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Devlog #4   November 13, 2026

A Huge Wave of New Content Hits the Kingdom!

Breaking news from the capital: the realm has undergone its biggest transformation yet.

Since the last update, I’ve gone back through Pinball Realm’s current design and future roadmap based on all the feedback from Pins & Pegs Fest.

What I’m about to share is a huge wave of new content and changes unlike anything the kingdom has seen before.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

🔨New Content

• Controls

Added new keyboard shortcuts to make complex actions much easier to perform.

Dashing, activating skills, and many other commands should now feel much more intuitive and responsive.

• Reputation System

At the end of every run, you’ll now earn Reputation based on how far you progressed.

Reach new Reputation milestones to unlock:

              -New Bumpers

              -New Hero Balls

              -New Commanders

Every battle now brings you one step closer to expanding the kingdom’s arsenal.

• Commander System

The Commanders are placeholders no more. They’ve finally all arrived!

Take command as their supreme leader, complete objectives alongside them, and unlock powerful permanent bonuses for your Hero Balls. Give the order, Commander!

• Story

As each day of battle unfolds, all kinds of matters across the kingdom will require your attention.

From royal decrees to supplies for the front lines. The requests and reports sent by your companions will change to reflect the current state of the war.

Listen to their advice, make your decisions, and lead the kingdom toward victory!

• Relic Collection

The Magic Codex now includes a dedicated Relic Collection.

Discover them, collect them, and revisit your favorites whenever you like!

🗡Major Changes

• Redesign & Balancing

Enemy stats and attack pacing have been rebalanced, and each wave now spawns more monsters.

The goal is to make each run feel smoother, more satisfying, and more action-packed.

And now, no matter which way your Hero Ball bounces, there’s probably a whole crowd of monsters about to have a very bad day.

• Blacksmith Upgrade

The Blacksmith now handles all permanent upgrades outside of a run.

Whether you want to unlock new abilities for your Hero Balls, upgrade your Bumpers, or strengthen the kingdom’s defenses, you can now spend currency to do it all in one place.

✏Improvements：

• The browser version now runs smoothly! Just keep in mind that save data is not supported in the browser version.

• Improved the trajectory guide for Hero Ball Dashes, making it easier to predict where the ball will bounce next.

• Before launching a Hero Ball, you can now press R to switch the enemy display between HP and ATK, making it easier to choose your target.

• Added earlier access to your first new Hero Ball on lower difficulties.

• Added video demonstrations to the tutorial guide pages.

• Added controller support.

This update involved some major changes to the game’s core systems, so it took quite a bit of time to put everything together.

If you’re enjoying the current version, please consider adding Pinball Realm to your Steam Wishlist. It helps the game and all of our adorable Hero Balls reach more players!

Another thing: Please join our Discord and share your thoughts, feedback, and ideas with me. Everything you tell me helps shape Pinball Realm into a better game.😊

Discord：https://discord.gg/tJ3UUGDQq

🔨Now, I should probably get back to work.

Hopefully, it won’t be long before I’m back with more good news to share!

Hey everyone! I’ve been reworking the level design for Pinball Realm.

Originally, my idea was to give each type of enemy a different threat level, then let players decide which one they should take out first.

But after inviting some friends to playtest, I noticed something interesting: Whenever the ball started hitting several enemies in a row, they would almost always start smiling or laughing. I’m not even sure they noticed themselves doing it.

That gave me a new idea. In the new update, I’ve started increasing the number of enemies in each wave and adding more interactions between different equipment(or "Bumpers"), so players can trigger larger chain reactions and hit multiple enemies at once.

What do you think of this version so far?

You can play the latest Pinball Realm demo from my itch page. I’ve also updated the browser version, so you can try it much more easily.

If you run into any bugs or have any feedback, feel free to leave a comment!

When I let my friends try Pinball Realm, the pinball roguelite I’m currently working on, their reactions:

“There are more monsters piling up than the coins in my pocket.”

“Why do I have to fight two bosses when I only have one ball?!”

"The smile just ate my Bumper. :O"

“If you make me play this again, that would be the end of our friendship.”

My friends seem to really dislike how relentless I made the enemy waves.

I mean... Is it really that hard?

You can try it yourself on itch, there’s now a browser version, so you can play it directly in your browser!

itch：https://namepixelrobin.itch.io/pinball-realm

Hope you can beat the game. Then I can tell my friends that my design isn’t actually that ridiculous.

My game, Pinball Realm, is a Pinball Roguelite.

Over the past while, the demo has received some feedback from players.

One thing I’ve heard quite a few times is that the current gameplay feels a little lacking in direction, and that players don’t always feel very involved in what’s happening.

