Zen Pinball 2 – Star Wars Pinball: Rogue One Review

DLC’s can be hard to review, especially for a game like Zen Pinball 2 that does not follow a standard story arch or include a wide range of mechanics. DLC is often a shorter experience which makes it harder to talk about compared to a 10-12 hour game. Thankfully the Star Wars: Rogue One DLC is an enjoyable piece of side content that is easy to discuss and should put a smile on any fans face, even if it has some small issues.

The DLC is simple, a Rogue One based table that allows players to live through basic plot points form the latest Star Wars hit. All the usual Zen 2 rules apply, naturally at its heart, the DLC is still a pinball game. The player needs to spell out “ROGUE” in order to progress and see the various story related levels/modes. There are 10 in total ranging from evading patrols in order to sneak into the Holy City on Jedha to the Battle of Scarif where the player has to defeat an AT-ACT. None of them particularly spoil the film but the player should certainly see the film before playing the DLC.

It’s the attention to detail that helps the DLC thrive. The audio in particular is great, the developers nailed the familiar Star Wars atmosphere. It’s not surprising, the developers behind Zen Pinball 2 have repeatedly shown its audience that care and attention goes into each and every property they work on. The board itself is clean and sleek, unlike some of the more cluttered boards Zen Pinball 2 features. However it is disappointing that the main artwork on the board is just pictures of the characters faces. It would have been nice to see something different and not what can essentially be called poster artwork.

Other boards have nailed their theme better. For example Marvel’s Civil War board feels like a much better experience that includes more interesting modes and cool moments. That’s not to say the Rogue One board is bad, however it feels more basic when compared to the other DLC Zen Pinball 2 offers. More complicated rules and goals would make the experience much more enjoyable. The Rogue One board feels more like classic pinball then it does the crazy and odd Zen 2 boards players have come to expect.

Rogue One features some odd little issues. The Rogue One DLC continues the Zen Pinball 2 trend of having weird trophies. Not a DLC focused negative, but as usual, it’s always worth pointing out. At times the board also uses odd controls. One of the modes requires the player to try and shoot down enemy ships. This is controlled using L2 and R2. I appreciate the attempt to keep things consistent, but using those buttons to aim feels odd and out of place.

It’s hard to find any major negatives with Zen Pinball 2 latest DLC – Star Wars Pinball: Rogue One. Even the ones I have pointed out are not game breaking. It barely affects the experience. The Rogue One DLC is simple and does what it says on the tin. Anyone that has played any of Zen Pinball 2’s DLC’s will know exactly what they are getting. There is nothing new or surprising here but there is nothing wrong with that, it is a solid and fun experience that fans of the film will enjoy.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 4 code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.