Monster Bash

Williams, 1998 — shot-by-shot rules and strategy guide.

Open Monster Bash in the Pinball Genie app →

Design George Gomez, software Lyman Sheats. A two-flipper fan layout in the Attack From Mars family, plus three toys: Frankenstein on his operating table, a Dracula figure that rides a track across the mid-right playfield, and the Creature glowing under a translucent lagoon window. Reissued by Chicago Gaming in 2018 (Classic / Special / Limited) — all edition differences are cosmetic/hardware; the ruleset is identical to the 1998 original.

The objective: form the band

Six classic monsters each have a mode. Starting a mode collects that monster; completing it collects that monster's instrument:

• Creature — How to start: 4 lagoon (left eject) shots; How to complete: Clear all 5 major shots — escalating 1M–5M hurry-ups, 20s each; Instrument: Saxophone
• Wolfman — How to start: 4 combined loop shots (moon phases); How to complete: Collect four loop hurry-ups (1M→4M) in one Full Moon Fever; Instrument: Drums
• Bride — How to start: 3 shots on each ramp (Ball & Chain); How to complete: 3 more per ramp in 30s (Mosh Pit resets timer ×3); scoring then triples; Instrument: Microphone
• Frankenstein — How to start: 7 hits on his target bank, then the exposed center ramp → 3-ball multiball; How to complete: 6 Super Jackpots off Frank (Double/Triple Supers via 2/3 intervening jackpots); Instrument: Keyboard
• Mummy — How to start: 60 jet hits, start at scoop; How to complete: Score 7.5M in 45s of Mayhem Jackpots; Instrument: Bass
• Dracula — How to start: Spell D-R-A-C-U-L-A (D-R-A free), start at scoop; How to complete: Hit the moving Dracula 5× (2X while moving); Instrument: Guitar

All modes are timed — and every mode timer freezes during any multiball while the modes stay playable. That is the game's defining strategy: start several modes, start a multiball (ideally Frankenstein's, last), then finish the modes with the clocks stopped. "Better to start two things than finish one."

Multiballs and wizard modes

• Mosh Pit Multiball — 6 center-lane spinner shots light it, start at the scoop. Begins 2-ball; more Mosh Pit shots add balls (to 4). Jackpots 750K + 5K per lifetime Mosh Pit shot (cap 1.5M); ladder: 10 Frank-ramp shots = Super (~7–10M), then 5 raised red targets = a 3X second Super, repeat forever.
• Monster Bash (mini-wizard, 4-ball) — light by starting all six modes; start at the scoop. Every monster shot 2M; the center lane cashes Bash Jackpots of 2M + 500K per monster bashed (max 7.5M). Reaching it "should just about guarantee a replay."
• Monsters of Rock (wizard, 4-ball) — light by completing all six modes (all six instruments); start at the scoop. Start bonus alone: 5M per instrument + 25M per complete set (≥55M), +50M if you never started Monster Bash. Monsters 4M each; shooting all six monster shots = MOR Jackpot (4M × set completions), Mosh Pit spots monsters toward the lap.
• Lyman's Lament — the scoop's mystery tours concert venues; the 44th non-multiball visit plays the programmer's secret award (+25X bonus, boosted switch values).

Everything else

• Skill shot: auto-plunge into the flashing D-I-G top lane — 150K + a Monster Bomb.
• Monster Bombs: launch-button "smart missiles," one flavor per monster (Garlic Clove, Hair Dryer, Ancient Scroll, Silver Bullet, Spear Gun, Flaming Torch); each spots a shot in its mode. Earned from the skill shot, every 3rd/9th/15th Mosh Pit shot, scoop awards, and extra DRACULA spell-outs.
• Instrument Bonus: each instrument lights the five major shots for ~1M "victory lap" collects on that ball.
• Multipliers: no playfield-X system — only end-of-ball Bonus X (bonus = switch count × X), advanced by D-I-G completions and the Tomb Treasure standup (+1X each); Hold Bonus X from the scoop. 20–30X is routine; bonus is modest, so don't play for it.
• Extra balls: ~3 monsters started (renews after each Monster Bash), 12 Mosh Pit shots (operator-adjustable), or scoop award — collect at the scoop. Special on alternating outlanes at ~4 instruments.
• Phantom Flip: 7 hits on the three blue standups earn 2 auto-flips on the inlanes (carries over; often disabled in tournaments — it misses most shots).
• Danger notes: the Mosh Pit lane and right-ramp misses feed the center drain; Frank rejects and Dracula bounces are drain hazards in single-ball play; ramps + lagoon + scoop are the safe diet.

Goals in Monster Bash

Every goal below is tracked step-by-step, with shot paths drawn on the playfield map, inside the app.

• D-I-G Skill Shot skillshot · Easy

  Every ball starts with one decision: put the plunge into the flashing D-I-G lane. The points are small but the Monster Bomb it awards spots a shot in whichever mode you fire it during.

