1981 · Williams
Pharaoh
Known for Upper playfield, Upper drop banks, Captive ball and Locks. Desert with a tan-gold pyramid, flat pale blue sky, temple doorway flanked by two red sandstone columns, green palm fronds and drapery swags and flames along the bottom edge.
- Year
- 1981
- Maker
- Williams
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- upper playfield
Upper playfield
- Target
Upper drop banks
- Captive ball
Captive ball
- Lane
Locks
- upkicker
Left underchute
- Magnet
Magna Saves
- Goal
Pharaoh letters
On the playfield
Extra levels 2
- Upper playfield upper playfield
- Lower playfield lower playfield
Holes 3
- Left underchute upkicker
- Slaves Tomb
- Left lane upkicker upkicker
Captive ball 1
- Captive ball
Magnet 1
- Magna Saves
Targets 3
- Upper drop banks
- Lower drop target banks
- Bullseye targets
Lanes 2
- Candy Cane Lane
- Locks
On the backglass
Who and what
- man Mummified pharaoh king standing centre, skull-like pale grey face with dark sunken eyes, blue-and-white striped nemes headdress, elaborate gold beaded collar and chest ornament, bare chest and shoulders, both arms raised and spread, one hand open
- woman Long dark wavy hair, gold and turquoise crown/headdress, blue-green gown, leaning in at the king's left shoulder with her head tilted towards him, one arm raised
- animal Two white/cream horses rearing side by side in the centre foreground, forelegs lifted, in green reins and red-and-gold decorative harness and breast straps, dark manes
- man Large golden pharaoh head in a striped nemes headdress with false beard at upper left, only head and shoulders visible, peering forward from behind the title banner
Setting
- Desert with a tan-gold pyramid
- Flat pale blue sky
- Temple doorway flanked by two red sandstone columns
- Green palm fronds and drapery swags
- Flames along the bottom edge
Text on it
- PHARAOH
- Williams
How it plays
-
Modes 1
Hurry-ups
- Hurry-ups
-
Multiballs 1
- Bonus Ball
-
Goals 1
- Pharaoh letters
Made by
- Design
- Tony Kraemer
- Art
- Seamus McLaughlin
Reference
Linked terms
- Upper drop banks also called Upper three-bank also called Upper drop targets
- Locks also called Ball locks also called Lock lanes
- Left underchute also called Hidden Tomb
- Bullseye targets also called Bonus X target
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- gold
- red
- black
- blue
Fingerprint: Hidden Tomb, enormous flat pharaoh head filling whole center rendered in cream and tan with black outline framed by radiating blue-white striped nemes headdress, two mirrored golden winged beasts flanking head, everything on fire with red orange yellow flames and black smoke filling corners, two tall triangular ramps with yellow illustrated panels rising left and right
The single most memorable feature is the enormous flat pharaoh head filling the whole centre of the playfield, rendered in cream and tan with a hard black outline, framed by a radiating blue-and-white striped nemes headdress and two mirrored golden winged beasts. Second, everything is on fire - stylised red, orange and yellow flames and black smoke fill both lower corners and the lower middle. Third, two tall triangular ramps with yellow illustrated side panels and pink round inserts at their bases rise symmetrically left and right. Fourth, a band of lettering across the middle names Hidden Tomb, and a curved arc of lettering rings the pharaoh's head.
Setting
- Ancient egyptian tomb interior
- Temple walls with hieroglyphic-style banding
- Raging stylised flames across the lower playfield
- Black smoke plumes
- Dark stone pyramid shapes
Symbols
- Cobra and sun-disc emblem on the headdress
- Scarab and winged roundel motifs
- Hieroglyphic-style border banding
- Yellow chevron and arrow lane markings
- Rows of round white score inserts
- Pink and red round illuminated inserts
- Black letter w inside a yellow triangle on the lower right apron
Notable shapes
- Giant central pharaoh head filling mid-playfield
- Two symmetrical triangular ramps
- Clear plastic ramp covering the upper centre
- Arched band of lettering framing the pharaoh's head
- Flame-shaped lower playfield art
Art motifs
- Stylised flames
- Black smoke
- Egyptian winged sun discs
- Gold treasure and sarcophagus panels
- Bright yellow-outlined red flippers
Themes
- Ancient egypt
- Pharaoh
- Mummy
- Tomb
- Excavation
- Pyramid
- Curse
Title on it
- Hidden tomb
Text on it
- Hidden Tomb
- lit
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Enormous central pharaoh head, clean-shaven apart from a thin moustache, cream/tan skin, heavy black brows, wide staring almond eyes, straight nose, set mouth; wears a blue-and-cream horizontally striped nemes headdress with a cobra-and-disc emblem at the brow, and dark blue round ear ornaments |
| Other | Two mirrored golden winged creatures with outspread feathered wings flanking the pharaoh's head at head height, drawn in gold and brown outline |
| Man | Standing male egyptian figure in profile on the left of the upper playfield, bare-chested with a striped kilt, arms raised, holding a staff or spear |
| Other | Small seated egyptian figure with a jackal or animal head near the top centre-left, above the ramp mouths |
| Man | Brightly robed standing figures on the upper right in red, yellow and blue garments with painted white faces |
| Creature | Snake/cobra motif at the centre of the headdress brow, and scarab-like winged roundels near the lower centre |
