Williams

Spanish Eyes

Pinside Rating

This game received 37 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.344 _/10

7.344

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #222 in the Pinside EM Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.562

Artwork: 7.256

Sounds/Music: 3.1

Other Aspects: 7.191

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 1 of us has rated this game.

6.387

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Found 18 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 18 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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8.795/10

7 months ago

JCC

Jesse-is-great

Pinside member

Tallahassee, FL

<1y 40,800 120 3 30

I like Spanish eyes. It was my first pinball game I ever played! My high score is 220,000. I would add it to the leaderboard, but I forgot the date.

9.747/10

8 months ago

WPG

guymontag451

Wedgehead

Portland, OR

13y 92,800 1,006 25 172

Man, do I love myself some Spanish Eyes. This has to be my favorite EM of all time. It's got a unique "love it or hate it" art package, and I am in the "love it" camp for. I love the distinctive style and color palette. The layout doesn't seem particularly special...until you play it. This game is just perfectly balanced. Trying to get all the ABCDE lanes up top, or all the 123456 targets in one game always feels *just* out of reach. The lack of inlanes, and the signature pop below the flippers just makes the gameplay so dynamic and varied. This is a game that consumes me every time that I get to play one. Norm Clark's best game, and one of the greatest pinball machines ever made...according to me at least.

guymontag451 edited previous rating on September 08, 2023.

7.755/10

11 months ago

DPF

Envy-Me

Pinside member

3y 37,400 47 22

This is a great game. Has a proper skill shot, some hard and risky shots, and some easy ones. The DC pops really make the game have nice play action. The game really requires good nudging skills to get a high score. You can often save the ball if its in the center pop area by pumping the machine at the right time and it will pop right out.

The game also requires some good flipper skills as passing and catching the ball are a bit harder than a "Standard" flipper layout. You must live catch often, but this adds to the fun of the game. Using that center bumper to pop the ball up to the saucer is a good way to hit it. using that center pop to "shoot" the ball in the correct direction or over to catch on the flipper adds a lot of skill to the game.

Also, the Add-a-ball aspect of it is great for home use, as many of these are nowadays. working to light the extra ball, and then collect it is rewarding and gives the one more game feel.

Certainly one of Williams better 1970s games, and its absolutely a "players" game. I love the artwork, some people may not, but its way better than some of the ugly pointy people games from the era, and its got a lot of charm in the theme. Try one out if you see one.

Envy-Me edited previous rating on June 15, 2023.

5.930/10

1 year ago

BLH

HDBrian

Pinside member

Lee's Summit, MO

2y 26,300 45 9 16

That pop bumper between the flippers really adds an element of luck to this game. I have a hard time getting used to the flippers being so far apart.

7.049/10

3 years ago

???

Toolsby2lee

Inactive member

Las Vegas, NV

3y 9,500 6

Fun game to play, but the theme and back glass are horrible. I dont know what Williams was thinking when they created it, but again it was the early 70's.

1.085/10

4 years ago

MJG

MasterMG

Pinside member

Edmonton, AB

4y 22,650 12 7 6

I’ve never played a worse pinball machine.

I guess it’s the best at something.

8.648/10

5 years ago

SAG

pinballprincess

Pinside member

8y 38,550 82 24

The bright, blocky, stylized art of Spanish Eyes pops out -- fitting, as this playfield "pops!" Many find the art style to be a turn-off, but, opinion on the backglass regardless, this game is more than worth a try. Working to add balls by completing the upper lanes or by hitting the five star standup targets is made all the more interesting by the pop bumper placed between the flippers.

This pop bumper adds a layer of excitement and intensity to what would otherwise be straight-down-the-middle drains, with the ball rapid-fire ricocheting in tight quarters and, with a little luck and a little skillful nudging, bouncing up towards the flippers instead of rocketing down to the outhole. The pop bumper is what sets Spanish Eyes apart as a game, making what would otherwise be a fairly straightforward, fairly enjoyable game into an immensely fun machine.

pinballprincess edited previous rating on December 12, 2018.

1.696/10

5 years ago

???

Nosebeagle

Inactive member

Unknown

6y 4,000 9

This game does not look appealing. It has no flow due to very odd layout. I am not sure how it rates as highly as it does here but to each his or her own. It is one of the few games I refuse to play out of choice. The game is basically a pachinko machine with flippers.

10.000/10

6 years ago

MPW

Michaelxwhite

Pinside member

Port Huron, MI

7y 39,550 141 2 17

A great game, like many on the list, highly underrated.

Michaelxwhite has owned this game in the past.

9.766/10

7 years ago

ZAC

zacaj

RPC

Rochester, NY

11y 158K 10,404 88 122

Love this game, one of the best EMs. Center pops are always great, and Spanish Eyes may be the best of them (still need to play a Freedom). All the pops are nice and powerful (DC) and it's satisfying just listening to the reels click as the ball goes crazy. The constant weighing of your options (go for more numbers, collect the numbers you have, or go for the loop) is great, and I love the risk reward once 1-6 lights the loop for an add-a-ball. How many more 6k collects can you manage on ball 5 before cashing in?

zacaj edited previous rating on May 17, 2021.
zacaj currently owns this game.

6.893/10

8 years ago

RHO

spiroagnew

Inactive member

11y 121K 982 161

Pretty standard fare from Williams here on Spanish Eyes. However, the first time I played the game the ball made a perfect 360 bouncing around the pop bumper between the flippers and bounced back into play. I was hooked! The art package is love or hate...I love it. Its different that Marche's pointy people he put on most of his games. The center horseshoe and kickout hole are where most of the points are generated. Game can play very fast and controlling the ball can be difficult, given a properly adjusted center pop bumper and a fresh set of rubbers. The game is definitely more fun on add-a-ball rather than replay. Single chime is a bummer...it sounds tinny and weak. All in all, I perfer my EMs to be Gottliebs but this game is by far my favorite Williams EM.

