Hardbody
Hardbody is a pinball machine designed by Ward Pemberton and released by Bally in 1987.
| Manufacturer | Bally |
|---|---|
| Release date | April 1987 |
| System | Bally MPU A084-91786-AH06 (6803) |
| Design | Ward Pemberton |
| Programming | Rehman Merchant |
| Artwork | Greg Freres |
| Sound | Bob Libbe |
| Production run | 2,000 |
Design
Hardbody is named after bodybuilding, featuring a two time winner of Ms. Olympia Rachel McLish in four poses on the backglass showing her physique. It is the first pinball machine to use bodybuilding as a theme.[1] Head of pinball design at Bally, Jim Patla, re-hired Ward Pemberton to design the game; the theme was chosen because the parent company owned Bally Total Fitness.[2]
Using photos on the backglass followed Gottlieb's use of them beginning with Raven in 1985;[3][4] this is the only Bally machine to use photo art and drawn art.[5] The artist disagreed with using this approach for the backglass, but others at Bally thought it was required to remain competitive.[6]
Four alphanumeric displays are at the bottom of the backbox.[7]
The game uses a "flex save" to allow the ball to use the return lanes to reach the lower flippers.[8]
Layout
The layout is almost identical to that of a 1983 Ward Pemberton designed Bally pinball machine called BMX, using a split-level playfield, with each level having two flippers.[9]
Upper level
The upper level includes groups of three targets labelled stations 1 and 2, with three in-line drop-targets located above station 2. There is also a loop around station 1. The gap between the upper flippers leads to the lower level.[10]
Lower level
The lower level includes banks of targets labelled stations 3 and 4. On either side of the machine is a ramp leading to the upper level. The game does not have traditional in- and out-lanes, but has a single lane on each side with a gap in each.[10]
Gameplay
The game can be set for 3 or 5 ball play.[7] The game is controlled by a flipper button on either side of the machine, with a flex save button located just below each of these.[8]
The main objective is to complete the four work-out stations by hitting all the targets at each station. Lights are shown just above the lower flippers for completing sets of stations three times.[10] The four stations are arms & shoulders, chest & back, legs, and abdomen.[11]
At the start of a game the flex save feature is triggered automatically with an auto saver, but after that is triggered manually by the player.[7] When triggered a block (also known as a control gate) is raised to prevent the ball from draining out of the return lane.[8] The amount of time a control gate remains raised is dependent on the number of times they are used.[7]
Reception
In a review for Play Meter, Roger Sharpe awarded the game 2.25/4. The artwork on the playfield was praised, but the flex save feature was criticized, and the machine was called a "filler".[10]
A reviewer for The Pinball Trader enjoyed the lighting and sound effects, but found the music to be "simple and monotonous". Overall it was found to be a very enjoyable and fast machine.[12]
Greg Freres declared it to be his "unfavourite game".[13]
References
- ^ "GET YOUR ROUTE IN SHAPE WITH HARDBODY!". Play Meter. Vol. 13, no. 2. February 1987. pp. 1, 6.
- ^ Pemberton, Ward. "TOPcast Show 56" (audio). 21M.
- ^ Flower, Gary; Kurtz, Bill (1988). Pinball. London: Apple Press. pp. 95, 87. ISBN 978-1-85076-139-6.
- ^ Kurtz, Bill (November 1989). "Pinball Corner". GameRoom. p. 13.
- ^ Eiden, Heribert; Lukas, Jürgen (1992). Pinball machines. West Chester, Pa: Schiffer Pub. Co. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-88740-431-3.
- ^ Freres, Greg (2007). "The Soul of the Game" (Interview). Interviewed by Jim Jansen.
- ^ a b c d Hardbody Operating Manual (PDF). Bally Midway Manufacturing. 1987.
- ^ a b c Shalhoub, Michael (2012). The pinball compendium, 1982 to present (Rev. and expanded 2nd ed.). Atglen, Pa: Schiffer Pub. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-7643-4107-6.
- ^ "Internet Pinball Machine Database: Bally 'BMX'". www.ipdb.org. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
- ^ a b c d Sharpe, Roger C. (August 1987). "Critic's Corner". Play Meter. Vol. 13, no. 8. pp. 87–88.
- ^ "New Products". Play Meter. Vol. 13, no. 3. March 1987. pp. 109, 107.
- ^ French, Mark (July–August 1987). "Review of New Bally Game "Hardbody"". The Pinball Trader. Vol. 1, no. 6. p. 5.
- ^ Freres, Greg (2024-10-20). Greg Freres: A Career Retrospective - Pinball Expo 2024 (Video). 20 minutes in. Retrieved 2026-01-02 – via YouTube.
External links
- Hardbody at the Internet Pinball Database