Here’s some data I collected from players within the game. There are some Chinese notes on this chart because my publisher is based in China.
Even just looking at the graph, you can probably tell that the player drop-off is pretty dramatic. Most players drop off within just the first few steps. ;)

I spent a long time thinking about how I could improve that, and finally, I came up with a new idea!

In the upcoming update, I’ll be adding an NPC Support System.

Now, while players are defending against enemy attacks, a group of NPCs with different personalities and responsibilities within the army will provide different kinds of support and assistance during battle.

Instead of defending the town alone, players will be fighting alongside these characters as everyone works together to hold back the monsters.

I hope this helps players feel more involved in the battle, while also making it easier to immerse themselves in the fantasy world.

I’ll keep improving the game, so I’d really appreciate more feedback.

If you’re interested, you can try the demo for free on itch and let me know what you think!

itch:https://namepixelrobin.itch.io/pinball-realm

P.S. The downloadable version is currently available. The browser version is still being adjusted and should be updated soon!

Greetings, Saviors of the Kingdom!

📚Long story short, I gave Pinball Realm’s English localization a cleanup pass!
This includes:

• standardizing key terms
• unifying text formatting
• polishing the descriptions for Bumpers

It may be just one small item in this update, but it should make a big difference to the overall experience!

If anything in the game still feels unclear, or if you run into any other issues, come join our Discord and tell me directly! I’d really love to hear your feedback.

Join us: https://discord.gg/PJkXHqtnx

Future versions of the game will continue to be released on the itch.io page:

https://namepixelrobin.itch.io/pinball-realm

Next, I’ll be focusing on what’s coming next for the game.
Hopefully, it won’t be too long before I’m back with another update!

Pinball Realm joins Pins & Pegs Fest with a new demo update!

I’m happy to share that Pinball Realm is joining Pins & Pegs Fest, and a new demo update will be released on August 17.

If you’re curious to see how roguelite mechanics can bring new twists to a pinball game, please please don't miss it! Check it out during Pins & Pegs Fest, it’s free to play!

You’ll be able to find it during the event: Pinball Realm Demo on Steam

This update adds a lot of new content, including:

- new levels

- new Bumpers

- new classes

To celebrate the update, I also made a poster! What do you think of it?

I’d love to know whether the newly added Bumpers and hero balls make the game feel more fun to play.
Welcome to join Discord to discuss game design with me!

Hope you all enjoy the bounce!

So, I recently checked out the Pins & Pegs Fest.

Before playing the games, I assumed that most of them would mainly expand on traditional pinball mechanics.

What surprised me was how many developers combined pinball with completely different genres, including roguelites and incremental games.

Some games went even further, using the basic idea of spherical objects colliding with their surroundings to create new mechanics.

Another interesting trend was how the classic pursuit of a high score has gradually been replaced by build-making and long-term progression. Instead of simply trying to keep the ball alive and score more points, many games now ask players to play with synergies, upgrades, and figure out how future runs will go.

I found a lot of interesting ideas in these games, and they’ve made me reconsider some of my own design assumptions.
Mine is a free pinball game. You can try it here: https://namepixelrobin.itch.io/pinball-realm

Honestly, I thought this would be an extremely narrow and niche category before exploring the festival. I didn’t expect to discover so many games taking the same basic concept in completely different directions.

🤔I'm curious to know what kind of game would stand out from among so many others.

Thank you sooooo much!! I will see what I can do! The demo’s difficulty is still being tuned. I’m adjusting it based on player feedback, the full version might be easier overall. 😊 And I will consider the easy mode idea! This idea is a good suggestion! 

Devlog #3 August 12, 2026

The Kingdom’s Engineers Have Unveiled Their Latest Inventions!

Greetings, Saviors of the Kingdom!

I’m back from work, and I’ve brought you the third Pinball Realm devlog!

This update comes with a whole bunch of changes, including balance adjustments for Bumpers, updated art assets, and plenty of fixes and improvements across the game.

Let’s jump right into it!

⭐New Additions

1. New Enemy Traits

• Snail: When defeated, it spits out slime that randomly disables one Bumper for the current turn and slows down Hero Balls that pass through it.
• Bat & Mech Bird: After being hit, they will fly to a random empty position.

2. New Visual Effects

• Added new interaction effects when upgrading Bumpers.
• Added a new slime-spitting effect for Snails.
• Added a new splitting effect for Slime King.
• Added small icons to the Bumper UI.
• Added a new mouse cursor skin.
• Added matching interaction effects to all book-style UI panels.

