People say there isn’t a lot to do in Indiana. Even the theme park, Indiana Beach, uses the tagline “There is more in Indiana than corn!” to advertise its attractions. I’m not one of those people though. I am a Hoosier that loves this state for all of its weird quirks. Upon hearing about Fort Wayne Pinball, my interest was immediately piqued, and I wanted to learn more.
Fort Wayne Pinball – Wizard’s World
I am in Fort Wayne all the time. It is close to where I live and I find it a cool town with a ton of options. I have never heard of Fort Wayne Pinball before. I was scrolling Instagram and saw a video on it. This place looked massive! After going to their website, it says it is the largest Pinball Arcade in Indiana and one of the largest in the world! With over 144 pinball machines, I had to go and make a visit as soon as I could.
Visiting Fort Wayne Pinball – Wizard’s World
Now I am not the best at pinball. You could even say I am pretty bad at it. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it though! I had countless hours clocked in on Pokemon Pinball for the Game Boy Color as a kid (read more about my early gaming here), so I was ready to go dust off my mediocre skills on the big stage.
When we discussed going, my wife instantly expressed interest in joining me. It was Spring Break from work, and we were tired of building things for the baby’s nursery. We could have been doing more for that, however this was going to be a great afternoon away.
A Row of Pinball Machines
Fort Wayne Pinball is located almost out of Fort Wayne in Huntertown territory, but it still had a Fort Wayne address. Upon following the GPS, we finally arrived. The building is rather large with the word “Pinball” written across the windows with a large wizard standing out front.
Playing Pinball
As soon as you enter, you’re greeted with that nostalgic dark arcade feeling, filled with bright lights and sounds emanating from machines. They aren’t exaggerating about the number of machines available either. Most of the machines were either 50 cents or a dollar with a machine to get quarters near the front.
First, I had to take a lap around to admire all of the different machines available. There was seriously a machine for everyone. There were classic machines, machines based on movies, ones based on various bands, and so much more. Also, I enjoyed there were options to sit on stools strewn throughout the area as well. It was easy to navigate and very clean.
To start, I decided to try out the Deadpool-themed machine first. When playing this machine, there is an arcade fighting game that appears near the top. You can attack the opponents by hitting various items within the Pinball game and Deadpool at the top would attack the enemy on screen. This is a great option and I highly recommend it.
Deadpool Pinball
Another machine that called to me was the Shrek one. Upon putting in the dollar, the machine instantly started playing All Star by Smash Mouth. The machine also made various burps and farts that were reminiscent of the green ogre and his swamp.
Going through our $10, we played Star Wars, Queen, The Simpsons, Ghost Busters, and various classic Pinball machines. Each machine had its own unique attributes and not one was out of order or damaged. Seeing so many options, all so well taken care of, is great.
Final Impressions
I’m not great at Pinball; I constantly lost within minutes of putting in change, and my wife beat me on every machine we tried. With that said, I had an absolute blast. It brought me back to childhood at the arcade and it was a great way to spend an hour or two.
Simpsons Pinball
This place has something for everyone. With them running tournaments, this is a great place for professionals. I also think it is a fantastic place to take a loved one or your family to enjoy. If you are ever in Fort Wayne, make sure to mark this as one place to visit!
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