Complete any set of coloured targets (red, blue, yellow, or the green top lanes) to challenge that racer. To defeat a challenged racer, shoot the left spinner and the ball will end up in the backbox playfield. Shoot where lit coloured arrows are pointing to defeat racers. Defeat all 4 and lock will light in the backbox playfield as well. In multiball, lock one ball at the back center saucer on the main playfield, then get to the backbox playfield and hit the captive ball at the top for a 1,000,000 jackpot. In single ball play, the Cliff Jump at the top of the backbox playfield scores increasing points up to 200,000, which can be doubled if you hit all three A-B-C targets in that trip to the backbox along the way (this is a safer but more boring strategy on its own). Laps, typically earned at the right ramp, contribute to base bonus and progress toward extra balls, and are doubly important to get early on since base bonus carries between balls and the right ramp spots coloured targets prior to the first multiball.
The skill shot is a precise power plunge that follows the lit red arrows in the back of the game and enters the saucer. The ball will instantly be taken to the backbox playfield, and one of the four racers will be qualified for free if none were already lit. The skill shot also scores 100,000 points the first time, and an additional 100,000 each subsequent time up to a max of 500,000. The skill shot is very difficult to master.
There are three each of red standup targets (left), blue standup targets (also left), yellow standup targets (scattered around the playfield) and green top lanes. Hit a flashing target or roll through an unlit lane to light it. Light all three targets of one colour to qualify that racer: Blue Beard, Yellow Belly, Green Machine, and Red Hot. Shooting the saucer in the back of the main playfield between the bumpers spots one target of one colour, prioritizing whichever one is closest to being completed.
When at least one racer is qualified but not defeated, the Hill lane will be lit, and the ball can be taken to the backbox playfield to defeat those opponents. Qualifying each opponent also lights one of that colour's targets on the Freestyle portion of the backbox playfield, explained later. If all 4 opponents are qualified but not all of them are defeated, all racer targets will reset, and completing a colour again will light the second target of that colour on the Freestyle playfield. If all four colours are completed a second time in this way before all four opponents are defeated, the targets will reset again, and completing a colour for a third time will instantly defeat that opponent.
When at least one target on the Freestyle part of the backbox playfield is lit (effectively the same as whenever an opponent is qualified but not defeated), shooting the lower playfield saucer between the flippers drops a ball in the Freestyle game. This is a flipperless area where the ball bounces around. If the ball hits a lit target, the corresponding opponent is instantly defeated.
When the ball enters the Hill saucer when lit, a magnet will pull it up to the backbox playfield. There are two main parts to this playfield. In general, it is easier to aim and keep the ball under control if you try to backhand all shots for as long as you are on the backbox playfield.
The lower part of the backbox playfield contains two flippers, two loop shots, one up shot, and four standup targets. The left loop shot defeats Yellow Belly if he has been qualified. The right loop shot defeats Blue Beard. The center standup target defeats Green Machine. The A-B-C targets, when all three are lit, will double the Cliff Jump value that is scored if the ball reaches the top of the table. The "up" shot, marked Lock, takes the ball to the upper part of the backbox playfield.
There is a post between the two flippers of this part of the playfield. This post is always on when the ball first enters the backbox playfield, and retracts after 12 seconds if no multiball has been played or 7 seconds if it has.
The upper part of the playfield just consists of one mini flipper, two shots, and a place for the ball to drain. When the ball is kicked to this upper region from the lower region, hold the left flipper up, and the ball should settle on the mini flipper. Shoot the captive ball to instantly earn 1 lap and qualify 2x Cliff Jump if you did not collect A-B-C from the lower level. The path upwards will collect the Cliff Jump value and defeat Red Hot if he was lit. The Cliff Jump starts at 50,000 points, increases by 25,000 to a max of 200,000 with additional Cliff Jumps, and can be doubled by hitting the captive ball or completing A-B-C on that trip up the hill. The drain in the upper part of this playfield puts the ball back on the main playfield, rather than returning to the lower part of the backbox playfield.
Defeating any opponent scores 50,000 points and increases your rank in the motorcycle race by one. Defeating all 4 main opponents puts you in second place and lights the lock.
