If playing purely for score, focus specifically on multiballs. Complete the M-T-L top lanes to light the left in lane for Cryo Claw, then go through that in lane to light the right ramp for Claw, then choose Lock Freeze. Selecting Lock Freeze will light multiball at the left orbit, or start multiball with one bonus ball if multiball was already lit.
If playing for game progress and wizard mode, do the above to light the Cryo Claw, but instead play each of the 5 modes. Starting the 5th Claw mode lights the Computer shot from the upper flipper for Demolition Time wizard mode.
The plunge is automatic and always the same power. It will come down the left orbit, which is the shot just above the upper left flipper- the left orbit is not the leftmost shot in the whole game like it is in many other games. As the ball comes to the upper left flipper off the plunge, make a reflex shot into the side ramp for the Skill Shot. This scores 5,000,000 points the first time and an additional 5,000,000 points on top of the previous award each subsequent time, and also increases the base value of Combos by 1,000,000. The ball will be fed to the left in lane/lower left flipper.
To light multiballs, you need to collect Freezes, which are basically what this game calls Locks. There are two ways to make freezes: Quick Freeze and Cryo-Claw.
To make a Quick Freeze, hit the 5 yellow standup targets around the playfield (one to the left of the left orbit by the upper flipper; one between the left ramp and center shot; and three surrounding the right ramp) to light the right in lane. The yellow targets also score an increasing value beginning at 1,000,000 and increasing by 1,000,000 with each subsequent target, up to a max of 20,000,000, with the value resetting each ball. Going through the lit right in lane will in turn light the left ramp for Quick Freeze. Despite the name, there is no time limit for collecting the Quick Freeze. Making the Quick Freeze locks 1 ball toward multiball.
To use the Cryo-Claw, first complete the M-T-L top lanes. The easiest way to make it up to the top lanes is via the center shot. Lit M-T-L lanes can be rotated via lane change with either flipper. Completing M-T-L lights the left in lane for Light Cryo-Claw; make the left lane to qualify the Claw at the right ramp. The right ramp shot will trap the ball in the claw in the back left of the game. Use the triggers on the gun-handles attached to the game to move the Claw, and the button on top to drop the ball. The award you're looking for is Lock Freeze, which is second from the left. If multiball was not already lit, this award gives you all of the freezes required for the next multiball, then lights that multiball at the left orbit. If multiball was already lit, Lock Freeze will start that multiball with however many locks were required, plus one.
A word of warning: by default, you can collect Lock Freeze any time the Claw shot is ready. However, it is a common adjustment on a slightly broken machine or in competition play to disable the Claw entirely, forcing the awards to be given in a set order. This makes the Claw much less reliable for giving Freezes. Don't commit to getting all of your Freezes from the Claw unless you know the Claw is enabled.
Freezes can also be given as awards from the left orbit mystery or the Computer, which are both explained later.
There are 4 multiballs in Demolition Man. They are always played in the order listed below. Each multiball has a minimum number of Freezes required to light and start it. However, by taking more Quick Freezes, you can start a multiball with more than the minimum number of balls, up to a maximum of 5. Going beyond the requirements in this way means the base jackpot value for that multiball will be higher once you do start it. Once a multiball is ready, start it by shooting the left orbit (or, alternatively, getting lucky with a strong center lane shot that bounces into the top saucer). The multiballs are:
Fortress Multiball. Requires 1 Freeze to be lit. Fortress begins as a 2-ball multiball with a 20,000,000 point jackpot, but each additional freeze after the first adds 1 more ball to the multiball and increases the starting jackpot by 5,000,000. Hit any yellow target to increase the jackpot by 2,000,000. One jackpot will be lit at a time, and they always go in the same order. Make 3 jackpots to light a Super Jackpot at the right ramp. Once a Super Jackpot has been collected, it takes 7 shots to light the next Super Jackpot. The Super Jackpot scores a double jackpot. Jackpot order always goes like this:
First super jackpot: center shot -> Computer shot -> left ramp -> right ramp for Super.
After a Super Jackpot is collected: center shot -> Computer shot -> left ramp -> right ramp -> left orbit -> right orbit -> side ramp -> right ramp for Super.
Museum Multiball. Requires 2 freezes. Begins as a 3-ball multiball with a 20,000,000 point jackpot. Like Fortress Multiball, additional freezes start Museum with 1 more ball and 5,000,000 more in the base jackpot. Each pop bumper hit increases the jackpot value by 500,000 points. All 7 major shots in the game are lit for a Jackpot: both ramps, both orbits, the center lane, the Computer, and the side ramp. Collect all 7 to light the right ramp for a Super Jackpot, which is a triple jackpot this time around. Earning a Super Jackpot relights the 7 main jackpots to repeat the sequence.
Wasteland Multiball. Requires 3 freezes. Begins as a 4-ball multiball with a 30,000,000 point jackpot. Share all the same rules as Fortress Multiball, with one caveat: hitting the Car Crash just to the left of the left orbit shot will light the next jackpot in the sequence, allowing multiple jackpots to be lit at once.
Cryo-Prison Multiball. Requires all 4 freezes, so by far the best way to light it is from the Claw if possible. Super Jackpot is immediately lit at the right ramp at a starting value of 70,000,000 points. Shoot any other major shot in the game to increase the Super Jackpot- there are no regular jackpots to score, but each one adds about 17,000,000 points to the Super Jackpot value. Once a Super Jackpot is collected, it takes one shot to any other lit arrow to relight the Super Jackpot. Subsequent Super Jackpots each take one more regular jackpot shot to relight than the previous. You can collect regular jackpots toward lighting the next Super- and even properly relight it- as soon as the animation for a Super begins, but you cannot collect another Super Jackpot until after the animation finishes, and it is quite lengthy.
