Breakout Slot Review
The minute you’re confined to the four walls of your cell, you’re thinking of ways to make your great escape. The issue with this, though, is that every Prison is built to keep criminals in, but clearly, these guys didn’t get the memo.
Breakout from Nolimit City follows three unruly criminals as they run circles around the law, dodging every trap like it’s all part of a well-devised & mapped out plan or something…Every time the cuffs click & tighten, they’re already halfway out. The cops can continue to cuff & isolate them, but they will never be able to keep them behind bars.
Some of the best drama on TV is prison drama. Take Fox’s aptly named Prison Break starring Wentworth Miller, for example – it was a dramatic masterpiece, until it wasn’t, and then things got weird. Something about the make-or-break moments between incarceration and freedom has viewers on the edge of their seats, but will Breakout?
Those familiar with Nolimit City slots will have ‘done time’ in San Quentin, San Quentin 2: Death Row and Folsom Prison, so they’re no strangers to life behind bars. In the above slots, the cast and crew seemed to accept their life sentences and maybe even revelled in them, in the case of Beefy Dick.
The cast of Breakout aren’t so willing, nor are the guards…
Base Game & Features
Breakout is the latest high volatility instalment from Nolimit City, consisting of 5 reels, 4 rows, and 20 fixed pay lines. Winning combinations are evaluated & paid out when 3-5 matching symbols land on adjacent reels, starting from reel 1.
The game’s highest-paying symbols represent the 3 Criminals, followed by the Security Camera, Walkie-Talkie, Badge, Bomb, Molotov, and Grenade. When a winning combination is achieved, a fixed payout between 0.05x and 5x your bet is awarded.
Syndicate Multiplier
In the base game, each high-paying (Criminal) symbol may reveal its corresponding Syndicate Multiplier linked to it. Once the Syndicate Multiplier hits, it will transfer its multiplier between x2 and x100 to its respective high-paying symbol across the reels.
If multiple Syndicate Multipliers of the same type appear in the same spin, each Multiplier will add together and apply to its respective high-paying symbol. Please note that Syndicate Multipliers are not additive, and only apply to the pay line Multiplier.
Chain Reaction Respins
When 6 or more high-paying symbols of the same type hit in a spin, the Chain Reaction Respins feature triggers. Once active, all triggering high-paying symbols will remain sticky on the reels.
In this feature, when another matching high-paying symbol or at least 6 or more of another high-paying symbol appear, an additional Respin is awarded. Each Scatter symbol that appears in the initial Respin will be collected toward the Free Spins trigger.
The total accumulated payout for Respins is awarded at the end of the round.
Breakout Free Spins
Triggering Breakout Spins requires 3 Scatter symbols to land within the base game, awarding 7 Free Spins. Throughout this session, Syndicate Multipliers will persist on the reels between spins, while the Respins Feature behaves in the same manner as the base game.
Landing so many Scatter symbols during a spin will award the following results:
- 1 Scatter: Awards +3 Free Spins
- 2 Scatters: Upgrades the current Free Spins mode to Clearout Spins, carrying over the remaining Free Spins
If the session is upgraded to Clearout Spins, the current Syndicate Multiplier levels of each high-paying symbol are carried over to the next session. After this, the remaining Free Spins from the current session are transformed into Syndicate Multipliers of a random high-paying symbol.
Clearout Spins
Alternatively, triggering the Clearout Spins mode requires 4 Scatter symbols to appear in the same base game spin. This mode begins with 1 Life for each high-paying symbol.
Throughout spins, Syndicate Multipliers remain persistent, and the Respins Feature behaves in the same manner as in the base game. When a Kill symbol hits, it will reveal either a High-paying symbol or a Miss Icon.
If an active high-paying symbol is revealed from the Kill symbol, that symbol is removed from play. If the last high-paying symbol is eliminated, a special Respin is awarded, causing all instances of that symbol to lock onto the reels. During Respins, high-paying symbols cannot be eliminated.
Once a high-paying symbol is eliminated, it will no longer land upon the reels for future spins. Lastly, the Syndicate Multiplier of eliminated symbols will transfer over to the next available high-paying symbol.
