Scoring on Phantom of the Opera is dominated by the left ramp. Practice being able to loop this left ramp repeatedly. Ramp shots award letters in Phantom. As soon as you earn the M, keep shooting the ramp consecutively, and you'll earn 1,000,000 points per shot until you miss. The left ramp also doubles your score on the final ball of the game if your first ramp of the ball is turned into a two ramp combo. If the left ramp is unviable, play for multiball by shooting the 3 organ targets to open it, locking 1 ball for 2-ball play, locking both balls for 3-ball play, hitting any target to open the organ again, then shooting in the organ for jackpot.
At the start of each ball in play, the skill shot is available. The skill shot is not available at the start of an earned extra ball or immediately after a lock. One of the three top lanes will be flashing, and the flashing lane cannot be moved with lane change. Plunge the ball into the flashing lane to score 100,000 points times the number of the current ball in play, and also immediately open the Organ for lock #1.
The top lanes can be reaccessed during gameplay via pop bumper luck or a shot to the right orbit. Roll through an unlit lane to light it. This time, lit lanes can be rotated using lane change with either flipper; both flippers move the lanes in the same direction. Completing the top lanes starts the 20-second Raise Jackpot mode with an initial multiplier of 1x. Completing the top lanes again during this time will increase the multiplier by 1 up to a maximum of 5x. Each switch hit during Jackpot Raise will increase the jackpot by 1,000 points times the current multiplier. The jackpot maxes out at 2,000,000 points. If Raise Jackpot is started during 2-ball or 3-ball multiball, the starting per-switch value will always be 5,000 points regardless of multiplier. Starting 2-ball play or 3-ball play will instantly end Jackpot Raise if it is in progress.
Completing the top lanes also lights the right spinner for 5,000 points per spin for one shot.
Each shot to the left ramp adds a letter to the word Phantom. The P in Phantom scores 20,000 points, and subsequent letters are each worth 5,000 more than the previous one. As soon as the M is collected, Unlimited Millions begins. The left ramp is now worth 1,000,000 points per shot until you go 5 seconds without shooting the ramp again. This is the best regularly available scoring opportunity in the game, and highest scores on Phantom of the Opera are determined by who can loop the left ramp the most, especially on the first two balls of the game.
If your first ramp shot on the final ball of the game is immediately turned into a two-ramp combo, your entire score at that moment will be doubled. This is always available to all players in the game and does not have its difficulty affected by what your current score actually is. This is even more reason to master being able to consecutively shoot the left ramp at any time.
Shooting the left ramp immediately after the right in lane is triggered- which includes a consecutive ramp combo- means the ramp will give you a Catwalk Mystery score as well. The game doesn't tell you how much the mystery was worth if you score it, but based on careful score-watching, it seems like the mystery can be any multiple of 5,000 points between 25,000 and 100,000.
The Organ consists of three standup targets at the top of a short but steep ramp. The ramp can open to reveal a very wide scoop inside. During single ball play, hit each of the three targets at the top of the ramp to open the scoop, and shoot the ball inside to start 2-ball multiball.
During 2-ball multiball, the organ scoop is constantly open, and the goal is to "kidnap the girl" by shooting both balls into the organ scoop within 10 seconds of each other. This starts 3-ball multiball.
The organ scoop starts closed during 3-ball multiball. Hitting any of the three targets at the top of the organ ramp will open the organ for a jackpot for 7 seconds. Putting a ball into the scoop before the time runs out wins the jackpot. The jackpot is a progressive style jackpot that starts at (a measly) 100,000 points and builds up across players, balls, and games via the Jackpot Raise mode mentioned above. The jackpot maxes out at 2,000,000 points and is reset back to 100,000 when collected. Only one jackpot is available per multiball; use the remainder of multiball after scoring a jackpot to start building the next jackpot, or hold a ball or two on the left flipper and use the right flipper to shoot the left ramp until the cows come home.
Scores a forgettable 500 points per spin when not lit, but lighting the spinner from the Trap Door mystery award or a completion of the top lanes will make it worth 5,000 per spin for one shot, which can be decently valuable.
Making a right spinner lane shot that gets back to the top lanes immediately after the ball rolled through the left in lane scores a Secret Chamber Mystery score, which I can only assume follows the same rules as the Catwalk Mystery score for a right in lane -> left ramp shot.
The first four shots to the center Magic Mirror scoop increase the bonus multiplier one step at a time up to the maximum of 5x. The fifth shot to the Magic Mirror lights one of the out lanes for extra ball, and the sixth Magic Mirror shot holds your base bonus over to the next ball. After that, the Magic Mirror just awards a few points (10,000?). Balls shot into the Magic Mirror are kicked out of the Trap Door on the right.
This scoop gives a random mystery award, which can be any of the following:
If the Laser Kick kickback in the left out lane has been used, shooting the Trap Door at any time will relight it.
The left standup targets are the grasshoppers, and the right standup targets are the scorpions. Hit a flashing target to light it. At the start of the ball, one of 4 random awards was picked for you: 100,000 points, 50,000 and hold bonus, light extra ball, or light special. Lighting all 3 targets in both banks scores the randomly picked award and rerolls the next award. Each award can only be given once per ball except for the 100,000 points. The game will also almost always pick 100,000 points at the start of each ball unless it has been a long time since someone scored an extra ball on the machine. There is no way to choose or change the award other than to collect it or drain the ball.
Phantom of the Opera has a conventional in/out lane setup. The slingshots and in/out lanes are rather tall, with the slingshot firing surface being more vertical than most. In lanes score 15,000 points and light the opposite shot (right spinner from left in lane, left ramp from right in lane) for a mystery score. Out lanes score 25,000 points and are lit alternately for extra ball by shooting the Magic Mirror once after reaching 5x bonus. There is a kickback in the left out lane that is lit at the start of each ball, unlights once used, and is relit by shooting the Trap Door scoop on the right.
I'm not sure exactly what increases the bonus, but it doesn't seem to be very many things- perhaps only the left ramp and the grasshopper/scorpion targets. Bonus multiplier is easily increased one at a time up to 5x at the Magic Mirror scoop. The highest I've seen base bonus go is 75,000 points, but I am not sure if this is truly the cap. Regardless, bonus tends not to be worth very many points. Base bonus can be held to the next ball as one of the possible awards for completing the grasshopper/scorpion targets or by shooting the Magic Mirror two times after achieving 5x bonus. Bonus multiplier can never be held from ball to ball, and there is no mid-ball bonus collect.
All copyrighted names and terms in this document belong to their respective owners. The information provided in this document is for educational purposes only and no infringement is intended.
Back to top To game list To main page