After defeating the 4 main opponents, Lock is lit at the "up" shot on the lower playfield of the backbox game. Locking a ball scores 100,000 points and feeds a second pinball to the plunger. 2-ball multiball begins as soon as that second ball hits any switch in the game. The first ball will then drain out of the backbox playfield, with no control over the backbox flippers so the second ball will enter the main playfield as well. During multiball, the right ramp always gives 2 Laps instead of 1. To earn the jackpot, first lock one ball at the main playfield's back saucer. Then, within about 20 seconds, shoot the Hill shot to enter the backbox game. The time limit before the first lock kicks out is paused in the backbox game, so take your time here. Jackpot is always 1,000,000 points and is collected at the captive ball at the top of the backbox game. If you are greedy and collect A-B-C on the way up, the captive ball will give an instant extra ball in addition to the 1,000,000 points. After collecting the jackpot, there is no way to get a ball to the backbox playfield after it leaves, but you can continue hitting the captive ball for 250,000 points plus 1 Lap each until the ball does drain. Also after collecting a jackpot, the right ramp gives a 250,000 point Victory Lap Bonus with each hit in addition to the actual 2 Lap award. When single ball play resumes, the ramp loses its 2-Lap status immediately, but the next shot up the ramp will scores one last 250,000 Victory Lap for the road.
Banzai Run is the first game ever to offer a multiball restart. If single ball play resumes before the jackpot is collected, you get one chance to shoot the main playfield lock saucer one more time within 23 seconds to restart multiball with the exact same rules. This is called the "rematch" and is only available once per multiball.
Lighting the Lock twice in a game will in turn light the out lanes alternately for a special.
The game starts with 1 Lap spotted for you. The right ramp and backbox captive ball always score 1 Lap. Two standup targets in the lower left and lower right of the main playfield are also both lit for 1 Lap anytime the ball exits the backbox playfield. The right ramp scores 2 ramps at any time during multiball, or immediately after a ball goes through the left in lane.
The main playfield captive ball is just to the left of the Hill shot, and can be hit directly from the flippers or by the kicker lane between the left in lane and left sllingshot. It starts at 10,000 points per hit. This increases to 25,000 after reaching 3 Laps and 50,000 after reaching 6 Laps. At 8 Laps, this captive ball is also lit for an extra ball. The captive ball value is shown at the mouth of the kicker lane rather than in front of the captive ball.
Reaching 25 Laps scores the Finish Line bonus of 750,000 points and an instant extra ball. Laps can continue to be scored past the finish line, up to the max of 39 laps (even though the playfield can seemingly count up to 45). Laps each contribute 10,000 points to the end of ball bonus.
Banzai Run has a close-to-conventional in/out lane setup, but with a second lane between the standard left in lane and the left slingshot. This is a kicker lane that fires the ball directly at the main playfield's captive ball.
The left in lane lights the right ramp for 2 Laps instead of 1, and also lights the right spinner just to the left of the ramp for 3,000 points per spin. The right in lane lights the spinner in the Hill shot for 3,000 points per spin as well. Spinners score 100 points per spin when not lit.
There is a kickback in the left out lane. It unlights once used. The kickback is relit by making the saucer near the bumpers on the main playfield.
Bonus is calculated as 10,000 points per Lap earned over the course of the game (to a max of 39), plus 20,000 points per opponent defeated on that ball (maximum of 7). There is no mid-ball bonus collect, and there is no bonus multiplier at all.
In competition/novelty play, specials score 250,000 points. Extra balls cannot be set to have a point value.
At the start of the game, anywhere from 0 to all 4 opponents can be qualified for free. This is 0 by default.
The left kickback can be set to always on, on at the start of each ball, on at the start of the game with memory, off at the start of the game with memory, or off at the start of every ball.
The captive ball extra ball can be set to light after anywhere from 5 to 15 laps, or disabled. Default is 8.
The Finish Line award can be given at anywhere from 20 to 39 Laps. Default is 25.
The multiball restart can be available for 23 or 28 seconds.
The out lane specials can be lit after the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th completion of the 4 opponents, or never. Default is the 2nd time through.
The ramp can be set to spot coloured targets until 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 multiballs are played, or never. Default is 1.
When a ball is locked during multiball to qualify the jackpot, the locked ball can be set to be automatically kicked out after 1 or 2 attempts to climb the hill. Default is 2.
The center post between the lower flippers in the backbox playfield can be set to retract after 7, 12, or 16 seconds during the first race (prior to the first multiball). Default is 16. The post will always go away after 7 seconds once one multiball has been played.
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