Having been a fan of pinball of all kinds, from the old days of classic primitive pins, through the more advanced ones in the 80s and 90s, to even the many digital iterations we’ve seen… it’s a pretty good time to be a fan. While finding a proper arcade with well-maintained pinballs that aren’t just from the last few years has become more and more of a challenge, folks like Zen Studios have continued to step up their game in improving their tables on the digital side, both in terms of their realism and performance. While I’m generally more of a fan of their conversions of classic real-world Williams tables I have fond memories of pumping far too many quarters into, they’ve also continued to get better at making their own original creations, whether based on licenses or wholly their own. These two new Tomb Raider tables, at a minimum, do at least come out of the gate feeling pretty good. I appreciate first and foremost that their layouts and flow of play are distinct from one another, and that they really don’t feel in any substantial way like re-skinned versions of some other classic table, even if they may borrow an element here or there. 

In the case of Secrets of Croft Manor you have a more classic design with plenty of ramps, a variety of modes that will test your shot-making skills, and a single-flipper upper playfield for a little odd variety. You’ll have to shoot towards the center fireplace quite a lot since it is what will trigger new modes, and many of them will also require you to shoot at it as well. In particular I thought the hedge maze mode, which will really force you to be precise with where you hit the center area, was a nice touch. I’m not sure that it distinguishes itself as being incredible, but it plays well, is attractive, and generally feels good.

The other table, Adventures of Lara Croft, I didn’t find I was nearly as much of a fan of, despite its obvious efforts to be more exciting with some interactive moments you couldn’t have with a traditional table. With a much more open field and an abundance of shots to be made across the center, many of which will hold and then somewhat unreliably return your ball, it can be frustrating to play. With this table the flow, seemingly by design, is not very good as the ball is regularly being held up, making it a bit less fun. While in theory some of its special play areas could have compensated for this, the upper-right area that features an arcade-style shooting gallery isn’t intuitive and plays poorly, and the mid-right section that feels extracted from the Indiana Jones table is hard to judge visually, making it disappointing as well. I’ve absolutely endured worse tables, both physical and digital, in my time, but this one struggles in a variety of areas.

That makes the overall value proposition a bit of a tough one, even moreso if you happen to love the Tomb Raider franchise. The license, overall, feels well-utilized, and the tables generally look pretty great in terms of their visuals and how they embrace Lara Croft and her adventures. Unfortunately, the design of the tables ranges from middle-of-the-road to somewhat flawed, making them lose some of that appeal since ultimately it’s how the tables play that dictates their status. While they’re hardly without merit, I’d say they’re middling at best when put together among the many table options out there for the platform.