Sega• 1999• Whitestar• 6 players

South Park

Build the five character modes, flush the toilet for 5-ball Multiball, kill Kenny, survive Cartman's Anal Probe, revive Mr. Hankey, and use Spooky Vision for repeatable high-value character jackpots. South Park is a deceptively simple-looking game with several strong tournament routes.

5 Character Modes 5-Ball Multiball Spooky Vision Volcano Mr. Hankey Kenny

Playfield

2 flippers · 1 ramp

3 pop bumpers · toilet ball holder

Multiball

5 modes

Main 5-ball MB + character / wizard modes

Production

2,200

Approximate units produced

Estimated value

$4,620–$5,380

Current Pinside estimate range

The game at a glance

Character modes for progress, Multiball for safety, Spooky Vision for points.

South Park revolves around five main character shots: Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and Chef. Hit each character enough times to start that character's mode. Separately, work the Mr. Hankey targets to qualify the main five-ball Multiball. The long-game twist is Spooky Vision, which becomes available after all five character modes have been played but not all five are completed.

Why it feels simple

The playfield points directly at the characters. Four hits usually start a mode, Mr. Hankey clearly controls Multiball, and the single main ramp is used for both Kyle and Multiball starts.

Why it is not actually simple

Mode completion changes Spooky Vision qualification, several multiballs are extremely strong, and the best tournament strategy may intentionally leave one character mode incomplete instead of finishing everything the game offers.

Do not automatically complete every character mode Current competitive strategy intentionally plays all five modes but leaves at least one incomplete. That qualifies Spooky Vision, a repeatable jackpot mode that can outscore simply finishing all five.

New player guide

How to play in seven steps

Take the townspeople skill shot.
Plunge toward the flashing yellow townspeople target near the toilet. Successful skill shots are worth 5M, then increase by another 5M on later successes.

Start character modes with four hits.
Stan is the left orbit, Chef the center lane, Kenny the upper-right toy, Kyle the ramp, and Cartman the right-side hole. Four hits to a character starts that character's mode.

Work Mr. Hankey for Multiball.
Hit the three Mr. Hankey targets under the toilet until Multiball lights. Once lit, every extra Hankey hit before starting Multiball adds 100K to the base jackpot.

Shoot the ramp to start 5-ball Multiball.
The toilet opens and releases balls. Mr. Hankey becomes the base Jackpot shot; each Jackpot lights a character shot for Double Jackpot.

Collect five Hankey Jackpots, then shoot the ramp.
Five base Jackpots light the ramp for Super Jackpot. The first is 5M, then later Super Jackpots increase by another 5M.

Play all five character modes — but leave one unfinished.
That is the modern competitive route to qualify Spooky Vision at Chef.

Use Spooky Vision as the scoring engine.
Character shots become repeatable Jackpots starting at 5M. Making all characters increases the Jackpot value, letting a controlled player build huge repeat scoring.

Core progression

The five character modes

Full rulesheet ↗

Each character shot begins by counting toward its mode. Once a mode starts, that character's face flashes; completing the mode lights it solid. Modes can be replayed even after they have been played once.

StanLeft orbit. Starts a 4-ball multiball. Build kisses through bumper hits and Stan shots; collect enough to mark the mode complete.

ChefCenter Chef lane. Timed mode: shoot each flashing character shot once, beginning around 5M and increasing on later collects.

KennyUpper-right Kenny toy. Starts a 10M hurry-up; hit Kenny again before the value counts down too far to kill Kenny and complete the mode.

KyleMain ramp. Timed ramp mode: make the ramp four times for 5M, 10M, 15M, then 20M.

CartmanRight-side Cartman hole. Timed mode: hit the hole three times; townspeople targets above the hole add value to the Anal Probe award.

Played and completed are different states A character can count as “played” without being “completed.” That distinction is the key to modern Spooky Vision strategy.

Main 5-ball multiball

Flush the toilet, collect Hankey Jackpots, then cash the ramp.

Qualification

Hit Mr. Hankey: the three targets beneath the toilet count down toward Multiball.
Five successful Hankey hits: lights Multiball at the ramp under standard rules.
Before starting: each additional Hankey hit adds 100K to the base Jackpot.
Start: shoot the ramp; the toilet opens and the game launches five balls.
Multiball ends when only one ball remains.

Jackpot cycle

Mr. Hankey = base Jackpot.
Each Hankey Jackpot lights a character shot for Double Jackpot.
Five Hankey Jackpots light the ramp for Super Jackpot.
The first Super Jackpot is 5M.
Each later Super Jackpot adds another 5M, with no known practical ceiling in the classic rulesheet.