Nolimit Booster & Bonus Buy
Players may purchase one of the following Nolimit Booster & Bonus Buy options:
- Bonus Chase: Each spin is 4 times more likely to trigger a Free Spins mode for 2x your bet per spin (96.04%)
- Mystery Syndicate Multiplier: Guarantees a random Syndicate Multiplier on each high-paying symbol for 20x your bet (96.04%)
- Maximum Syndicate Multiplier: Each high-paying symbol is guaranteed to reveal a x100 Syndicate Multiplier for 90x your bet (96%)
- Breakdown Spins: Instantly triggers Breakdown Spins for 80x your bet (96.03%)
- Clearout Spins: Direct access to the Clearout Spins session for 300x your bet (96.03%)
- Mystery Free Spins: 50% Breakout Spins, 50% Clearout Spins for 190x your bet (96.08%)
Breakout has a maximum win potential of 20,000x your bet. If a game session achieves this figure, the current mode ends, and the player returns to the base game with the qualifying amount.
God Mode
Through the game’s Bonus Buy tab, you can purchase a single God Mode spin for 2,000x your bet. Once active, all paytable symbols are stripped from the reels, leaving only ‘Max Win‘ symbols in play.
Landing 3 ‘Max Win’ symbols will trigger a Respin, where each symbol will lock into position. Any additional ‘Max Win’ symbols that land during the Respin will award the following payouts:
- 3 Max Win Symbols: Award 1,000x your bet
- 4 Max Win Symbols: Award 2,500x your bet
- 5 Max Win Symbols: Award the maximum win potential of 20,000x your bet
Our Honest Verdict
Some of Nolimit City’s best work revolve around those held against their will. Take Mental 2, the gritty hellscape that was Folsom Prison, San Quentin and San Quentin 2 for example. All memorable release sand some considered amongst their best. Unfortunately, Breakout isn’t quite of the same levle. For the first time in while, Nolimit City has waved bye-bye to all xMechanics.
The last time this happened was in Road Rage. After this release, it was all systems go with xWays, xBombs, xSplits, you name it. You could argue that xMechanics are not the be-all and end-all of a Nolimit game, but it does feel like a huge part of what makes their games pretty spectacular, and they’re sorely missed here.
Breakout is not quite as terrifying as dropping the soap in San Quentin. This game is far more grounded, offering a sharp design, high-tension soundscapes, all entwined into a gritty Prison Break narrative.
Gameplay also follows the same tone. Here, you’ve got Syndicate Multipliers that show up frequently, while the Chain Reaction Respins Feature gives them room to grow, especially when high-paying symbols are involved.
It has the potential to create some significant hits, but it doesn’t happen that often, especially with the base game being somewhat flat in between these. In terms of Free Spins, there are two to contend with.
Breakout Spins retain the game’s core mechanics, while throwing in some persistence, and the Clearout Spins session takes things a little further by introducing symbol elimination and a multiplier transfer.
Clearout Spins has more punch to it, but even then, it rarely achieves the same level as Dead Canary or Bounty Hunters, for example. God Mode returns once more as a purchasable Bonus Buy option, but it comes with a hefty price tag of 2,000x your bet.
The cost, although a little on the pricey side, may be considered an ‘investment’, even more so than other God Modes, given that a 1,000x, 2,500x, & 20,000x prize is up for grabs, instead of an ‘All or Nothing’ situation. That’s not to say either of them is guaranteed, mind you – there’s still a chance to walk away empty-handed and 2,000x your bet down.
Breakout feels like Nolimit City is trying to branch out and explore other avenues, and there’s nothing wrong with that. For a developer who is known for pushing limits and stretching boundaries, Breakout comes across as a little too safe, in our opinion.
All in all, Breakout is a clean release with an interesting theme and a few clever ideas, but it won’t satiate the hunger of loyal fans who crave the chaos.
*The images found in this slot review are currently from Demo Play. On average, our reviews are written prior to the initial release date and before real play is available.