After Cryo-Prison Multiball. As soon as Cryo-Prison ends, shoot the left ramp for a Demolition Jackpot. This is (sort of) a recollect of all of the jackpots you collected in the first four multiballs! The exact calculation is 15,000,000 per Fortress jackpot, plus 20,000,000 per Museum jackpot, plus 25,000,000 per Wasteland jackpot, plus 30,000,000 per Cryo-Prison super jackpot. This is usually worth more than 500,000,000 points, and can frequently be more than 1,000,000,000, so don't miss out! There is no time limit to collect the Demolition Jackpot, but it is lost if the ball drains or if another multiball is started (which will be Fortress again; the order resets).
Once per multiball, you can press the buttons on top of the gun trigger handles for a Secret Jackpot, which awards the next lit jackpot for free.
Make any major shot in the game during single ball play to light some major shots with a red triangle for a Combo. Which shots are lit depends on which one you made to start the combo: a shot that feeds the ball to the left flipper will light the right ramp, right orbit and center lane; a shot that feeds the right flipper will light the left orbit and left ramp; a shot that feeds the upper flipper will light the Computer and the side ramp. Shots lit with a red arrow score a Combo, which is counted over the course of the game. Combos automatically unlight after a few seconds. The first combo scores the base combo value, which is typically 5,000,000 points but can be increased 1,000,000 at a time with successful skill shots. Additional combos made before all combos on the table unlight each score 1,000,000 more than the previous combo.
Every 10 combos lights the Computer for an award. The exact award you get is randomly selected, but you'll be able to see what the next award is as soon as the previous one is collected. Possible awards include:
Reaching 12 and 50 combos lights the left orbit for an extra ball.
The Claw was discussed a bit in the Multiball section above in relation to Lock Freeze. This section discusses the other four Cryo-Claw mode possibilities. But first, a recap on how to light and use the Claw:
The 5 Claw mode awards are:
After starting all 5 Claw modes, shoot the Computer to start Demolition Time. The game freaks out and celebrates and such before starting a 3-ball multiball. Complete the 5 yellow targets to add a ball to the playfield. The starting jackpot value, with 3 balls in play, is 35,000,000 points, which applies to every major shot in the game. Each ball added to the playfield adds 10,000,000 to the shot value (max of 55,000,000 at 5 balls), and each ball lost subtracts 10,000,000 from the value. Demolition Time lasts for as long as more than one ball is in play. A strong Demolition Time round can be worth well over 1,000,000,000 points.
The captive ball on the very far left of the game. Hitting this captive ball scores the Retina Value, which starts at 5,000,000 points and increases by 100,000 points for each pop bumper hit over the course of the game.
The 1st Retina Scan, and every 4th after that, starts Explode Hurry-up; the four ramps and orbits are lit for Explode, and a hurry-up is displayed on the DMD that starts at 15,000,000 and counts down to 5,000,000. Hit a lit Explode shot to collect the award and add 10,000,000 to the award for the next Explode shot.
The 3rd Retina Scan lights extra ball.
A captive car toy (?) between the Retina Scan and left orbit. Hit the car to score and advance the lit value shown on the nearby inserts. Hitting the car so hard that the second car behind it flies up and registers a target in the back of the game awards double the lit value. Car Crash values are 3,000,000, then 6,000,000, then 10,000,000, and the sequence only resets between balls.
When not lit for a multiball start, the left orbit shot is a mystery award that can give any of the following values:
Demolition Man has a conventional in/out lane setup. The left in lane lights for Access Claw after completing the M-T-L lanes, and going through the lit lane lights the right ramp for Cryo-Claw. The right in lane lights Quick Freeze on the left ramp when lit, and is lit by completing the yellow standup targets. The out lanes cannot be lit for any particular value.
Bonus is counted as 10,000,000 points for each Cryo-Claw used during the game, plus 1,000,000 points for each combo made during the game, plus 1,000,000 points for each combo made by flipping the ball with the gun triggers, all multiplied by the bonus multiplier. Bonus multiplier maxes at 5X and can be raised by completing the M-T-L lanes or from a left orbit mystery award. Advancing to 5X bonus for the first time in a game lights an extra ball at the left orbit. Base bonus is held over from ball to ball because all components of the bonus are tracked over the entire game. Bonus multiplier is only held to the next ball from the Hold Bonus left orbit mystery award. The full bonus with multiplier can be collected as a Computer award.
The manual says that specials score 1,000,000 points on the competition/novelty setting, but not only do I think this is incorrect (like other mid-90s Bally/Williams games), I don't actually know where on this table a special can be collected. Oh well. Extra balls cannot be set to a point value, they are either on or off.
There is a ball save at the start of each ball. The ball save can be set to 5-15 seconds (default 9). The number of times the ball save can be used in a game can be set from anywhere 0-5.
The number of combos needed for a Computer award can be anywhere from 6 to 15.
The Claw can be disabled outright. If it is, right ramp shots when Cryo-Claw is lit will award the Claw awards in order. This setting was intended to be used when the claw is mechanically broken, but the Claw will often be disabled for competition play to prevent people from constantly going for Lock Freeze and ignoring 70% of the game's features. Separately from this are settings that change how often the Claw or the Access are lit for free (each ball, each game, never) and whether lit Claws persist between balls.
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