Zen Studios has been carving out a niche for itself by bringing real-world pinball energy into virtual reality. Their latest update brings Tomb Raider into the mix, and while it doesn’t radically alter the core of Pinball FX VR, it adds just enough cinematic flair to justify its place in the lineup.
The table is available as a standalone purchase and sits alongside other branded tables already in the catalog. What’s notable here is how it leans into atmosphere rather than reinventing the wheel.
Familiar pinball, layered with dynamic visuals
Mechanically, the Tomb Raider table plays like the rest of the Pinball FX VR collection. Ball physics, flipper timing, and shot layout follow a consistent formula. What changes is the backdrop a set built to evoke the ruins, traps, and relics associated with Lara Croft’s world.
The table is framed by environmental elements that react to progression. Triggers spark crumbling stone effects, background animations depict exploration sequences, and character voice lines cue with specific missions. It’s all designed to keep your periphery engaged without pulling focus from the ball.
These visuals don’t alter gameplay mechanics directly, but they add a sense of continuity. You’re not just hitting ramps. You’re “unlocking” tomb doors or setting off traps, even if those are mostly visual payoffs.
VR immersion enhances the table’s spectacle
In flat-screen pinball, themed tables live or die by their design clarity. In VR, the equation shifts. Spatial depth and peripheral motion matter more, and this table plays into that well. The ruins wrap around the play area, statues loom above you, and environmental shifts draw your eye between shots.
The perspective remains fixed, as in all tables in the series, but VR scale gives each lane and bumper more presence. There’s a subtle sense of verticality that works better here than on earlier, flatter designs. Thematically, the table leans into adventure tropes without overwhelming the core layout.
Where the VR experience does fall short is in interactivity. You’re still just flipping. The environment changes, but you don’t interact with it. For players hoping for more physical engagement beyond passive visuals, this might feel like a missed opportunity.
Progression remains rooted in score-based objectives
Each table in Pinball FX VR features its own set of challenges, and Tomb Raider follows suit. Missions are layered into the layout, often involving combo shots or target sequences that trigger character animations and unlock score bonuses.
Nothing here reinvents how progression works. You chase points, aim for leaderboards, and complete timed objectives. What adds variation is how the setting frames those goals. Instead of “hit X bumpers,” you’re “navigating the catacombs,” even if the mechanics are the same under the hood.
This thematic dressing does enough to make each mission feel less like repetition and more like narrative framing even if you’re not really steering a story.
A solid addition, not a system overhaul
For players already invested in Pinball FX VR, this is another high-quality table with strong branding and above-average presentation. It doesn’t shift the gameplay in any meaningful way, but it doesn’t need to. The series has always thrived on familiarity dressed in new clothes, and this DLC delivers just that.
It also shows Zen Studios refining how they use VR space adding more ambient movement and scene transitions while still respecting the need for clarity and rhythm in pinball. It’s a careful balance, and one that works well in this context.
The Tomb Raider table doesn’t break boundaries, but it does expand the visual vocabulary of the series. For a genre built on subtle differences, that’s enough to give it weight.
Virtual Reality Explorer & Game Reviewer
Always the first to plug in. VRSCOUT dives head-first into the most immersive VR worlds, analyzing mechanics, comfort, innovation, and that elusive “presence” factor. If he says it’s worth it, it probably is.
