This section will discuss some of the basic game play features not pertaining to objectives, and it will discuss less familiar game mechanics.
Unless running in tournament mode, at the start of the game, the first player is prompted to choose one of five game difficulties which apply to all players for the game. Most of the specifics on each difficulty are outlined throughout the gameplay rules. In general, this is how they work:
This is a special "ultra-easy" difficulty. In addition to the below, your HP is "hidden" to reduce stress. Additionally, you don't actually ever die. You can play as long as you want (or until you reach JUDGMENT). However, you will take a score penalty at the end of the game for the total HP damage that you took. At the start of each skillshot, you will be prompted if you want to end the game there.
Great for beginners!
If you wanna play like a normie, then this one is for you!
Now, we're talking!
Only true MadLads go for this one! In addition to the below, you cannot hold your flippers up (they'll go right back down). And you get no death saves; once you're out of health, it's over! Give it a try because a couple JUDGMENT wizard modes can only be achieved on Impossible difficulty.
Generally speaking (on average), scoring operates on the following principle in relation to the digit of points:
Generally, if you score 100,000,000 or more, then you had a great game. If you score a billion or more, then you had an epic game.
The last digit of a player's score is a reserved number and represents the game difficulty the player played. This is a work-around for Scorbit's single leader-board system so others can tell what difficulty each player played. It also serves as a tie-breaker; those who played at a harder setting should get priority in a tie-breaking situation. The last digit of every score will always follow the difficulty the player played:
Remember, Zen cannot be used in tournament play. That's why you don't see a "Zen, tournament" entry.
Here are how many points that you get for various basic actions:
Saving Wallden does not use a "balls per game" system like most pinball games do. Instead, every player has a health (HP) stat. Draining balls in certain circumstances deals HP damage to players. When you lose all of your HP, then the game might be over. Your HP is indicated on the DMD and backglass with a heart icon.
Every player has HP at the start of the game depending on which difficulty was selected.
There are a few ways a player can earn HP:
There are also a few ways a player can lose HP:
Unless otherwise mentioned, a player will enter "Death Save" if they lose all of their HP for a chance to continue the game with 1 HP. This feature is not applicable for Zen difficulty, Impossible Difficulty does not allow Death Saves, and players will not get any more death saves after level 5.
In death save, the player must revive their character by pressing the action button between the rhythm of the heart beat (when, and only when, the action button is lit) 15 times without getting 3 strikes. A player earns a strike if they either press the action button when it's not lit (before or after the heart beats), or they fail to press the action button at least once when it was lit during a heart beat. The game gives some grace; a player cannot earn more than one strike per beat.
Each time a player enters death save, it gets increasingly more difficult to complete without striking out.
The pacing of the heart and the margin of error allowed for pressing the action button depends on the death save level (the margin of error is the length of the heart beat contraction/how long the action button is lit):
The starting level for the first death save depends on the game difficulty level chosen:
After level 5, there are no death saves anymore; the player will die the next time they run out of HP.
Drain Damage is the amount of HP damage the player will take if they drain their ball. It is indicated with a skull icon on the DMD and backglass.
The starting Drain Damage is indicated in the "Difficulty" section of this page. Drain damage can be increased from the following:
Be careful with those outlanes! When you hit an outlane, it becomes poisoned. If you hit it again, then your Drain Damage increases by 1 HP. This can happen anytime (even during multiballs). However, you can remove the poison on an outlane by spelling the corresponding BLACK or SMITH (BLACK for the left outlane or SMITH for the right outlane).
When you achieve an Armor Class of 20, the outlanes will never be poisoned.
At the start of each player's turn, a skillshot is available at the TRAIN standups. One of the standups will be flashing purple. If the player plunges the ball and hits that standup before hitting anything else (including other TRAIN standups), they are awarded the skillshot: 3,000,000 points and immediately ready a training session or mini-boss battle (CASTLE).
Saving Wallden does not have end-of-ball bonuses since it uses an HP system. However, there is an end-of-game bonus awarded after a player ends their game (e.g., dies, or after finishing JUDGMENT). The bonus consists of the following:
In cooperative play, the end of game bonus is not awarded until after the last player dies since all players share game progress and the bonus multiplier. Also, in cooperative play, the Armor Class bonus is based on the average AC of all players.
At any time in the game, players can work towards increasing their end-of-game bonus multiplier. Each time they complete/light the three bumper inlane lanterns, they spell one letter in "BONUS X". Spelling all 6 letters increases the end-of-game bonus multiplier by 1. Flipper buttons alternate which lanes are lit.
The multiplier cannot exceed 9X. When a player tries to do so, the table starts glitching out.
The Glitch Mini-Wizard is a secret feature that activates when you try to increase your end-of-game bonus multiplier beyond its maximum of 9X. As you spell BONUS X at 9X multiplier, the table will emit glitches. When you finally achieve BONUS X, instead of getting a bonus X, the center hole begins flashing dark green. Shooting the hole starts the Glitch Mini-Wizard.
You start a 5-ball multiball with unlimited ball shield (but the mode ends in 120 seconds + any remaining shield time you had if applicable). Orbits divert balls to the bumpers. Light all bumper inlanes/lanterns to be awarded the Glitch jackpot (which is equal to 1X your end-of-game bonus value).
Deployed power-ups during Glitch will award a "Super Jackpot". This is equal to 3X end-of-game bonus.
Achieving any ball shields (such as BLACKSMITH) during Glitch Mini-Wizard will instead add its time to the Glitch Mini-Wizard mode time clock (since balls are always saved).
In Glitch Mini-Wizard, the table glitches out in tune with the music. The following lists out the glitches that occur and when:
TODO
When Glitch ends and all the balls drain, the pinball table undergoes a "reboot" to return it to stable condition before game play resumes as normal.
Saving Wallden does not have mystery awards. Instead, to ensure more fairness in competition, and to add an element of stacking, the table has power-ups, which are like mystery awards except they are predictable and can be replicated.
A power-up can be collected at any time. Shoot a flashing gem shot to collect the gem. Collect all 6 gems to ready a power-up at the action button. When you have a power-up, the action button will flash light blue. Push the action button at any time to activate the power-up. When you use a power-up, the gem lights will reset, allowing you to work towards another power-up. Activating the power-up awards the following depending on what is happening on the table when you pressed it:
Normally, shooting the orbit will not send the ball to the bumpers (unless the shot was soft enough to pull it to the bumpers by gravity) and instead will come out the other side of the orbit.
When the ball travels through an inlane behind the slingshots, the orbit on the opposite side (the one in firing range of the flipper) will be lit for 5 seconds to divert the ball directly to the bumpers.
Some specific features might also light orbits to divert the ball to the bumpers.
In normal gameplay only, you can collect points for making combo shots. The shots which qualify for combos are left ramp, left orbit, crossbow/captive ball, horseshoe (both sides), right ramp, right orbit, and scoop.
To activate combo shots, you need to shoot any qualifying shot, and then a second qualifying shot within 7 seconds. White arrows will flash for every qualifying shot except the one you activated the combo on.
From that point forward, shoot any shot with a flashing white arrow within 7 seconds to score a combo. Combos score 250,000 points X combo level. The shot will turn off, the 7-second timer resets, and the combo level increases by 1. Shoot another shot with a white arrow within 7 seconds to score the next combo. Repeat until you either collect all shots or the 7-second timer expires.