Slot themes are a huge part of gameplay. They let users know what kind of game they’re going to get into.
At first glance, it is important that players know what kind of slot they are playing. Sometimes the brain makes snap decisions based on visuals it sees within a few seconds, so the branding and the summary have to look appealing.
As well as looking at the theme, seasoned slot enthusiasts will look for key information like volatility and the RTP of the slot.
However, even though those things are important, the entertainment value of the slot is the most important. Often, this is why you see popular game providers experimenting with quirky slot themes, to see if there is a new target audience they can reach.
Despite having good intentions, sometimes the development of new slot themes can go horribly wrong. Join us as we count down the top 5 strangest slot themes on the market!
Are Slot Themes That Important?
Yes, slot themes are incredibly important. Well-thought-out and fun slot themes draw audiences in and improve engagement. Increased engagement means players will spend more money on bets and spin the reels for longer. Most developers will stick with the themes they are known for. NoLimit City, as an example, is known for its high-quality horror titles.
But sometimes, developers will do all they can to stand out in a crowded market, and that means cranking up the quirk-o-meter.
1. Animals As Humans
There are some weird themes out there, but for us, this has to be the weirdest and the most fun. Yes, animals acting or disguised as humans are, weirdly enough, popular in the world of slots.
Humans have always loved to portray their animals as themselves or picture them engaging in human activities. Think of Cassius Marcellus Coolidge’s Dogs Playing Poker painting. People love the ridiculousness of that painting, and people see the comedic value of animals in human roles.
Honestly, the sillier the animals look, the more memorable the slots become. Red Tiger’s Piggy Riches sees pigs living the high life as insanely rich aristocats. Even the thumbnails for this game series get funnier each time. A pig wearing a monocle, what could be funnier? Note that there is irony in bigs being in high society, since they are regarded as dirty and uncivilised animals.
Another one we love is Buffalo Blow by Four Leaf Gaming. This takes animals as humans to another level, with buffalo taking the streets of Miami in the Gold Claws Gang, trying to execute a huge heist. It is like Scarface on steroids, in the best way possible.
2. Surgery Slots
Strangely, people love to see videos of plastic surgery and when it goes wrong. No wonder shows like Botched are so popular! Yet, we never thought this kind of theme would make it to the slots, but here we are. Apparently, game developers have found an audience who wants to cosplay as a plastic surgeon for the day.
Leaning into this theme with a very new slot is Sneaky Slots, a new game provider from the genius minds at Evolution Gaming. Their upcoming release, Nip Tuck, shows users the best and worst of plastic surgery through symbols on the reels. Think duck lips, migrated filler, and frozen face Botox. Sneaky Slots’ new release is a creative and weird take on the world of plastic surgery, but it is a refreshing way to lean into their weird side, and just in time for the spooky month!
Nolimit City loves their horrifying and gruesome games, and Disturbed is that, times ten. Instead of a mall shop, players are stuck in a dodgy hospital with a doctor of death. Characters in this slot also lean into the bad plastic surgery theme, with Mr Facelift looking like he paid for his surgery on Temu.
Surgery-themed games are strange but fun because they lean into the dark side of slots. It’s fun to play fruit machines, but sometimes you want to play something that will make you gasp, and surgery games will do that.
3. Countrified Slots
Country slots alone are not weird. Who doesn’t want to escape to a quiet little town in their game of choice? In this case, we are referring to countrified slots, slots that fit the country theme but take it to the next level of wacky.
Players see these slots as strange because they build on exaggerated stereotypes of people from the countryside, and let’s not mention hillbilly culture. With that being said, we will never get tired of seeing an unglamorous side to the slots, think mud, farm animals, and rustic settings.
These settings juxtapose the point of playing slots for some: to enjoy fast-paced gameplay while being in with a chance of winning big money. Furthermore, these games are designed to be unserious. Their mechanics, symbols, and reels aren’t designed to include top-notch game design. They’re designed to look and feel cartoonish to make fun of countryside stereotypes.
Frank’s Farm by Hacksaw Gaming plays into the farmer stereotype, the overly chill caretaker of many farm animals. But where this slot gets weird is that the farmer is a sloth. Yes, Frank is a sloth, one of the slowest creatures on the planet. It can’t get any more chaotic than that! Back To Venus by Bet Soft is another that takes the countryside theme and flips it on its head to a space theme.
Think angry farmer defending his crops, a common countryside/farm stereotype, only he’s fighting alien plants, and you get BetSoft’s Back To Venus.
4. Dark Alien Slots
We know that slot fans love outer space and alien-themed slots, but the dark ones, those are something else. So, what are dark alien slots? Well, dark alien slots are slots where the aliens are more than evil; they are downright sadistic. Slot developers are not strangers to horror games, but they take it to the next level in these titles.
Aliens in these slots will do more than probe players; that’s all you need to know.
Orphan Organ by Shady Lady takes the theme of dark aliens and puts them in chains. Six alien orphans are chained and forced to sing inside the music torture chamber, the Orphan Organ. They cannot escape and can only sing while they are shocked by electrical impulses.
A really weird concept, but a very creative one. The haunting sounds of the alien’s pleas combined with the spinning of the reels are downright terrifying.
Dark alien slots are wonderfully weird because they subvert the cliche alien invasion concept and add a darker, more evil side to the aliens, and we love it.
5: Experiment Slots
Close to the plastic surgery theme, experiment-themed slots play into the mad science stereotype, but they crank it up to 100. Something about watching an experiment take place in-game with body part symbols and surgical instruments is creepy, to say the least.
Mainly, why this is weird is that players are playing the game for fun and to win, but instead, they are met with experimentation and body parts.
Dr Eerie’s Experiment slots is a game where the scary doctor is conducting weird experiments. This slot is characterised by the weird doctor and a green creature (yes, a green creature), and the bizarre part is that players don’t know what is in those test tubes. It’s no experimenting on body parts, but it’s still weird and wonderful.
There are many weird experiment games where mad scientists rule the roost!