3. New Gameplay Features

• Added a new way to earn currency: Even after losing a battle, players will now receive a percentage of that town’s normal currency reward.
• Added notifications showing the currency earned after winning or losing a battle.
• Added direct stage access from the world map. You can now enter Plain Castle simply by clicking its castle.

⭐Improvements

1. Bumper Adjustments

• Revised and standardized the descriptions for Bumper special effects, making them clearer and more consistent.
• Increased the stats gained from Bumper upgrades, strengthened the majority of Bumpers.

2. Visual Improvements

• Updated the enemy art assets in The Everking’s Tower.
• Enhanced the visual effects for Hero Ball Active Skills and Dashes.
• Updated the UI design for Relics and Bumpers.

That’s everything for this update!

I’ve also polished a lot of smaller details throughout the game. Most of them are easy to overlook, but they still make a real difference to the overall experience.

Listing every single one would probably make this devlog a little too long, so I’ll leave some of them for you to discover in the game!

If you run into any issues, or if you have any thoughts or suggestions, feel free to join our Discord:

https://discord.gg/PJkXHqtnx

Your feedback is what helps guide Pinball Realm in the right direction, so please don’t hesitate to tell me what you think.

Thank you so much for playing and for helping me make the game better!

Future versions of the game will continue to be released on the itch.io page:

https://namepixelrobin.itch.io/pinball-realm

Next, I’ll keep pushing forward with the development and work on bringing all those ideas in my head into the game.

😊 I really can’t wait to show them to you, and I hope you’ll find them just as fun as I do!

Devlog #2  August 10, 2026

The Guild Mentors Are Back from Their Training at the Royal Academy!

🎉Greetings, heroes! It’s been a while!

I’m excited to be back with the second Pinball Realm devlog!

A huge thank you to everyone who has played the game and shared their honest feedback with us!

🗡Our Guild Mentors received plenty of thoughtful suggestions, so they decided it was time to sharpen their teaching skills. As a result, the game’s entire tutorial has now been completely reworked!

Let’s take a look at their teaching notes:

Tutorial Improvements:

1. Reworked Tutorial Stage 1

• Removed unrelated elements from the Bumpers tutorial, so the first stage now focuses entirely on teaching players how Bumpers work.
• Adjusted the order in which the Bumpers explanation UI appears, making the instructions easier to follow.
• Added an introduction to Bumpers and a step-by-step tutorial on how to install them.

2. Added Tutorial Stage 2

• This stage focuses on introducing the Town Upgrade system.
• Added a tutorial explaining how to use items.

3. “Emergency Quest” Is Now Tutorial Stage 3

• Added introductions to Elite enemies and Bosses.
• Added an introduction to Relics.
• Added an introduction to Bumper upgrades.
• Added an introduction to Bounties.

4. Added Tutorial Stage 4

• The Hero Ball system is now unlocked and introduced during this stage.

New Tutorials for Advanced Game Systems:

1. Added Tutorials for Region-Specific Systems

• Royal Workshop: After completing Tutorial Stage 3, a guide will appear when players enter Plain Castle and activate their first mission.
• Wheel of Fate: After completing Tutorial Stage 3, a guide will appear when players enter The Everking’s Tower and recruit their first Hero.

2. Adjusted When the Commander’s Ultimate Tutorial Appears

• During any tutorial stage, the Ultimate guide will now appear the first time the Commander’s Energy is fully charged.

Gameplay Improvements:

1. Added an Attack Range Preview for Timed Bombs

• Players can now preview the affected area before using a Timed Bomb.

2. Improved the Commander’s Dialogue Triggers

• The Commander’s advice should now appear at more appropriate moments.

3. The Tavern Hostess Now Shares Gameplay Tips

• She will occasionally offer useful tips while you play.
• Every Relic now has its own unique name.

That’s everything for this update!

The tutorial stages are the very first part of the game that every new player experiences, so I want to make them as clear and polished as possible.

If anything in the tutorial still feels unclear or confusing, please let me know directly! Your feedback is genuinely important to both me and the future of the game.

I’ll keep working hard to bring you more fun and exciting content in future updates, so please look forward to what’s coming next!

Future versions of the game will continue to be released on the itch.io page:

https://namepixelrobin.itch.io/pinball-realm

You’re also very welcome to join the Pinball Realm Discord to discuss the game, share feedback, and follow its development:

https://discord.com/invite/NKYM3YsfS

Devlog #1 July 23, 2026

The Kingdom’s Economy Has Been Reforged!

Greetings, heroes, and welcome to the first Pinball Realm devlog!

Thanks to all the feedback you’ve shared on itch and other platforms, I’ve been busy reworking the Blacksmith and the Town Upgrade shop.

