The Goonies Return

The Goonies Return Slot Review 2021

The Goonies Return Slot is an upcoming Blueprint Gaming instalment that follows on from the original slot which has renowned popularity due to its exciting gameplay and recognisable theme.

The Goonies Slot was released back in 2018 and it proved to be an instant success with popularity still prevalent today. Even this long after its release The Goonies is still frequently asked for on stream.

This longevity is undoubtedly due to the immense popularity of the movie itself which still stands out today as an infamous feel-good film for many generations. Released in 1985, The Goonies followed the adventures of Mikey, Brand, Chunk, Mouth and Data in their quest to find One-Eyed Willy’s treasure.

Their journey quickly turned dangerous as they caught the attention of the Fratelli Crime Family, but everything worked out in the end for The Goonies, and the messages and life lessons still live strong even 36 years later!

With such a strong brand and a previous slot to back it up, The Goonies Return is undoubtedly an anticipated release, and we can’t wait to relive the misadventures of The Goonies once more.

The Goonies Return Theme

The Goonies Return is very comparable to the first slot in its design and music. What you’ll notice beyond anything else, is how polished The Goonies Return looks in comparison.

The film may have been released in 1985, but the first Goonies Slot was released in 2018 which wasn’t a lifetime ago, so it’s surprising to see just how much Blueprint Gaming have improved in just a few years.

Long time fans of the original slot will be very happy with what Blueprint gaming have done here.

We’ll be the first to admit that we thought Blueprint would make The Goonies a Megaways slot, but we’re actually quite glad that they’ve decided to stick with much of the original formula.

The Goonies Return: The Base Game and Features

The Goonies Return is playable from as little as £/€0.10 per spin and as much as £/€100 per spin. There are 20 pay lines in total, and to form a win you’ll need to connect 3 of any symbol on consecutive reels, starting from the left-most reel.

The Goonies Return is very similar to The original slot in terms of gameplay here, and eagle-eyed players would have undoubtedly noticed the return of the key which serves to trigger Base Game Features

One-Eyed Willy Key of Plenty

The One-Eyed Willy Key of Plenty may trigger randomly during any spin.

This feature really enhanced the experience in the original slot with many different features that each brought their own element of excitement alongside a recognisable character.

Here are some of the features available in the One-Eyed Willy Key of Plenty

Truffle Shuffle Wilds

Chunk will bring Wilds to overlay the reels, and he may also turn the Wilds into Multiplying Wilds. A Truffle Reshuffle may also ensue after the original spin. During the Reshuffle, he can reappear and switch the reel positions for a second win.

Hidden Riches

A stone pillar will drop down and strike the reels, adding Mikey Wilds to the middle of the center reel. Once the reels stop, any goonies symbols in view will transform into a Wild

W-Invention Reels

Data appears to use his Punch-Out Glove to strike the reels, causing 2 or more consecutive reels to sync. This can occur for up to 5 reels. Data may also create a colossal symbol on up to 5 reels and upgrade the symbols in view, or move them for a better win.

Lucky Coins

The Lucky Coins feature introduces mystery symbols into play. The coins will reveal the same symbol, or cash symbols. If Cash symbols are revealed, then the symbols are held in position and the reels respin. The respin will continue until no more cash symbols land in view.

Bonus Boost

The Bonus Boost Feature increases your chance of landing the bonus by adding more bonus symbols to the reels

Win Spin

Guaranteed to award a big winning spin.

Reel Modifiers

On a losing spin, a reel modifier may activate to turn a non-winning spin into a winning one

• Scyth – Strikes the reels to form a winning combination
• Shooting Spikes – Removes one or more columns of symbols to create a win
• Dynamite – May be thrown onto the reels to upgrade the win
• Cave Collapse – Removes all symbols in view and brings in a new set of winning symbols

Red and Golden Key

The Red Key was an exciting feature within the original slot which pretty much guaranteed a big win, and it’s back again in The Goonies Return! The Gold Key is completely new. Here’s what they do:

• Red Key – Big Win Guaranteed
• Gold Key – Guarantees the Big Money Feature

The Goonies Return Slot Review: Bonuses and Free Spins

Those familiar with The Goonies will undoubtedly remember the wealth of options available when you land the bonus, and The Goonies Return is no different.

There’s a lot to experience here, which is exactly what you want when you’re dealing with The Goonies. Before the round starts, you’ll spin a wheel to determine your bonus.

If you’re not happy with the one you’ve got, then you can gamble it for the next bonus up. You can see the hierarchy of bonus games on-screen, but beware of the Mystery Win that may ensue if you don’t get the next highest bonus

Booby Trap Bonus

The Booby Trap Bonus is the bottom level Bonus in The Goonies Return.

