Demon's Tilt

Lore & Background

Development of Demon's Tilt began in 2017 after an email chain between Adam Ferrando and Ralph Barbagallo of FLARB, LLC about their shared love of early 90s video pinball games. The prototype was finished in late 2017, and full development started in April 2018 after Barbagallo approached Ferrando about publishing. The game was inspired by the 16-bit Crush Pinball series, including Alien Crush, Devil's Crush, and Jaki Crush, as well as KAZe's pinball games for the Sega Saturn. Music was composed by ec2151, emulating 16-bit chiptune soundtracks with the Yamaha YM2612 as a reference for style and limitations.

Reader's Guide

Demon's Tilt is significant as a modern homage to the Crush Pinball series, blending traditional pinball with hack 'n' slash and bullet hell elements. Its three-screen board (Lilith, Hermit, Zodiac) and four pairs of flippers offer a unique, chaotic gameplay experience. The game received generally positive reviews, with PC Gamer praising its mechanics and bullet hell integration, and Rock, Paper, Shotgun highlighting its chaotic gameplay and chiptune soundtrack. Nintendo Life gave the Switch version an 8/10, noting the lack of some extra visuals compared to the PC release. The game's legacy includes being featured on PC Gamer's 'hidden gems of 2019' list and inspiring a sequel, Xenotilt, released in 2023-2024.

Did You Know?

• Demon's Tilt spans three separate screens: Lilith, Hermit, and Zodiac.
• The game features four pairs of flippers, with two on the first tier and two divided among the other tiers.
• Music was composed by ec2151, emulating the Yamaha YM2612 sound chip.
• A sequel, Xenotilt, entered Steam Early Access on August 18, 2023.