Hopefully, prices across the kingdom now feel a little fairer，and you’ll have much more freedom to improve your build!

Here are the latest records from the Royal Scribe:

1. Optional Anonymous Gameplay Data Collection

I’ve added an anonymous data collection feature.

This won’t affect your gameplay. It only collects in-run gameplay data to help me better balance the items, Hero Balls, and Bumpers in the game.

If you would rather not share this data, you can disable the feature at any time in the Settings menu.

2. Main Menu Overhaul

The Main Menu has received a major visual update!

I’ve improved its art assets and optimized the layout for different languages.

3. Skill Highlights

Hero Ball skills now display an available area with a highlighted preview.

This makes it easier to see how many enemies a skill will hit, or where a new bumper will be placed before you activate it.

4. More Starting Gold at the Blacksmith

You will now begin your first visit to the Blacksmith with more Gold.

That means you’ll have more freedom to purchase the items you actually want when activate the shop.

5. Bumper Upgrades No Longer Cost Gold

Bumper upgrades now only cost Kill Points and Wanted Points.

No more spending all your Gold repairing the town walls, only to discover that you can’t afford to improve your Bumpers!

6. 6 New Town Upgrade Options

After winning a battle, you can now choose from several new Town Upgrades:

• Increase the number of Dashes available to a specific class
• Exchange Gold for Kill Points or Wanted Points
• Gain items: Remove, Swap, Timed Bomb
• Drop a screen-wide bomb that damages every enemy
• Freeze every enemy on the board for one day
• Summon a random number of meteors to strike your enemies

That’s everything included! Thank you for reading the first Pinball Realm devlog!

I hope these changes make battles feel smoother, more flexible, and much more satisfying.

Next, I’ll continue working on new stages and Bumpers, each featuring its own unique mechanics. I hope I can share them with everyone soon!

Future versions of the game will continue to be released on the itch.io page:

https://namepixelrobin.itch.io/pinball-realm

You’re also very welcome to join the Pinball Realm Discord to discuss the game, share feedback, and follow its development:

https://discord.com/invite/NKYM3YsfS

Welcome to the Pinball Realm devlog!

Pinball Realm is a pinball roguelite where you can build your own board, create chain reactions, and shape each run with different choices.

The current version already features 20+ balls, 80+ Bumpers, and two maps to explore.

As development continues, I’ll keep expanding these numbers and adding more new content to the game.

Welcome to join Discord to follow the latest development updates and discuss the game with me!

10/10, I really love this atmosphere!

I'm a fan of story-driven games, and I really like the lore.

I think the UI could be refined a bit more to make it even better!

Thank you so much for pointing that out! I’ll take some time to think it over.

I didn't notice it!! Thank you for the reminder!

I’ve been thinking about this for a long time: am I going in the wrong direction?

So I am doing my first game. It’s a pinball roguelite, like BALLIONAIRE, where players can choose what kinds of bumpers and defenses to build. The core experience is about gradually building up your defenses and turning something unpredictable into something more controllable.

( It’s still very much under construction, so please ignore the placeholders for now. )

When I took another look at the game, I started to feel that the roguelite mechanics currently don’t have enough depth.

I’ve started wondering: am I using the "roguelite" label because it genuinely fits the game, or because it feels familiar and proven?

I’d really appreciate any feedback or ideas on how I could add more gameplay depth to the current version.

Any suggestions or possible directions would be really helpful!

Here is the link (It's free): https://namepixelrobin.itch.io/pinball-realm

I’m working on a pinball roguelite called Pinball Realm, where part of the game is about defending a town from waves of enemies.

After each battle, players can loot rewards and decide whether to repair the damaged town, reinforce the walls, or invest in other ways to improve their defenses.

🧐I’m curious what people usually expect from the “successful defense” part of a strategy game（when you win).

Is repairing and strengthening the town enough to make the defense feel rewarding, or would you expect something more? For example, new defense equipment, visible town changes, stronger NPC reactions, unlocks, or some kind of long-term progression?

The demo is on itch if anyone wants more context (Download is free). I’m mostly looking for thoughts on what makes defending a town feel satisfying, but feedbacks are always welcome!😊

https://namepixelrobin.itch.io/pinball-realm

Thank you so much😭!!!

Since the balls can be easy to be ignored during the gameplay, I’m trying to make the art style more exaggerated and cartoony so the characters leave a stronger impression for players.

I’ve also been putting a lot of effort into performance optimization, hoping the game can run on as many devices as possible. If you run into any performance issues or bugs, please let me know. I’ll see what I can do! 😊