SEGA Celebrates 35 Years of Sonic with a Stylish Pinball Machine

The Sonic the Hedgehog series turns 35 today, and as part of the celebrations, Jersey Jack Pinball has revealed the full Sonic pinball table it teased earlier this month. Founded in 2011, Jersey Jack Pinball is one of the newer names in the industry, but the company has already produced detailed pinball machines featuring iconic theming like The Wizard of Oz and James Cameron's Avatar. Now, that same dedication is on display in collaboration with SEGA to create a love letter to the Sonic series in pinball form.

The titular speedy blue hedgehog shot onto screens back in 1991 with Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. Pinball has been a prominent part of the franchise's level design from the very beginning, with stages like Spring Yard Zone and Casino Night Zone turning Sonic into a living pinball. Spin-off games Sonic Spinball and Sonic Pinball Party have taken the concept even further than that. A dedicated pinball machine for the blue blur was to be expected eventually, and now it's arrived with 35 years' worth of history behind it.

Sonic the Hedgehog Pinball Overstimulates in a Good Way

To celebrate Sonic's 35th, Jersey Jack Pinball takes heavy inspiration from Sonic Generations for its pinball party game. The stages fans know and love from Generations are not only featured on the table, but literally showcased as gameplay videos on the screen as they make their way through. The table is filled with secrets to find, from a Chao Garden to helping Big the Cat find Froggy. This pinball Sonic adventure offers a lot, but that also means there's more to love while playing.

Fans have Steve Ritchie to thank for the loop-de-loop-favoring, eclectic design of the machine. Ritchie has over 40 years of experience in both game and pinball design, and it certainly shows on Jersey Jack Pinball's new Sonic machine. If fans want to own it, however, it'll fetch them a pretty penny. The Collector's Edition retails for $15,000 USD and comes with a sparkly finish to the table and a unique Sonic vs. Eggman topper that activates whenever the Boss Battle is triggered. The Special Edition costs $12,000 USD and has a special "Sonic blue" case, an acrylic Boss Battle topper, and a shaker motor for haptic feedback.

Sonic the Hedgehog Pinball is the Life of the Party

The Sonic series has been criticized by fans for revisiting the same nostalgic vistas time and time again in the past. Even when the games keep bringing back Green Hill Zone for the umpteenth time, seeing it on a pinball table with all of Sonic's friends and Sonic and Shadow duking it out is something else. It's also cut off with a big, mechanical, and threatening laboratory up at the top where Dr. Eggman resides, which completes the entire design. It'll be hard to be upset over Green Hill Zone on the table when the machine plays songs like "Live and Learn" and showcases the other fan-favorite stages like Speed Highway on the big screen up top.

With all the ramps and lanes on the playfield, the Sonic the Hedgehog Pinball machine is going to take a lot of skill, effort, and maybe a bit of luck to master, for high scores or to reach every stage. It's very clearly filled to the brim with surprises, which fits the milestone that the machine was made to represent. The modern bells and whistles, like the screen that can show gameplay footage, are incredible touches that really work as a great cherry on top. They almost make a great argument that a Sonic pinball table was a far-off dream until technology caught up to it to represent it perfectly.

You can order the Sonic the Hedgehog pinball machine through Jersey Jack Pinball's website or trusted distributors now.

Released October 25, 2024

ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence

Engine Hedgehog Engine 2

Steam Deck Compatibility Verified