Playing slots as much as we do, it’s very easy to get completely wrapped up in the abundance of innovative features and mechanics found within thousands of studio titles, spread across our favourite online casinos.
With ferocious technological advancements made over the last decade, and still continuing to this day, players are treated daily to an assortment of Multiplier, Wild, symbol splitting, grid expanding, mystery revealing action, as game providers strive to concoct the perfect mixture of model and volatility, brewing life into the next big hit.
Let’s face it, we all have our favourites, right, and whether those be the punchy range of “X” features found across the Nolimit City roster, from xSplits and xHoles to xBombs and xNudge Wilds, or a dynamic DoubleMax Multiplier made famous by the team at Yggdrasil Gaming, our personal tastes can often prove to be highly influential when settling down to a good reel-spinning session.
A question that tends to crop up regular during a stream revolves around our personal favourite inclusions by providers, which begs the question, if we were to ever design an online slot, what would we include? Whilst our own Josh and Jamie have partnered with Hideous Slots’ Will to launch DreamSpin and develop their own catalogue of games, we’re just looking at my favourites today – where there are no limits.
Now, clearly popular historic features don’t necessarily make for a matrimonial partnership when thrown into the pot together, so let’s take this with a rather sizeable pinch of salt, but we’ve outlined three of our personal favourites which we’d struggle to leave out.
Megaways
Has there ever been a more pioneering invention within the world of online slots than Big Time Gaming’s infamous Megaways mechanic?
Whilst many slot fanatics associate the breakthrough with the 2016 classic “Bonanza Megaways”, “Dragon Born” was in fact the very first example of the feature in action, quite literally changing the course of dynamic win ways for countless years to come.
With up to 117,649 possible combination opportunities when firing on all cylinders, countless slot studios have long since adopted Megaways into their own titles, ranging from Pragmatic Play’s ocean-faring “Release the Kraken Megaways”, to Blueprint Gaming’s classic revamp of “Napoleon Megaways”, and with so many doors to potent partnerships opening up as a result, from progressive Multipliers to symbol collects, there really can’t be a more sturdy and versatile foundation from which to build a slot game from.
Activation Zones
OK, so this one may look a little vague at first glance, however take one of our more popular on-stream requests over the years as a prime example…
2013 may seem like a fairly insignificant year to mention, yet it was the year that “Vikings” first hit our television screens, proving a huge hit with viewers and spanning for 6 whole seasons.
So sought-after it was, that in 2018, NetEnt took on the challenge to transfer all of that promise and action into a self-titled slot game, and it’s safe to say it didn’t disappoint!
A relatively simple concept, symbol transformations were designed to activate upon landing a fully-stacked premium symbol within an “activation zone” in the middle of the game grid, making for a truly potent outcome at times, even birthing life to one of Scotty’s more infamous call-outs of “TWELVE *expletive* GRAND!”
Placing a concept such as this within an ever-changing and dynamic Megaways model isn’t something clearly yet seen, however the potential for symbol transformations, Wild additions and Multiplier opportunities would be far from limited, should the prospect ever come to fruition.
Bonus Tiers
You all know the ones by now…instant throwbacks to Blueprint classics, from “King Kong Cash” and “Inspector Gadget”, to more modern examples of “The Goonies Return” and “Beavis And Butthead ”, all forming part of one of Scotty’s favourite online slot concepts.
Mixing a hearty number of base game inclusions, alongside five or six progressively valuable Bonus rounds, makes these styles of gaming model truly unforgettable, and it isn’t a surprise that this has managed to make the cut!
A huge advantage that comes with implementing a tiered Bonus round system comes in the form of inclusivity and widespread appeal; there’s a little something for everyone, be that a “Hold ‘N’ Win” style feature, a Prize ladder, lower volatility Free Spins, right up to the top-tiered high risk, high reward potential.
There’s nothing better than settling down with a game and knowing that, through action and opportunities, the longevity is there to be enjoyed.
Therefore, so long as the versatile mixture is just right, there is no reason why this somewhat ageing concept cannot be applied to the more modern world for years to come.
Of course, these are just a small handful of our personal favourites amongst a sea of endless creativity and, what works for one person may not be desired by all.
A lot more must be factored in when deciding upon those perfect inclusions into any game, from themes and design to overall output and optimal potential required, however from a player’s perspective at least, it remains clear that our own personal sentiment towards both mechanics and features continues to play the key role when it comes to visiting our favoured go-to slots.