  Reward: 150K + a random Monster Bomb

• Creature Feature mode · Medium

  The Creature from the Black Lagoon's mode: start it at the lagoon, then clear all five major shots for escalating hurry-ups. The most valuable mode to stack under a multiball.

  Reward: Saxophone + hurry-ups scaling 1M to 5M

• Full Moon Fever mode · Medium

  The Wolfman lives on the loops: four combined loop shots complete the moon phases and start four consecutive loop hurry-ups. Collect all four in one run for the Drums.

  Reward: Drums (all 4 hurry-ups in one run)

• Mummy Mayhem mode · Hard

  The hardest mode to light: 60 jet-bumper hits, then start at the scoop and race to 7.5M in 45 seconds while everything scores. Practically beats itself if stacked under a multiball.

  Reward: Bass + 250K per second remaining

• Drac Attack mode · Medium

  Spell D-R-A-C-U-L-A on the red standups, start at the scoop, then hit the Count as he cruises his playfield track. Five hits take his Guitar.

  Reward: Guitar after 5 Dracula hits

• Ball & Chain 3X Ramp Farm combo · Medium

  The Bride's mode is the game's premier repeatable farm: the left ramp feeds the left flipper, which shoots the right ramp, which feeds the right flipper, which shoots the left ramp — forever. Finish the Microphone and every ramp is worth 3M.

  Reward: Microphone, then 3M per ramp shot

• Mosh Pit Super Jackpot Cycle combo · Hard

  Inside Mosh Pit Multiball an explicitly infinite ladder: ten Frank-ramp shots for the Super Jackpot, five hits on the raised red targets for a 3X second Super, repeat.

  Reward: ~7-10M Super, then a 3X second Super, repeatable

• Triple Super Jackpot Line combo · Hard

  The efficient Frankenstein Multiball sequence: weave exactly three regular jackpots between Frank hits so every bash cashes a Triple Super and counts as three Frank hits toward the Keyboard.

  Reward: Triple Super = 3 Frank hits in one shot

• Bash Jackpot Loop combo · Medium

  The Monster Bash farm loop: bash several monsters at 2M each to build the Bash Jackpot, then cash it at the center lane for up to 7.5M — and start building again.

  Reward: Up to 7.5M per center-lane cash-in

• Monsters of Rock Jackpot Lap combo · Hard

  The wizard mode's repeatable lap: shoot all six monster shots once each for the Monsters of Rock Jackpot, with the Mosh Pit spotting monsters along the way. Repeat laps for repeat jackpots.

  Reward: MOR Jackpot = 4M x full-set completions, per lap

• Frankenstein Multiball multiball · Medium

  Assemble Frank with seven target-bank hits, then shoot the ramp his bank was hiding. Never start it bare — stack modes first so their timers freeze.

  Reward: Keyboard after 6 Super Jackpots

• Mosh Pit Multiball multiball · Medium

  Six spinner-lane shots light it, the scoop starts it, and the same lane adds balls once it's running. High value, high risk — the lane faces the drain.

  Reward: Jackpots to 1.5M + the Super Jackpot ladder

• Monster Bash (Mini-Wizard) multiball · Hard

  Start — not finish — all six monster modes and the scoop lights the game's namesake 4-ball. Rule of thumb: getting here should just about guarantee a replay.

  Reward: 2M monster shots + Bash Jackpots to 7.5M

• Bonus X via D-I-G multiplier · Easy

  Monster Bash has no playfield multipliers — multiplier play is entirely end-of-ball Bonus X, advanced at the top lanes. Take completions when they're free.

  Reward: +1 Bonus X per D-I-G completion

• Tomb Treasure Multiplier multiplier · Medium

  The big standup halfway up the Mosh Pit lane is the other Bonus X source: +1X per hit plus a chunk of points, and it gets hit constantly by accident in multiball.

  Reward: +1X Bonus X + ten jet hits' points per hit

• Monsters of Rock (Wizard) wizard · Hard

  Collect all six instruments — complete every mode — and the scoop starts the full band. Starting it alone pays at least 55M, and 50M more if you never started Monster Bash on the way.

  Reward: 55M+ at start; 4M monsters; jackpot 4M x sets

• Beginner: First 30 Seconds strategy · Easy

  Safe progress per risk unit: skill shot, then ramps and loops that feed three monsters at once. Avoid Frank, Dracula and the center lane until you have a multiball running.

  Reward: Three monsters started fast — the extra-ball path

• The Stack: Modes into Frank Multiball strategy · Hard

  The tournament line. Mode timers freeze during any multiball but the modes stay playable — so bring several monsters to the brink, start them, then start Frankenstein Multiball last and finish everything with the clocks stopped.

  Reward: Frozen timers — bank instruments in bulk

• Lyman's Lament Setup strategy · Hard

  The scoop's mystery tours 'monstrous' concert venues; the 44th non-multiball visit plays the programmer's secret award and supercharges your bonus. Time it just before a multiball.

  Reward: +25X Bonus X and boosted switch values