The Greatest Pokies of August 2018
Believe it or not, the summer months are still a busy time for iGaming brands, even though a lot of people are clambering to go outside and take in as much sunshine as possible. Picture it: relaxing in the evening, playing games with friends, or keeping yourself entertained when the weather turns bad.
No matter your reasons for gaming all year round, we’ve got a rundown of the best one armed bandits to try out this August, and of course any other month you fancy giving them a try. Most of the titles we’ll mention are new to the market, meaning that they offer fresh ways to play the reels, and best of all, they’ve been created by renowned gaming brands, and so you can have confidence in what you wagering on.
In an unusual turn up for the books, most of the titles we’re going to look at (this month) have been released by Playson, an online developer based in Malta, experienced in not only creating gaming content, but also building operator partnerships as well. Nonetheless, while Playson takes centrestage within this review, there’s a couple of other developers mentioned also – Pragmatic Play, and Habanero – and so there’s still some variety to be had.
Playson – Rise of Egypt
Despite being a new addition to the brand’s portfolio, Rise of Egypt is a 20 winlines slot machine that has a distinctive classic feel to it: the graphics are decent but by no means exceptional, the game features are simple, and the sound effects traditional in nature. It’s a modern day take on what makes a retro online pokie. Consequently, the 5 reels of this game may not be to everyone’s tastes, however if you can look past its old school vibes, you’ll find an accessible game that can deliver considerable returns.
Minimum bets start from 0.20 credits per spin, with users able to autoplay the reels or manually spin them. Inside the paytable there’s a total of 12 symbols, including that of special bonus icons, high value tiles, and lower value payouts. Those fortunate enough to activate the bonus features will be able to experience free spins, via the scatter, and/or wild payments thanks to the expanding wild. These aren’t innovative features, but they still ensure that the variance of the game is greater than that of a classic pokie.
Playson – Joker Expand: 5 Lines
Unlike its Egyptian counterpart, this one armed bandit is based on the traditional conventions of fruit machines. However, instead of only sporting 3 reels, Joker Expand: 5 Lines has 5 reels and 5 winlines. As for the graphics, they’re much the same as what we’ve seen from other Playson games – simple but pleasant on the eyes – though the imagery is far more classic, such as jesters and fruits.
Minimum betting starts from a lower 0.10 credits, with users once again able to spin either hands free or hands on. Furthermore, while there’s still scatter and wild symbols, no free spins can be won, and so this is a lower variance game, but one with a higher volatility. That higher level of challenge does come with the perk of exceptionally large payouts, if you’re willing to bet the maximum amount possible. If you do that, wins could reach as much as 50,000 credits. Given these details, it’s clear that this title has been designed for users who wish to experience the delights of old school gaming, but without having to encounter outdated game mechanics and aesthetics.
Playson – God of Wild Sea
Our third Playson release is that of an underwater themed pokie, which pays homage to the tales of Poseidon and other such mythologies. Decorated with a much more contemporary aesthetic, this feels more in-keeping with the other types of novelty slot machines available from other providers. And yet, Playson has still maintained its classic edge.
As before, minimum bets are kept low, as small as 0.25 credits a spin, with increased wagers resulting in higher returns. For your money, you’ll be able to play for a mix of both high and low value symbols, and the bonus feature, where you can unlock several free spins via the scatter icon. Another quirk of the slot is that the Gods can appear upon the reels and grant players access to extra bonuses, though the bonus will consist of either wilds or free spins, and so it’s simply another means of gaining access to the specials of the game.
Pragmatic Play – Da Vinci’s Treasure
We finally come to a different developer among our review: Pragmatic Play. In a similar fashion to Playson, this developer tends to have a more old school approach than contemporary brands like Yggdrasil. Regardless of this similarity however, the Da Vinci’s Treasure title is much more rich in detail than anything we’ve reviewed from Playson thus far.
Alongside the standard paytable, which consists of valuable symbols, as well as more menial rewards, there’s also two special symbols, one of which can trigger one of several bonuses. Gamers can partake in a map based quest, a series of free spins, and a pick me type bonus, all of which makes for one stellar gaming experience, although it also means that the game has high volatility. In addition to this, the 0.25 credits minimum bet also grants you a chance of gambling your winnings after each successful winline victory. To form a win, you need only land a combination of between three and five symbols upon the 5 reels and 25 paylines of the title.
Habanero – Ways of Fortune
To finish up our latest August slots review, we bring to you the newest slot machine from Habanero, another alternative for those of you looking to try out other brands besides that of Playson. When compared with all previous games discussed, Ways of Fortune has a far more overwhelming, busy set of aesthetics, some may even argue too much so, with the graphics sometimes taking away from the mechanics of the 5 reels interface.
Starting at bets worth just 0.28 credits, this is yet another cheap way of keeping yourselves entertained, only this time round we get an oriental experience rather than a classic, underwater, or adventure playthrough. Even though we love how busy both the interface and paytable is, there’s no innovation to be found here, with the mini games being that of free spins, wild icons, and high/low worth symbols. At this point, the major differences between this title and the others, is that the game looks more modern and engaging.