TLDR
- The Getaway: High Speed II is a 1992 Williams sequel that keeps the original police-chase theme but adds a gearshift launcher, a dot-matrix display, a video mode, and the Supercharger magnetic ball accelerator.
- The game has two main progress tracks: Run the Red Light for multiball, and RPM/gear progression that leads to Supercharger Mode and then Redline Mania.
- What makes the machine stand out is how clearly it communicates progress through lights, sound, display prompts, and physical toys.
Intent Sentence
This post helps pinball buyers and players understand what makes The Getaway: High Speed II special by explaining its core features, rule structure, and feedback systems, so they can quickly see how it plays and how it differs from the original High Speed.
The Getaway Is Fast, Theatrical, and Easy to Read
The Getaway: High Speed II is one of those machines where the theme is not just artwork. It shows up in the rules, the controls, the sound package, and even the way the ball moves. From the moment you launch a ball with the gearshift, the machine is telling you that this is a chase game built around speed.
That is the main reason people remember it. The layout still carries the DNA of the original High Speed, but the sequel adds more spectacle and more mechanical personality. It does not just ask you to light locks and collect jackpots. It asks you to rev the engine, shift gears, hit the Supercharger, and push into Redline Mania.
The Main Features of The Getaway Pinball Machine
The Gearshift Lever
The most obvious feature is the cabinet-mounted gearshift. It replaces the usual plunger for launching the ball, but it is not just a novelty part. You also use it during gameplay to shift up through the gears after reaching the required RPM thresholds. It even matters during video mode.
The Supercharger
This is the machine’s signature toy. The left ramp can feed a raised circular loop with magnets that grab the ball and whip it around before throwing it back into play. It is one of the most memorable physical devices from the era because it feels fast, loud, and slightly dangerous in the right way.
Run the Red Light Multiball
Like the original High Speed, The Getaway still uses the stoplight progression as a core objective. You work through green, yellow, and red stoplights, light locks, and then start multiball. Once multiball begins, the Supercharger becomes the key tool for qualifying and cashing in jackpots.
RPMs and Gear Progression
The other major rules ladder is the tachometer and gear system. Repeated orbit shots build RPMs. Completing each gear gives a reward: points, hold bonus, video mode, Supercharger Mode, and finally Redline Mania. This gives the game a very clear sense of momentum. You are not just shooting shots. You are climbing toward a higher state.
Video Mode
At 3rd Gear, the game lights a driving video mode on the dot-matrix display. It is not the deepest part of the rules, but it fits the theme well and adds variety. You steer through traffic and can use the gearshift to change speed.
Tunnel and Side Awards
The tunnel scoop does more than one job. Depending on what is lit, it can collect Burn Rubber, award an extra ball, start video mode, or score the Helicopter Bonus during multiball. That makes it an important connector shot rather than just a simple saucer.
Presentation Toys and Lighting
The red police beacon on the backbox, the traffic light on the playfield, the central tachometer, and the lit stoplight banks all make the game very easy to follow. You usually know what the game wants next without needing a deep rules explanation.
Music and Sound
The Getaway leans hard into its chase theme. It uses “La Grange” by ZZ Top, engine-rev audio, sirens, and speech callouts to keep the table feeling active. Even when you are not scoring huge points, the machine feels busy and alive.
What Kind of Feedback Does the Game Give Players?
The Getaway gives players three kinds of feedback at the same time: visual, audio, and physical.
Visual feedback is the easiest to notice. The stoplights show lock progress. The tachometer shows your RPM climb. Gear inserts tell you where you are in the ladder. The DMD tells you when modes are lit and what you just earned. The red police light and traffic light reinforce the theme while also making important states feel bigger.
Audio feedback is just as important. The machine uses music, speech, sirens, and engine sounds to tell you whether you are simply keeping the ball alive or actually moving toward something valuable. The game does not feel silent between features. It constantly reminds you that you are in a chase.
Physical feedback is what pushes it above many other games of the period. The gearshift is a real control, not just decoration. The Supercharger physically changes how the ball behaves. The kickback and fast returns make the game feel like it is reacting to you, not just scoring in the background.
In practice, that means The Getaway is a very readable machine. Even a newer player can usually tell when they have advanced a gear, lit something important, or entered a higher-pressure scoring state.
How Supercharger Mode Differs From Redline Mania
These two are related, but they are not the same thing.
Supercharger Mode is the 4th Gear award. It is a timed single-ball scoring mode. For about 20 seconds, major flashing shots score 5 million, and the Supercharger itself scores increasing 5M Plus values. The point is speed and repetition. It is a scoring sprint.
Redline Mania is the 5th Gear reward, collected at the Supercharger entrance. It is much bigger. Instead of being a timed one-ball mode, it acts like a special multiball package. It lights an extra ball, maxes the Freeway to 5M, lights the kickback, starts multiball, gives you an immediately lit jackpot, and starts the Super Jackpot at 100M.
The cleanest way to think about it is this:
Supercharger Mode is a fast scoring burst.
Redline Mania is a premium multiball state.
That difference matters because Supercharger Mode is about stacking quick value while staying under control. Redline Mania is a payoff mode. It is the machine saying you made it to the top of the gear ladder, and now the game opens up.
The Main Differences Between The Getaway and High Speed Pinball Machines
The original High Speed and The Getaway clearly belong to the same family, but they do not feel identical.
High Speed is simpler.
The 1986 game centers on the stoplight ladder, the ramp, the saucer, Freeways, and multiball jackpot progression. It uses an alphanumeric display and does not have a video mode.
The Getaway adds more rule layers.
The sequel keeps the stoplight and chase foundation, but adds gear progression, RPM building, video mode, Burn Rubber, Supercharger Mode, and Redline Mania. It gives the player more things to chase at once.
The Getaway is more mechanical and more theatrical.
The original High Speed already had strong theme integration, including the famous police light topper. But The Getaway goes further with the gearshift, traffic light, center tachometer, DMD animations, and especially the Supercharger.
The display technology changes the feel.
High Speed belongs to the late System 11 era, while The Getaway uses a dot-matrix display on WPC hardware. That does not just change the score display. It changes how the game communicates modes and sells the theme.
The original is cleaner. The sequel is bigger.
That is probably the most useful summary. High Speed is a more stripped-down, classic Steve Ritchie shooter. The Getaway is the same basic chase idea expanded into a louder, more feature-rich 1990s package.
FAQs
Does The Getaway Have a Video Mode?
Yes. Video mode is lit when you complete 3rd Gear, and you steer through traffic on the dot-matrix display.
What Does the Gearshift Do Besides Launch the Ball?
It is used to shift gears during gameplay, and it also affects video mode speed.
Is Redline Mania Just Normal Multiball With a New Name?
No. It is a special multiball state with a lit jackpot right away, a 100M starting Super Jackpot, lit kickback, maxed Freeway value, and extra-ball support.
Is The Getaway Harder Than High Speed?
For most players, yes. It usually feels busier, faster, and more punishing because there is more to manage and more ways to overpush the game.
What Is the Most Unique Feature on The Getaway?
The Supercharger is the most unique physical feature, while the gearshift is probably the most memorable control feature.