7.603/10

10 years ago

TWV

AXrelay

Pinside member

Riverside, CA

10y 37,800 58 6 13

A very unique looking and playing pin from Williams in the 1970's. I owned this for a number of years, and it was quite enjoyable. It is best to set it on "add a ball" for the specials and replays. Pop bumper between the flippers makes this very different to play, and that adds to it's appeal. I for one like the back glass art, as it looks like a Peter Max poster from the 1960's. I would have kept it if I had more room.

AXrelay has owned this game in the past.

7.306/10

10 years ago

BDH

crassmage

Pinside member

12y 51,300 664 7 27

By far one of the most fun EM machine I have played. The pop bumber between the flippers is really cool. I like the artwork myself and the sound is just average chimes. Good ol' game not to be passed up. Add a ball is cool as well.

crassmage edited previous rating on August 19, 2022.
crassmage has owned this game in the past.

8.055/10

11 years ago

RSJ

juster

Inactive member

Van Nuys, CA

11y 27,650 23 5 12

One of my all-time favorite EMs, unique layout with a mushroom bumper between the two flippers. Takes a bit of time to learn, but very fun once you start to nail the shots and get good at adding a ball.

juster has this game on the wishlist.

8.313/10

11 years ago

ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

12y 163K 1,456 51 1032 2

Spanish Eyes is an unusual game in many ways. Fortunately, I think that this unique game looks and works quite nicely.

The Pros:
Christian Marche proves once again that he is the most versatile production artist in the pinball world. No other table looks like this game. Some people think this game is ugly. I think that the images on this table fit the theme perfectly. Different strokes for different folks... Norm Clark took a simple idea and made it work using a bumper between the flippers. I've saved many balls with a little push here and there. Nudging skills are king. Trapping the ball is near impossible. Drop catch skills are mandatory. The horse shoe shot is tricky.

The Cons:
The spaces under the flippers eat up your mistakes. The saucer seems to be hit by bounces rather than shots. Rubbers, flippers and pops must provide proper action or the game will feel dead.

The Takeaway:
There is no middle ground regarding the opinion of this game. People either love it or they hate it. Personally, I love it. For a unique and bright visual and pinball experience, this table is one of the best out there from any era.

Update:
You gotsta' light the pops to make this deck sing. That means every shot from the plunger has got to pass over the "On Bumpers" rollover just under the top of the arch. The saucer can be generous, the saucer can be your enemy. Fully lit at 3k, it's good points, but I have had that ball head straight towards the lower pop bumper too many times for me to trust it. My recommnedation... stay away if you can. The loop is even more dangerous. Even when lit for 5k, I'd rather not shoot for it. Like I said, light the pops and keep that ball up there as much as you can. The space underneath the flippers gives new definition to the term "flipper bitched". Keep those bats down unless you absolutely need them! A very different pinball game that when properly maintained, gives a heightened sense of stress and urgency during play. I like it!

Caucasian2Step edited previous rating on April 19, 2013.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

6.588/10

11 years ago

MLV

Pinball-is-great

Pinside member

Lafayette, LA

12y 147K 5,017 3 102

Pretty good game play for a 1972 e-m type pinball machine. Sorta fun to play a few games when you see one. Colors on artwork not my fav. Lighting ok, but nothing spectacular. Classic sounds are good of course.

6.886/10

12 years ago

XOT

Outlane-Avoider

Pinside member

14y 77,300 570 268

If you can get past the bizarre backglass, this single player add-a-ball EM is quite fun to play. A well laid out playfield with plenty to do. Light all the six stars for major points at the saucer, and for a special when making the horseshoe shot. Plenty of rollovers to aim for, and an unusual arrangement of a pop bumper between the flippers.

Outlane-Avoider has this game on the wishlist.

6.830/10

12 years ago

III

singlebanana

Pinside member

Summerfield, NC

12y 59,950 593 15 141

I actually own this machine and picked it up for very cheap and in decent condition after finding it on CL. Spanish Eyes (Granada) is a one-player, 5 ball machine. Scoring only goes up to 99,999, which I find a very nice feature, since it allows the player a fair opportunity to work toward rollover.

With EM games, I'm always looking for that something "special" that makes it more attractive and unique. I really love the mosaic artwork on the playfield and backglass, which help give the machine a lot of character and make it really stand out to visitors. Even as an early machine, it has a skill shot that allows you to light all of the pop bumpers and raise them from 10 to 100 points. Six targets (3 on each side) also line the side of the machine and light up across the bottom of the playfield as you earn them. Lighting each of these targets activates the special, which can be earned by shooting the kick-out hole in the center of the field. Surrounding the kick-out is a nice horseshoe, which has a rollover worth additional points when targets are lit.

There are 3 pop bumpers located at the top of the machine: the center one worth 100 points and the other two worth 10 points (unless lit). However, what makes this game really standout is the fourth pop bumper located in the drain. This bumper is also worth 10 points (unless lit) and with the drain being so tapered, the ball is allowed to bang against the bumper and the sides of the drain, which often causes it to return to play (which of course my wife and kid, less experienced players, love).

Spanish Eyes (Granada) is a fairly rare EM and should be picked up if you come across one for a decent price.

singlebanana edited previous rating on August 16, 2012.
singlebanana has owned this game in the past.

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