★

Do not rush the start if the ball is under control Once Multiball is lit, extra Mr. Hankey hits continue raising the base Jackpot by 100K. If the target feed is safe, a few extra hits can improve every subsequent Jackpot cycle.

Competitive wizard route

Spooky Vision

The strongest modern tournament route is to play all five character modes without completing all five. That qualifies Spooky Vision at the Chef shot. Once running, the five character shots become repeatable high-value Jackpots.

Qualification

Start all five character modes at least once.
Intentionally allow at least one mode to time out or otherwise remain incomplete.
After all five have been played, Spooky Vision lights at Chef.
If all five modes are completed on their first attempts, classic documentation notes that Spooky Vision does not occur.

Scoring

Each character shot begins as a 5M Jackpot.
Character Jackpots are repeatable.
Completing the set of characters increases the Jackpot value by roughly +2M.
Keep cycling the set to continue escalating the repeatable Jackpot value.

→

This is why “complete everything” is not always optimal South Park's obvious completion goal can actually block the strongest repeatable scoring mode. Competitive play rewards understanding the difference between progression and completion.

Alternate wizard multiball

Volcano

Volcano is a 5-ball multiball built around saving South Park by shooting lit characters. The objective is to complete a large number of character collects before the multiball collapses.

What happens

Five balls are put into play.
Character shots light as the principal scoring targets.
Each lit character is worth 10M.
The documented objective is to collect 15 lit characters.
Completing the required sequence adds another ball and produces a large completion total.

How to approach it

Keep the balls spread across the playfield instead of trapping everything immediately.
Prioritize clean character shots over low-value switch activity.
The mode ends when only one ball remains.
Because each character is worth 10M, sustained control can turn Volcano into one of the game's biggest scoring windows.

Supporting scoring systems

Mystery, Mr. Mackey, Super Fart Bumpers, bonus, and Extra Ball.

Mystery

Complete the three targets above Cartman to light Mystery at the Chef lane.
Known classic awards include +1 Bonus X and 7M.
Mr. Mackey can also be awarded.
Mr. Mackey turns all switches into 500K awards for roughly 30 seconds.

Super Fart Bumpers

Light both inlanes to start the feature.
The pop bumpers become the principal timed scoring source.
Stan's mode also uses bumper hits to build kisses, so bumper-heavy play can overlap useful progression.

Bonus

Character shots, ramp shots, and townspeople targets contribute to base bonus.
Bonus is multiplied by the current Bonus X.
Mystery frequently awards +1 Bonus X.
Long character-heavy balls can therefore carry more end-of-ball value than they first appear to.

Extra Ball & Special

The Chef lane can be lit for Extra Ball.
Outlanes can be lit for Special.
A charity Extra Ball may be available on ball 3 when the player's score is below a low threshold under standard settings.
Tournament setups often convert Extra Ball and Special to points instead of additional play.

Competitive play

Tournament strategy

The dependable opener

Prioritize Multiball early. Five balls provide protection and the Hankey / Double Jackpot / Super Jackpot cycle can score heavily.
Build character hits in parallel. Many character shots are useful even before their modes start.
Know the Stan shot. The left-orbit / bumper route is awkward but important for both mode progression and Spooky Vision.

Engineer Spooky Vision

Start all five modes.
Intentionally leave one incomplete. Pick the mode that is most dangerous or least valuable on that machine.
Do not accidentally finish your last incomplete mode. Once every mode is complete, you lose the Spooky Vision qualification route.
Once Spooky Vision starts, settle into repeatable character shots and keep raising the Jackpot value.

Mode-by-mode choices

Kenny: usually quick to cash if the shot is reliable.
Kyle: straightforward if the ramp is feeding safely.
Chef: rewards broad shotmaking and may be better left incomplete on a dangerous setup.
Cartman: can be risky if the hole rejects or feeds poorly.

Setup-specific checks

Watch the Cartman hole eject before relying on repeated Cartman shots.
Test the ramp return because Kyle and Multiball both depend on it.
Observe how reliably the Stan orbit reaches / exits the bumpers.
Check whether the Mr. Hankey targets reject the ball toward the center or outlanes.

★

If you only remember one competitive strategy Start all five character modes, deliberately leave one unfinished, then start Spooky Vision at Chef and loop the character shots for repeatable escalating Jackpots. Use the main 5-ball Multiball as your protection and secondary scoring engine.

Locally hosted media