Midnight Madness mode on pinball machines
You may have noticed it before: sometimes a pinball game suddenly goes wild and triggers a mode called Midnight Madness. It’s a special multiball mode that activates unexpectedly, often leaving you wondering what you did to earn it. And strangely, it might never appear again in later games.
Midnight Madness.
Midnight Madness is a unique feature found only on a select few Bally / Williams pinball machines. As the name suggests, it’s a mode that activates precisely at midnight, based on the machine’s internal clock.
Games featuring Midnight Madness
The following machines include this special mode:
- Congo
- Dirty Harry
- Johnny Mnemonic
- Junk Yard
- NBA Fastbreak
- Who Dunnit
On some games, such as Congo, the feature can be enabled or disabled in the settings menu. To activate it, the 'Special Mode' option must be turned on. Then, when you're playing and the machine’s internal clock hits midnight, the game momentarily stops, as if the power has been cut. After a few seconds, the display announces 'Midnight Madness', often accompanied by a distinctive sound effect.
For one minute, you enter a multiball frenzy. Some machines even show additional graphics on the display when targets are hit during this mode. It’s a short but exhilarating experience that adds a layer of mystery and excitement to late-night gameplay.
The origin of Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness was the brainchild of pinball designer Dwight Sullivan. He envisioned a moment when every machine in an arcade would simultaneously light up and enter this mode at midnight. To make this dream a reality, he asked fellow programmers to include the Midnight Madness routine in their games. Some agreed, others didn’t, but the result was a handful of machines that share this hidden gem.
If you start a game on Junk Yard just before midnight, the devil character will say 'Interesting' at the beginning of the game, replacing the usual 'Crazy Bob' intro. It’s a subtle but fun Easter egg for those in the know.
Note that Theatre of Magic does not include this special Midnight Madness mode. While it has a mode called 'Midnight Madness', that’s a regular feature that can be triggered during any game, regardless of the time.
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