Adventurous Journey through the Multiverse of Features Found in Slot Games

Thanks to modern technologies, one-armed bandits have gradually transformed into filmic adventures that can stand shoulder to shoulder to scenes from the real movies. Developers seem to be competing with each other which one will come up with the more inventive solution, and that’s so fine, because- players are benefiting from those achievements.

Which features are “regular guests” of slot games?

Among the most commonly seen ones are Wilds, Scatters, and multipliers, but the list keeps extending. There are reels that expand infinitely, symbols which increase in size, bonus, and mini-games, and the new ones keep coming all the time.

Stay tuned to take a closer look at some of the most frequently used elements and features!

Wilds Are Getting Wilder and Wilder

Wilds represent one of the most powerful and most beloved features in slots. Their main role is to replace other (usually regular) symbols to complete one or more winning combinations, and boost rewarding potential.

The only exception is Scatter…

…as majority of rules state that Wild is not a substitute for this one. So, more combos and more rewards already justify its status of a favorite symbol, but its capabilities go even beyond that.

Nowadays they appear in many forms, including sticky (aka locked or frozen), cascading, multiplying, moving/ walking, shifting, nudging/transferring, random, split, and stacked Wilds. As concluded from the names, their properties become expanded, contributing to a higher level of action.

Moreover, they can also expand to cover the entire reel or row, or in some cases, the full grid, becoming giant icons with even bigger rewarding potential.

Good Old Scatters, Multipliers, Extra Spins

Following Wild is the Scatter symbol, another popular guest of one-armed bandits. Unlike Wilds, which are supposed to appear on the same line with other icons to generate winnings, this one just needs to show up anywhere on the reels.

When it does…

…it opens up extra spins, mini-games, or other bonuses. They are typically one of the highest paying symbols and are represented by a specific graphic that is unique to the theme of the particular title. It’s often depicted as the logo of the game, but it’s not a mandatory rule.

Then, the multipliers.

As self-explanatory as they can be, they have a simple yet mighty duty- to multiply bets, line wins and total wins by a certain amount to significantly increase player winnings. The amount is usually between x2 and x10 but in some releases, it can be as high as x1,000, x2,000, x10,000, or even more.

Extra spins, as the name indicates…

…is an added number of rounds and is usually initiated when some conditions are met. For example, when a special symbol hits the reels or when a certain combo aligns and similar. They can even be retriggered.

Getting to Know Jackpots

The big prize, grand prize, bonanza, JP, whatever you call it, is every player’s dream. Quite interestingly, the expressions “hitting the jackpot” has become an integral part of our everyday communication, indicating great or unexpected success. And it’s not used in gambling-related situations only.

So, what’s the story behind JP?

It was one of the first elements incorporated in the game which contained a significant rewarding potential. The very first ones didn’t reach the same heights like the ones today, but still, it was a noticeable difference.

Cash Splash from Microgaming…

…was the first online jackpot slot and it had moderately high payouts. Gradually going up and up, some outstanding prizes were implemented on the way, and Mega Moolah is one of the most perfect examples.

Since its release in 2006, this title has broken several historical records for the biggest JP payouts in the world of online casinos. They’ve broken their own record five times and even made it to Guinness World Record.

Unlike fixed…

…a progressive one boosts each time the game is played but the JP is not won. When the progressive jackpot is scored, the JP for the next play is reset to a predetermined value, and resumes increasing under the same rule.

What Else Can Be Found in Slots? 

There’s also auto-play or auto-spin, in case you want the reels spinning for themselves. It may sound practical, and it is, but it’s much better if the punter controls the action and follows every spin closely.

Moreover…

…there’s a Gamble feature, which gives the option of playing ‘double-or-nothing’ on the winnings. By hitting the ‘Gamble’ button one is usually prompted to play a Hi-Lo game or choose whether the next card drawn is red or black.

Adding more challenge and unpredictability are various missions and extra mini-games. They are often called Pick games, and the most representative one is Wheel of Fortune.

This feature comes with a diversity of prizes such as cash wins, extra spins, and many more. The only difference here is that, rather than selecting prizes that are hidden behind symbols, players will spin a wheel to reveal their rewards.

Wheel of Wishes by Microgaming pushes the limits of possibilities.

Another excellent example is…

…Play’n GO’s Riddle Reels: A Case of Riches, inspired by the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal assistant Dr. Watson. Incorporating elements of board games, this one comes with an extra mission- punters roll the dice, solve tasks, collect points, and advance through the story.

From One-liners to Infinity

From the point of view of modern-day punters, slots with one reel may seem ridiculous. But, the developers had to start from scratch, right?

Adding one by one reel and row…

…resulted in a bigger number of winning combinations. While the mechanical ones cautiously started with three, five, or nine, the computerized brought sequences of 25, 40, or even 100 winning combos.

