Thomas
The blue tank engine and central character of the Thomas & Friends setting.
How it plays
The game presents a themed pinball table from a fixed, top-down perspective. The objective is to prevent the ball from draining while scoring points by hitting bumpers, targets, ramps, and other table features.
Players use the table's flippers to redirect the ball and may launch a new ball at the start of a turn. Progress is score-based rather than level-based; successful shots can trigger additional table events or bonuses, while losing all available balls ends the game. The central mode is a solo pinball session.
Plan your run
Learn the position and timing of the flippers before attempting difficult shots. Keep the ball moving toward controllable areas of the table instead of relying on random rebounds.
Prioritize targets that open routes, activate bonuses, or improve scoring opportunities. Use gentle, deliberate flipper timing and avoid unnecessary shots when the ball is near an outlane.
Meet the cast
The blue tank engine and central character of the Thomas & Friends setting.
A small green tank engine associated with Thomas and the railway setting.
A red tender engine and recurring character from the Thomas & Friends cast.
Before you begin
Watch the ball's path after every rebound and prepare the receiving flipper early.
Aim for repeatable targets rather than taking risky shots near the outlanes.
Treat bonus features as opportunities, but keeping the ball alive is usually more valuable than a single high-risk shot.
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends Pinball is a family-oriented pinball game developed by Spidersoft and published by Alternative Software for DOS in 1995. It adapts the railway setting and recognizable characters of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends into a digital pinball table rather than a conventional train-driving game. The play style is straightforward: keep the ball in play, strike targets, activate table features, and build a high score. Its colorful presentation and licensed theme make it accessible to younger players, while the basic pinball rules remain familiar to experienced players. Reception was generally modest, with the game remembered mainly as a niche licensed DOS pinball title rather than a major release.
Catalog entry maintained by EmuGamers Editorial Team
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