Review: Pinball FX – Williams Pinball: Elvira and the Party Monsters (Nintendo Switch)

It’s time to party like it’s 1989, with Elvira and the Party Monsters. It’s a year I look back on fondly, even if I was too young to appreciate it at the time. Of course, I remember it more for summer blockbusters and the start of the peak NES era, not this “Mistress of the Dark.” But that doesn’t mean I’m not nostalgic for the Party Monsters, because I am.

And nostalgia is a very good thing in this case, because this is the fourth Pinball FX DLC I’ve reviewed this year alone. Memories keep me from feeling burnt out. I first experienced Party Monsters a few years after its release, in video form on my Atari Lynx. Many years later, I’d own a much closer approximation of the real deal via the Pinball Arcade. Now with Pinball FX, I can experience the most “faithful recreation” yet.

Party Monsters promises players “a frightful evening packed with creepy creatures.” In reality, it’s more of a fun-filled evening packed with campy creatures. Ghastly this is not, with its bright and colorful presentation. The boogie man, Frankenstein, and the wolfman are at their wackiest. There’s even Dracula, arriving via “Taxi” from Williams Pinball Volume 9, perhaps? And this is just to name a few; it is a party after all. The remaining monstrous guests I’ll leave as a surprise.

I was rusty, but muscle memory must’ve quickly come back. Party Monsters is one of the easier tables to achieve multiball on, as you only need to get a trio of balls into the skull cave, accessible via the far left.  Of course, I don’t mind, as this game lacks any ball saver. So, don’t hesitate to check out the “Practice” mode (the only one with a default ball save) and focus on the scoring areas you need to. Things have a way of evening out at this party, advantageous for players who were dropping 50 cents all those decades ago.

Music (typically a focus of mine) tends to stand out less when I’m playing pinball games due to all the table sound effects. Party Monsters is an exception, with highly memorable tunes. You could say some of that stems from my youth and the unique sound of the Atari Lynx, and that’d be fair. Still, Party Monsters sounds great on the Nintendo Switch, with tracks that really complement the visual presentation. Various vocal clips from Elvira augment the audio package and the game as a whole.

Earlier, I joked about the 50-cent cost, but “Elvira is no cheap date,” even all these years later. At $9.99 for a single table, this doesn’t mesh with Zen Studios’ recent pricing structure. I get licensing and all. But Tomb Raider Pinball would’ve had the same issue, but gave you two tables for the same price. It’s something to consider moving forward. Because, unless you have nostalgia, Party Monsters is easy to wishlist for a future sale (along with its follow-up, Scared Stiff), while you play some other DLC that offers more bang for your buck.

Elvira and the Party Monsters embraces its campy theme, with a bright and vivid presentation, backed up by an impressive audio package. This table offers plenty to keep you busy, with a range of scoring challenges. It’s arguable if it’s worth the launch price of $9.99. But if and when you pick this up, don’t be surprised if your thoughts line up with Elviras’ invitation, “How ’bout another ball”?