Spicing things up further, reels needed to be energized and made more interactive. Rolling, tumbling, cascading, disappearing, expanding- they were challenged to perform numerous acrobatic moves to keep players interested.

Enter avalanche.

Games with this element have this specific function activated on every winning spin. When a matching combo lands, the winning icons will disappear, leaving room for others to cascade into their place.

The grid is constantly evaluated…

…for more new wins and the process continues until no more payouts can form. A slight modification which expanded the concept from aligned symbols to cascades was a true revolution on reels.

One of the first to introduce this mechanic was NetEnt’s Gonzo’s Quest launched in 2010. It was ahead of its time in of both features and graphics and it still manages to draw players even today.

But is it the same as rolling, cascading, tumbling, and swooping reels?

When studios saw how popular NetEnt’s achievement became, they wanted to take advantage of the same mechanism, but they named it differently.

At the time being…

…cascading reels are the most commonly used one to describe this specific action on the reels, but Playtech prefers to call it “collapsing reels”. If you were to ask Microgaming, they’d say “rolling”, while Quickspin refers to them as “swooping”. IGT, on the other hand, likes “tumbling” the best.

Though they are still widely popular and used, craving for more seems to be infinite. And that’s how the new mechanism was born.

Call it a coincidence or whatever…

…two studios came up with surprisingly similar in-game mechanics. When a winning combo appears, it triggers this special option and as a result, a new reel is added to the grid.

In ReelPlay’s InfinityReels, each spin provides the chance to add an extra reel, re-spin, and multiplier, while in NetEnt’s Infinireels mechanics the extra reel is added to the right when a combo contains a Wild or another matching symbol. Minimum three of them are needed across the reels for a rewarding combination.

One Way, Two Ways…Megaways

It all started with a smaller number of lines, one in the beginning, then three, five, which could result in 25, 40, or 100 winning combinations. They initially had a fixed number of paylines, but as the desire to provide more options to tailor the course of the game grew, they added the option to include more or less of them.

As the number of those yearning for more…

…predominates, developers brainstormed Both Ways Pay and Ways to Win, each of them opening more rewarding possibilities. Let’s say they shyly started with 243, then 720, 1024, and they keep adding them continuously.

The humongous number of paylines was presented in 2016 when Big Time Gaming released Dragon Born Megaways. Choosing more than a convenient name – Megaways, the studio crafted the mechanics which comes with a variable number of symbols on each reel, in every spin.

At the moment, one can find releases with jaw-dropping 262 144 ways to win, as seen in a fantasy-themed release by ELK Studios. Or even more. Sky and math are the limits.

Aside from ways and lines…

…there are clusters, pioneered by NetEnt. These types of payouts form when multiple matching symbols are touching each other. In many cases, you need 4 or more touching symbols to produce a win. With the ability to form anywhere on the grid, it comes with an element of surprise. And much better chances to score bigger prizes, of course.

How Important is the Animation and Soundtrack in Games? 

Step by step, one-armed bandits have evolved into something much more than reels adorned with versatile colorful symbols. Developers realized how to utilize modern technologies to come up with products that resemble movies, musicals, concerts, and similar events.

Why is that so?

They simply realized that the audience may gradually get bored from watching the same old mechanics over and over again. That’s where music and visuals came in as handy, as two fields where providers could show their skills and creativity the best.

One of the best examples is 3D games. These graphics-driven releases are often on par with cutting-edge video games and feature life-like characters and immersive stories.

Take Microgaming’s title Jungle Jim: El Dorado, which comes to the beautiful CGI scenery and models, offering players a richer and more rewarding experience.

Exploring NetEnt’s collection…

…you will find branded music ‘NetEnt Rocks!’ series which included the release of three band-based slots – Guns N’ Roses, Jimi Hendrix, and Motörhead. Play’n GO doesn’t fall behind with its House of Doom, Testament, Annihilator, and several more.

It’s not just the special effect, it’s the genuine soundtracks included. Some games even more with real movie scenes, or feature various celebs or public figures (and politicians, of course). Of course, all this all comes with top-class animation, for even more realistic and superb experience.

Climbing higher and higher…

…content creators pushed the limits once more, by incorporating gamification elements into their games. Story-telling was taken to a completely new level, making the line between distinctive genres invisible, and crossing them in a new and unexpected way.

Final thoughts

After observing all these numerous achievements so far, a logical question arises:

Is there any more room for innovation?

As crowded with features as they may seem, slots still have plenty of space for various innovations. The development is steady and goes with the flow- studios do their best to catch up with all the trends and give players more than they would expect.

These features are often combined…

…bringing new atmosphere to the reels and their functionality is additionally explored and expanded. As long as players seek more, the inventive solutions which level up player experience will keep coming and coming.

Frequently asked questions