| Other | Small ornate golden sarcophagus and chest motifs flanking the central portrait at roughly the level of the shoulders |
A photographed solid-state playfield dominated by a huge central portrait of an Egyptian pharaoh: a stern, clean-shaven man with heavy black eyebrows, wide almond eyes, a thin moustache and a striped blue-and-cream nemes headdress topped by a cobra-and-disc emblem, his face framed by two carved golden winged creatures. Around him the art is dense with fire - red, orange and yellow flames licking up both lower corners, black smoke plumes, and Egyptian figures including standing mourners in profile on the left and seated, brightly robed characters on the upper right. Two tall triangular ramps run up the left and right lanes, both faced with yellow panel art and pink round inserts at their feet; a clear plastic ramp/wire chute occupies the upper centre, and a blue plastic ramp edge crosses the top. Across the middle a horizontal banner reads Hidden Tomb, and the arc of lettering around the pharaoh's head names features of the tomb. Lower playfield: yellow-outlined red flippers, a single green/teal round insert between them, dark round inserts at the base of each ramp, and yellow insert segments running up the left and right edges. The cabinet side rails are plain, and the lower right apron carries a black letter W inside a yellow triangle plus partially cropped white lettering on black including the word lit. Colours are gold, red, black, blue and cream.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- red
- green
- gold
- white
Fingerprint: Huge arched "Pharaoh" title in red-orange gradient block letters with white drop shadow spanning top third, mummified king with skull-like face and blue-white striped nemes headdress, arms raised and outstretched, dark-haired woman in gold-turquoise headdress leaning at his shoulder, two rearing white horses flanking center, second golden-headed pharaoh peering from behind title upper left, red sandstone temple columns with lotus capitals framing, green palm fronds and flames lower edge.
The centrepiece is a mummified pharaoh king with a skull face and blue-and-white striped nemes headdress, arms flung outward, flanked by two rearing white horses. A dark-haired woman in a gold-and-turquoise crown presses in at his shoulder, while a giant arched PHARAOH title in red-orange block letters arches over the whole scene. A second pharaoh head in a golden headdress peers out from behind the title at upper left. Two fat red sandstone columns with lotus capitals frame the picture like a temple doorway, with green palm fronds and drapery filling the corners and flames licking along the bottom edge.
Setting
- Desert with a tan-gold pyramid
- Flat pale blue sky
- Temple doorway flanked by two red sandstone columns
- Green palm fronds and drapery swags
- Flames along the bottom edge
Symbols
- Nemes headdress
- False beard
- Beaded gold collar
- Lotus-petal column capitals
- Pyramid
- Palm fronds
- Flames
- Horse bridles and reins
Lettering
- Very large arched block capitals, red-to-orange vertical gradient fill with white drop shadow and black outline; small red cursive signature-style script in the top-left corner
Themes
- Ancient egypt
- Pharaoh
- Tombs
- Pyramid
- Horses
- Treasure
- Flames
Title on it
- Pharaoh
Text on it
- PHARAOH
- Williams
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Mummified pharaoh king standing centre, skull-like pale grey face with dark sunken eyes, blue-and-white striped nemes headdress, elaborate gold beaded collar and chest ornament, bare chest and shoulders, both arms raised and spread, one hand open |
| Woman | Long dark wavy hair, gold and turquoise crown/headdress, blue-green gown, leaning in at the king's left shoulder with her head tilted towards him, one arm raised |
| Animal | Two white/cream horses rearing side by side in the centre foreground, forelegs lifted, in green reins and red-and-gold decorative harness and breast straps, dark manes |
| Man | Large golden pharaoh head in a striped nemes headdress with false beard at upper left, only head and shoulders visible, peering forward from behind the title banner |
A painted Egyptian-tomb scene framed by two massive red-orange sandstone columns with carved lotus-petal capitals at the far left and right edges. A huge arched title in block capitals reading PHARAOH, in red-to-orange gradient letters with a heavy white drop shadow and black outline, spans the whole top third; a red cursive signature-style word sits in the top-left corner beside it. Behind the title at upper left, a golden pharaoh head in a striped nemes headdress and false beard peers forward. The centre is dominated by two rearing white horses, side by side, with forelegs lifted, in green and gold-red harness and bridle. Between and behind them stands a mummified king figure: skull-like pale face, blue-and-white striped nemes headdress, ornate gold and multicoloured beaded collar and chest piece, both arms raised and outstretched. A dark-haired woman in a gold and turquoise headdress and blue-green gown leans in at his left shoulder. A tan-gold pyramid rises behind them against a flat pale blue sky. Green palm fronds and drapery swags hang top right and down both sides; yellow, orange and red flames lick along the bottom. Six blank pale grey rectangular windows are cut into the art for score reels. Paint is heavily crazed and scratched with areas of loss and dark grime.