A cow[1] can sometimes be seen flying on the top of the screen in Metroid Prime Pinball. This is particularly interesting, as cows are known to be featured as easter eggs in pinball games.
It is known to rarely appear on the Pirate Frigate while playing Shriekbat Shootout, but the method of triggering it is unknown. It is a small winged cow with wings similar to the Winged Ripper's that makes a moo sound when it appears. It can be shot and killed when Samus is in Combat Saucer mode, and when this is done, it explodes in a small flash of bright light. However, doing this yields no points, since the cow is not an enemy. If it flies into Samus, she will take no damage and receive a bonus of 100,000 points.
Development notes[]
The idea to include the cow may have come from pinball machines.[2]
Interview[]
- Terasaki: "Cai-san, you are a collector of pinball machines, aren't you?"
- Cai: "Indeed I am. I am renting two squash courts to store about 100 machines. But our DS version of pinball is more fun than the real thing!" (laughter)
- Terasaki: "That's right. There's even an unexpected appearance from a cow"
- NOM: "A cow? What's that got to do with Metroid?"
- Barritt: "There was a pinball game in the 1980s called 'Fire!' in which a cow puts in an appearance. The game is about a huge fire that once broke out in Chicago. The cause of the fire was a cow kicking over a lantern. Ever since then, cows have become a fixture as hidden characters in pinball machines. This is well-known among pinball aficionados in Europe and the States, and perhaps around half of the pinball games released since then have featured a cow concealed in them. Naturally, we also put one in Super Mario Ball..." (laughter)
- Terasaki: "If you do happen to find the cow, please leave it in peace!" (laughter)
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Metroid Prime Pinball/Interview
- ^ Shinesparkers. Interview: Matthew Nightingale. May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.