I had the chance to play Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye for the first time the other day at Arcade 92 in Flower Mound, Texas, and within minutes, I knew this was something special. Pinball and Dungeons & Dragons feel like a match that should have happened long ago, but Stern has finally made it a reality. This machine doesn’t just borrow the branding—it embraces the core of what makes D&D great, offering a persistent adventure that evolves the more you play.
Players take on the role of a Dragonshield Guild member, battling to stop Tiamat from returning while dealing with enemies like Rath the Relentless, an incredible animatronic red dragon that reacts dynamically to each game. Stern is known for pushing the limits with mechanical features, but this dragon takes it up a notch. It moves fluidly, breathes fire (by launching extra balls from its mouth), and forces you to react strategically. Hitting the three-bank target to steal its treasure is satisfying, but you’d better be ready for the chaos that follows.
What truly sets The Tyrant’s Eye apart is how it saves your progress. Thanks to Stern’s PinSave System, everything from your experience points to your acquired items carries over between games if you log in through Insider Connected. That’s unheard of in pinball and makes this feel more like an RPG-infused quest than a standard high-score chase. The sense of progression kept me playing again and again, eager to see what treasures and abilities I’d unlock next. If you prefer traditional pinball, you can play without saving progress, but I love having the option.
The playfield is packed with D&D-themed surprises, from an electromagnet-powered Gelatinous Cube that freezes the ball to dungeon doors that open to new areas. There’s even a shop where you can buy power-ups, reinforcing the RPG feel. Randomized dice rolls influence parts of the game, and you can choose your pathways in various dungeons, ensuring no two playthroughs feel the same.
I’ve played a lot of pinball over the years, dating all the way back to the early 1970s, but The Tyrant’s Eye instantly became one of my all-time favorites, right up there with Williams’ Monster Bash, which features Universal Monsters like Frankenstein and his Bride, and Jersey’s Jack’s recent Elton John, which is sensational. The Tyrant’s Eye is dynamic, challenging, and dripping with Dungeons & Dragons lore in a way that feels natural rather than forced. If you’re a fan of either D&D or pinball, this is one machine you need to track down.
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