When the arcades were in their heyday in the 80s and 90s, almost every one included an awesome looking pinball machine. As a kid I always loved seeing the unique designs of each different machine and was always amazed how many ramps, lights and other random decorations fit inside the machine. When I first loaded up Pinball Pulse on my DSi, I was surprised that the developers were able to faithfully recreate a realistic pinball machine, right down to the ball physics within a $5 DSiWare game.

In Pinball Pulse, you get one pinball board with a Greek mythology theme. Just like an authentic pinball machine, the pinball board contains an impressive amount of decorations, ramps, and obstacles. Everything you would expect in a pinball machine is found in this board. When I played this game for the first time I was shocked how realistically detailed the board was and how authentically the ball behaved as it traversed the illuminated landscape. Heck, even tilting was present; all I needed to do was give the touchscreen a nudge.

Players have the opportunity to play on the expertly-crafted board in the two available modes. The main mode is the Regular Game mode, in which players play a standard game of pinball. The other mode is the Daily Game where players try to earn as many points possible with a single ball. Once you complete a daily game, you can't access this mode until the next calendar day.

As you might expect, the game’s strength is in its presentation. As previously mentioned, the board is inspired by the real thing, and is accurate right down to the dot matrix score display. In addition, the voice acting and soundtrack is solid, lending a nice backdrop to the pinball experience..

Because the game only offers a single board, the game suffers from a lack of variety. Thankfully, it’s unlikely players will take the game on for long bursts, making the game enjoyable for a small chunk of time on a daily basis.

Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckons is a fantastic pinball video game. As a fan of actual pinball machines, it’s great to see a game that recreates that experience so faithfully. If Nintendo decides to turn Pinball Pulse into a DSiWare series, I anxiously await all future boards in the potential series.