Williams · 1997
Earn six titles, then shoot the center Castle to start Battle for the Kingdom.
Storm the castle →The whole game
The six titles come from peasants, damsels, jousts, catapult slams, trolls, and castles. Complete all six groups. When all six title lamps are on, shoot through the Castle doorway with one ball moving to start the four-ball finale.
First-game route: start the first castle, make both ramps, make the orbit shots required for Joust on the orbits, and wait to shoot Merlin until more than one Madness is flashing. If Trolls! is ready, start it at Merlin before Multiball Madness.
Find your shots
One half of the shared Joust ladder.
How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Aim through the open channel at the bottom of Left orbit; 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.
Narrow door immediately left of the Castle.
How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Aim through the open channel at the bottom of Castle 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.
Far-left lane and rear standup, separate from the center Castle.
How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Use a forehand and aim at the pictured scoring part of Catapult, rather than the nearby plastic or posts. Watch the first rebound, regain control, and then adjust the next shot left or right.
Two yellow standups and popup figures beside the Castle.
How to try it: Hold the ball still on the right lower flipper. Use a forehand and aim at the pictured scoring part of Trolls, rather than the nearby plastic or posts. Watch the first rebound, regain control, and then adjust the next shot left or right.
The other shared Joust shot.
How to try it: Hold the ball still on the left lower flipper. Aim through the open channel at the bottom of Right orbit; 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.
Catapult: far-left lane. Three credits make a Slam; all five different flung objects prepares Barnyard Multiball.
Peasant ramp: left ramp. Four shots make a Revolt; three Revolts light Patron of the Peasants.
Castle Lock: narrow door left of the Castle. Three shots starts the first Castle Multiball; later starts take six.
Castle: hit drawbridge, gate, then doorway. Keep shooting it during multiballs.
Merlin: saucer right of the Castle. Shoot it for Trolls!, Multiball Madness, extra balls, and Merlin’s Magic.
Damsel ramp: right ramp. Four shots save one Damsel; three Damsels light Defender of Damsels.
Orbits: either outside lane advances Charge, Clash, Victory. Three Victories light Joust Champion.
Launching the ball
Press Launch. Move the flashing top-lane light with either flipper button before the ball rolls through it. The award starts at 50,000, rises by 10,000 each make, and adds 5X to end-of-ball bonus.
Hold the left flipper button while pressing Launch. Catch the ball on the left flipper, then shoot a lit big shot before flashing stops. That shot counts once and starts a Castle hurry-up; shoot the Castle to earn the award.
Your first useful run
The six blue titles
| Title | How to light it | What matters next |
|---|---|---|
| Patron of the Peasants | Left ramp four times makes a Revolt; three Revolts lights it. | First Revolt lights Peasant Madness. |
| Defender of Damsels | Right ramp four times saves one Damsel; three Damsels lights it. | On the fourth shot, the tower flap sends the ball to the bumpers. First Damsel lights Damsel Madness. |
| Joust Champion | Either orbit advances Charge, Clash, Victory; three Victories lights it. | First Victory lights Joust Madness. |
| Catapult Ace | Three Catapult credits make a Slam; three Slams lights it. | A hard shot can count two credits. The third credit must be a ball into the lane. |
| Master of Trolls | Beat ten trolls on usual settings. | Troll Madness lights after both raised trolls are beaten; each Troll Madness hit counts one defeated troll. |
| Castle Crusher | Destroy six castles. | Each castle adds one drawbridge and one gate hit. Sixth is King of Payne for 20 million. |
When the Catapult choice appears, press both flipper buttons together quickly. Pick an unflung object if you want Barnyard Multiball; otherwise pick the biggest value. Fling all five objects, then shoot Catapult to start Barnyard Multiball. Shoot flashing shots for points until it falls to one ball.
Eight yellow-target hits usually lights Trolls! at Merlin. While Trolls! is lit, another eight hits earns a Troll Bomb. A bounce from a raised troll into Castle Lock or Merlin can also earn one, and Merlin’s Magic can award three. Launch spends a bomb and knocks down a troll.
In Trolls!, hit each raised troll three times within 30 seconds. Beating both lights Troll Madness and, inside Multiball Madness, adds lost balls back up to the earned limit.
Playing more than one ball
When any multiball starts, watch SHOOT AGAIN. While it is on, a lost ball is served back. Multiballs end when only one ball remains.
Shoot Merlin with one to five Madness lights flashing. One light starts two balls; two to four starts three; all five starts four. Flashing Madnesses increase the prizes. Shots with a flashing Madness lamp pay Super jackpots, Castle Lock pays Double Super, and unqualified arrow shots pay ordinary jackpots.
