News

Actions

Tilt Studio opens at Arizona Mills Mall: 150 arcade games, wall of retro pinball machines

Posted at 6:18 PM, Aug 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-17 21:18:20-04

Who's up for a little pinball competition, or perhaps a race around the track with Mario and Toad?

Competition is up for grabs at Tilt Studio, a 40,000-square-foot two-level arcade, which opened its doors Monday at Tempe's Arizona Mills Mall. It took over the space that was vacated after GameWorks closed.

Based in Texas, this is Tilt Studio's first location in Arizona and currently the largest in the company. Plus, there is a full-service restaurant and a bar.

Scroll down to take a look around.

THE GAMES

There are 150 games throughout the venue. The upstairs features a section dedicated to retro games, which is unique to the Arizona location. There is a row of 20 themed pinball machines -- Space Invaders, Star Trek, Pirates of the Caribbean and Harlem Globetrotters, as well as Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Battle Shark.

The main level is where most of the action is. There is a section dedicated to games you'd typically find at the fair, like skee ball and the classic where you squirt water into a target. Others include shooting and racing games, as well as redemption games, such as the old favorite with "the claw". Instant prizes include stuffed emojis.

With the Olympics in full swing, there's even a Rio 2016 game featuring Mario & Sonic.

HOW TO PLAY: Each game uses points instead of money. You will need to purchase a game card and then purchase points in order to play the games. Once you spend $300 (over the course of a year), you then become a VIP member and get a 10% discount on game points.

THE FOOD (AND THE BAR)

Arizona's Tilt Studio is the only location with the chain to have a full-service kitchen and bar, according to Nancy Roggio, director of marketing. BYO Craft Kitchen & Bar is a build-your-own food concept where guests choose their main dish -- like a burger or chicken sandwich -- and then various toppings. Some are included and others cost $1 each.

They also serve hot dogs, pizzas, quesadillas, chicken tenders, and salads.

The bar has at least a dozen beers on tap, including Four Peaks' Kiltlifter, and San Tan Brewing Company's HopShock.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE PRIZE IS...

One look at the redemption kiosk, you'll quickly realize that there are a lot of prizes to choose from.

Obviously, what you get depends on how many tickets you've managed to collect.

They have the basics like snack-sized candies and plastic knickknacks, but we wanted to know what the most expensive items were (in ticket currency of course).

For 108,000 tickets you can walk away with a brand new PlayStation 4. That is the highest value item.

For a little less -- 25,800 tickets -- you can bring home a good-sized gumball machine.

Want a larger-than-life stuffed bear? That can be yours for 10,000 tickets.

IF YOU GO:
Tilt Studio, 5000 Arizona Mills Circle, Tempe AZ 85282
www.tiltstudio.com