Galactic Pinball is set in the Milky Way galaxy, and tells the story of the discovery of a new, strange world.[5] At the title screen, players can choose from four pinball tables: Cosmic, Colony, UFO, and Alien. Players can choose to look at the top scores.[5] The Cosmic table features a cameo from Metroid where players control protagonist Samus Aran's ship.[1] Players are given five pucks, which players must keep going by using the flippers to hit it upward.[5] The goal is to accumulate points and avoid allowing the puck to drop to the bottom of the table.[5] The game begins with players shooting a puck into the table by holding the A button to launch it with a plunger. The longer the button is held, the harder the puck is launched. Players can also push a button to shake the in-game table, though if it is used too often, the flippers will be disabled and the puck will fall.