippers to choose turns and avoid barriers in the video mode.

Rope Bridge

Make four ramp shots to cross and a fifth to cut the rope. Completion lights an extra ball.

Get the Idol

Keep breaking E-N-T until the lock hole is exposed, then shoot it To score the idol.

Well of Souls

Six-ball multiball. Repeatedly shoot the idol lock; each ball held there raises the chaos.

Get the Medallion

Aim with the flippers in the Raven Bar video mode. Survive long enough to earn the medallion.

An explorer dives as three chrome balls burst from a golden idol mechanism
The idol releases three.Left ramp lights the jackpot. Right ramp awards it. The captive ball takes the Super.

The idol

Multiball

Quick Multiball: hit the captive-ball guard three times, then the exposed captive ball. During the two-ball feature, keep hitting it to earn five treasures; earned treasures survive to the next attempt.

Tilt the field

The Path

Complete the nine ADVENTURE letters, then shoot the right ramp. The ball enters the upper mini-playfield. Hold a flipper to tilt toward that side; release or reverse before the ball gathers too much speed.

Earn the lit stones first. Completing the initial set lights the extra-ball hole. Later trips increase the Pit value. The feature stays lit only briefly, so play it before starting any multiball.

The installed Path of Adventure mini-playfield
A male explorer and a braided woman explorer face a chalice surrounded by twelve illuminated relic niches and six chrome balls
Twelve adventures open Eternal Life.Every switch becomes a ten-million-point target during the six-ball finish.

The finish

Eternal Life

Start all twelve adventures, then return to the Mode saucer. Six balls enter play and Eternal Life protects them for the opening period. Every active switch except the outlanes is worth ten million. Complete the full switch set for the billion-point award, then the set relights.

Priorities

Scoring

  1. Learn the saucerIt starts modes, Hand of Fate, extra balls and the wizard mode.
  2. Exploit regular multiballLeft ramp lights, right ramp awards, captive ball takes the Super Jackpot.
  3. Raise before earningMode saucer and captive-ball hits increase the jackpot total; idol locks can multiply it.
  4. Keep the Path separateearn its extra ball or Pit before releasing several balls from the idol.

Installed edition

Your table

This guide follows Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure, Williams 1993, installed as VPWmod v1.1 with ROM ij_l7. Operator settings can change extra-ball limits, timers and difficulty.

Rules checked against the L-series Pinball Archive rulesheet, IPDB identity data and the installed VBS wrapper. The playfield image comes from the cabinet’s own PinUP recording.