With all five Madnesses, every big shot is a Super; there are no ordinary arrow jackpots left. Jackpot shots during Multiball Madness do not count toward titles. Once it starts, you cannot normally add more Madnesses, so prepare ramps, orbits, Catapult, and trolls first.
Shoot Castle Lock three times for the first Castle Multiball, which starts with three balls; later starts take six Lock shots. There is no clock. Make five ramp jackpots, then Castle Lock for Super.
After the first Super, Catapult, both orbits, both ramps, and Lock each pay a Super. Make all six to loop bigger values.
After all five Madnesses have been played in Multiball Madness, Royal Madness is ready. Repeating Madness shots will not relight another Multiball Madness until Royal has been played.
Make left ramp twice, right ramp twice, either orbit twice, Catapult twice, and each troll once. Each shot resets about 20 seconds.
Royal starts with ball save running. Shoot Catapult or the left troll first, then trap and read the flashing shots. Castle Lock ticks off one missing shot, starting with Catapult. Completing Royal awards an extra ball, or 15 million if the machine is set that way.
Whether Royal is completed or times out, it clears the five Madness lights. Shots made during Royal still count toward their titles.
Other things to shoot for
One troll pops up at a time. Hit it for 300,000, then the other appears. You have 15 seconds, and each hit resets the clock. Each hit also counts as one defeated Troll toward Master of Trolls.
The four lower lanes spell F-I-R-E. Use lane change to finish missing letters. Each FIRE adds 2X bonus. Finish it eight times on usual settings to light Save the Children at Merlin.
In Save the Children, the flipper buttons move your defender and Launch clears the screen once in an emergency. Win after 30 kills without losing a child.
After 50 bumper hits, Super Jets starts: one million now and 40 higher-value bumper hits. Later Super Jets take more hits and pay more. During Super Jets, orbit shots are sent into the bumpers.
End-of-ball bonus counts what you hit and multiplies it. Top lanes add 1X, FIRE adds 2X, the normal skill shot or Merlin can add 5X. Only Hold Bonus X keeps the multiplier.
Two things at once
| Combination | Status | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Trolls! and Multiball Madness | Best play at the same time | Start Trolls! at Merlin, then shoot Merlin again for Madness. Beat both trolls during multiball for add-a-ball and fresh ball save. |
| Castles and any multiball | Yes | Use spare balls as insurance and keep shooting the Castle. |
| Lighting new Madness during Madness multiball | No | Prepare ramps, orbits, Catapult, and trolls before Merlin. |
| Royal or Battle with multiball | Waits | Both start only when one ball is in play. |
| Castle Multiball with another multiball | Do not plan on it | A play at the same time here is not reliable enough for a route. |
Keep the game going
Destroy two castles on usual settings and an extra ball lights at Merlin; shoot Merlin to earn it. Castle Multiball can light one after the Super jackpot, Castle hurry-ups can light one, and Merlin’s mystery can light one. Those also shoot Merlin.
Finish Royal Madness for an immediate extra ball, or 15 million if configured. Beating both trolls during Multiball Madness is an add-a-ball, not another turn. A replay gives a free credit, not an extra ball.
Score higher
A Castle hurry-up starts at one million and counts down. The first time a Madness lights, no hurry-up starts. Repeat that Madness route later, use Super Skill Shot, or take a Merlin prize to start one.
Battle for the Kingdom
With all six titles lit, shoot the Castle with one ball in play. Four balls launch. First make Catapult, left orbit, right orbit, left ramp, right ramp, and Castle Lock once, for 2.5 million each.
Then both trolls pop up. Spend two saved bombs with Launch, or hit them down. Hit the gate seven times for five million each, then shoot through the Castle for 50 million.
There is no clock while more than one ball remains. On the last ball, each needed shot has about ten seconds. Timeout or drain ends Battle and clears titles. Winning clears titles too, then big shots become Victory Laps and bonus round shots pay Ultra Combos.
From the videos
1:21 · Castle ball returns: drawbridge shots return gently; open Castle shots can fire straight down the middle. Settle before shooting again.
4:58 · Troll setup: let Castle misses clip the yellow targets. Start Trolls! only when you are ready to follow with Multiball Madness.
1:43 · Two balls trapped: tap one ball off the flipper, then shoot the other. Do not full-flip both together.
3:45 · Royal Madness: after each made shot, trap, read the remaining flashing lights, and choose deliberately.
Your table
This guide follows the VR ROOM version of Medieval Madness. The two Magna-Save buttons do nothing to the game here; they only change the colours of the picture drawn by VPX.
Machines can be set up differently from one to the next: how many hits a thing takes, how long a clock runs, what a prize is worth. Where the screen on your machine disagrees with this guide, believe the screen.
To read more: Williams/Planetary Pinball rules and Bowen Kerins’ rulesheet.