Turn the Key left or right to reveal an outcome, which may be one of the following:

• Cash Multiplier Prize
• Collect – Ends the Feature
• Bonus Feature – Progression to Another Bonus

Waterslide to Wealth Bonus

You’ll be required to collect gold doubloons in order to advance along the trail and increase the multiplier. Selecting the doubloons will reveal either a positive or negative outcome

• Advance 1, 2 ,3, 4 or 5 spaces
• Collect – Concludes Bonus
• Big Money – Takes you to the Big Money Bonus Round

Along the trail, there are also positions that contain ship wheel icons. If you land on one of these, then the ship’s wheel will spin, revealing one of the following

• Upgrade – Increases some of the values along the trail
• Eliminate – Removes some of the values on the trail, which increases the chance of getting to the end
• Shortcut – Takes the player to the Big Money Feature

If you reach the Big Money Bonus, you’ll enter a game where a big cash multiplier or extra features can be won.

Skeleton Organ Free Spins

The Skeleton Organ Free Spins awards 5 spins with a special Skeleton Organ Symbol stacked on each reel.

The Skeleton Organ symbol is sticky, so any that land in view will remain for the duration of the round. If on any spin a special symbol lands, you’ll get to pick a key on the organ which will fade up from behind to reels to reveal a symbol. This symbol will then reveal itself on every Organ Symbol in view.

At the end of the Free Spins, you’ll be presented with Gold Doubloons which may reveal one of the following

• Extra Spins
• Extra Bonus – Progression to another Bonus
• Collect – Ends the Feature

Fratelli Free Spins

The Fratelli Hideout Bonus in The Goonies Slot was the worst bonus, but no more! The Fratelli Crime Family has upped their game since then.

10 Free Spins are awarded in Fratelli Free Spins. During this Spin, a Super Sloth may land in view, which leaves a border around the position it landed on. A final respin will take place on all positions where Super Sloth Wilds landed, and if 5 or more cash symbols are revealed then Momma Fratelli Money Spins are triggered.

In this mode, you get 3 respins. Landing more cash symbols will reset the spins to 3, and the bonus will conclude when spins reach 0.

Doubloons are also present at the end of this round.

• Extra Spins
• Extra Bonus – Progression to another Bonus
• Collect – Ends the Feature

Final Voyage Free Spins

Final Voyage Free spins reintroduces Inferno Reels.

The Inferno Wild is a stacked Wild Reel that starts from the left. This will move one space to the right on every spin. Under each reel is one of the Goonies. After the ship moves on from the reel above the Goonie symbol, then that symbol is Wild for the remainder of the spins.

Pay lines are also different from the main game in Final Voyage Free Spins. This coupled with the Wild Symbols means that the Final Voyage doesn’t lose its appeal as the ship travels further to the right.

At the end, Doubloons will be available to choose from once again. These award one of the following:

• Collect – Ends the Feature
• One-Eyed Willy’s Riches – Progression to the best bonus in the game
• Super Spins – Awards a number of super spins with all Goonies Wild and a full Inferno Wild Reel

One-Eyed Willy Riches Bonus

The One-Eyed Willys Riches Bonus can be obtained by gambling your bonus, landing 5 Scatters or progressing there from another bonus.

In this mode, The Goonies Return becomes a little bit like Money Train, and the significant potential is plain to see.

You’re awarded 3 money spins on a 5×4 grid with symbols that are either cash symbols, or Goonie modifiers

• Mikey: Awards Win Multiplier
• Data: Extra Respin, increasing total by 1
• Chunk: Truffle Shuffles and upgrades all symbols in view (Payer)
• Mouth: Adds together all winning values together (Collector)
• One-Eyed Willy: Enlarges the size of the reels by one column on the left or right
• Sloth: Restarts the powers of another symbol (Necromancer)

This feature comes to an end when you fill the screen, or when no spins are left

The Goonies Return: Our Verdict

First impressions of The Goonies Return may make you feel like it’s the same as the original, but you’d be dead wrong.

There are certainly some aspects of the original slot in here, but close examination reveals how dramatically the potential has increased. The regular, red and golden key and all of the features they reveal makes The Goonies Return ultra exciting even when you’re in the Base Game, and the new roster of Bonus Features makes The Goonies Return both a familiar experience and a new one.

The Goonies Return is far more capable than its original counterpart was with win potential of 50,000x. To get anywhere near it, you’ll want The One-Eyed Willy Riches bonuses for an experience that’ll remind you of the formidable Money Train. Even if you don’t quite get there, you’ll find a significant sense of excitement through many of the other bonus features available here, and plenty of win potential to go with it.

On the RTP front, The Goonies Return is very average with 96%. Not amazing, but not terrible.

To summarise, The Goonies Return is a new and polished tribute to both the 1985 movie and the 2018 slot, and we think Blueprint Gaming has done a tremendous job in reviving it once more, and an even better job of not making it a generic Megaways slot!