HERE COME THE SLOTS
Our annual review of the slot games coming soon to a casino near you
By Frank Legato
It’s no secret that the world’s slot-machine manufacturers gather every October in Las Vegas to display the lineup of new games to be launched in the coming year. What may be secret to you are the details on those games.
Slot-makers like to keep information on the “new model year” of slot machines close to the vest until the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) show, held in October in Las Vegas. However, this year, as every year, Strictly Slots is given an early look at the new slot games slated for launch in the coming months and year.
And this year, as every year, we now share that information with you. On the following pages, you will find the details on the new games coming to a casino near you between now and late 2025. We’ve arranged the information in alphabetical order by manufacturer.
Welcome to the new slot year. Good luck!
AGS
AGS this year is doubling down on what has been its most popular game franchise, Rakin’ Bacon. New versions of the game are being showcased on a variety of cabinets, new and old, and the company has been holding launch events at various casinos featuring “Cornsquealius,” the golden pig character that has become the mascot of the game franchise.
Rakin’ Bacon Link Shamrock and Rakin’ Bacon Link Fiesta are the launch games for the Spectra SL49+ Premium slant-top portrait cabinet, featuring a 49-inch portrait-style monitor in a slant-top configuration.
These games add a metamorphic feature, and a hold-and-spin repeat win feature to the original Rakin’ Bacon’s familiar free-spin feature.
When that feature is triggered, the player chooses the volatility of the bonus event through the number of rows on the reels—low spin counts with more ways to win, or vice versa.
The heart of the game, though, is the hold-and-spin bonus, and the Cornsquealius character features prominently in this feature. First, the single collection pot, in the form of the golden pig, provides a second way to trigger the bonus.
The regular way to trigger the bonus is by landing six cash-on-reels coins scattered on the reel array. However, during primary-game play, coins from the reels travel up to fatten the pig until it bursts at random. When that happens, Cornsquealius throws down enough coins to the reels to complete the six required to trigger the hold-and-spin event.
The golden pig also features prominently in the hold-and-spin feature. During the three-spin cycle, the player looks for cash-on-reels coin symbols, a “Jackpot” symbol and Cornsquealius.
The feature proceeds in the normal manner, locking coins and jackpot symbols in place for three spins, returning the spin meter to three as long as another of those symbols lands.
However, when Cornsquealius lands in the feature, the pig absorbs the values of all cash-on-reel symbols on the screen, becoming one new cash-on-reels symbol. He then sends the Jackpot symbol spinning until it lands on one of the lower-level jackpots.
The jackpot amount is absorbed into the big cash-on-reels award formed when the pig absorbs the other symbols, and the reel symbol returns to the generic “Jackpot.”
Rakin’ Bacon Cash Combo, on the Spectra SL75+ cabinet, uses the massive 75-inch monitor to great effect. Three pots above the reels trigger enhancements to the main hold-and-respin feature. As with the Link version, when one or more of the pots bursts, Cornsquealius throws down enough coin symbols to trigger the main feature.
The pots are marked “Grow,” “Extra” and “Collect,” each adding an enhancement to the hold-and-spin bonus. In the metamorphic feature, each will grow until bursting to trigger the main feature, or randomly, two or all three of the pots will trigger the feature with all the enhancements added.
When “Grow” is active, three locked reel arrays appear stacked above the main reels. Each time six coins accumulate on an active reel set, the next reel array is unlocked, up to the maximum four stacked reel sets. Filling any of the four screens with cash-on-reels symbols triggers the top Grand jackpot.
When “Collect” is active, Corns-quealius will appear during the feature to absorb all cash-on-reels symbols into a single symbol, and spin the Jackpot symbol to reveal one of the lower-level jackpots, which is added to the absorbed value.
The “Extra” enhancement extends the spin cycle to four spins, meaning the meter returns to four spins with each coin, and the feature continues until four spins without a coin symbol.
Rakin’ Bacon Triple Oink Soda Fountain Fortunes is another three-pot game, with a ’50s diner theme. This is a five-of-a-kind cash-on-reels game similar to Triple Coin Treasures, paired with tweaked on-trend enhancements “Add Spin,” “Reels Grow” and “Multipliers.
Rakin’ Bacon Jackpots Bonus Wheel and Rakin’ Bacon Jackpots Bonus Board are the final games from the Rakin’ Bacon brand launching this year.
These nine-line, three-reel games include a wheel or board game feature where, if triggered, one to six pointers will activate and award the coinciding credit amount.
In addition to Rakin’ Bacon, AGS will show games that employ features of popular current game families. Derivatives of Triple Coin Treasures will include the Triple Coin Treasures Gold game family.
The new game takes the feature elements from the original and adds a fourth pot, plus an instant-win bonus.
In addition to brand extensions and derivatives, AGS is launching some totally new game families this year. One highlight is the Lion Cash family. Games in this series include a metamorphic feature, leading to a hold-and-spin feature with cash-on-reels and jackpot symbols.
Central to the theme is the lion character, which is wearing a medallion that triggers a feature within the feature. When the lion lands during the feature, the medallion triggers a separate hold-and-spin bonus that plays out before returning to the main feature.
AINSWORTH GAME TECHNOLOGY
Ainsworth has been involved in a concerted effort to diversify its game library using the most popular game mechanics of the day. Prominent among those is the pot-collection, or “metamorphic,” bonus.
The effectiveness of this particular game mechanic was proven by this summer’s expansion of the San Fa series, in which San Fa Tigers and San Fa Rabbits were added to the original Dragons and Pandas versions of the game. While the animal character serving as the pot changed, the basics of the game remained the same.
The three characters above the reels represent “Sticky Free Games,” “Jackpot Free Games” and “Extra Free Games.” Each is triggered by like- colored coins landing on the reels, and applied to an initial eight free games. In Sticky Free Games, the reels are loaded with wild symbols, and when they land, they remain in place for the remainder of the free- spin feature.
Jackpot Free Games offer the chance to win one or more of five jackpots—three static prizes and two progressives, the top Grand resetting at $10,000. The color-coded jackpot meters display a number of like- colored coins in the free games needed to trigger the jackpot, up to six red coins to win the top $10,000-plus Grand.
Extra Free Games adds almost 100 extra wild symbols to the reels and awards one more free game every time a coin symbol appears.
At G2E, the company will launch several new games utilizing the popular pot-collection feature. Debuting on the sleek new A-STAR Raptor cabinet is Coin Kingdom, which features a three-pot persistent free-spin bonus and a two-level mystery progressive jackpot.
One unique adaptation of the pot-collection bonus that can be found in a reprise of Ainsworth’s popular QuickSpin theme. QuickSpin Electric Pots reprises the free-spin feature from the original QuickSpin games and adds an enhanced wheel bonus.
What’s unique about the game—also featured on the Raptor cabinet—is that the three pots don’t lead to a free-game feature or a hold-and-spin bonus, but to a wheel-spin feature with up to three enhancements.
“Extra Spins” grants up to four extra spins of the wheel. “Multipliers” multiplies the values on the wheel up to 5X. “Bonus Pointers” increases the winning slices on the wheel, up to a maximum of five pointers.
Of course, the pots are “electric”— they zap with electricity in fun animation throughout the game.
Finally, one outrageous adaptation of the three-pot feature can be found in Neon’s Bonus Blast, a three-title game family on the Raptor to be released in early 2025. The pots are fuel pods in an alien spacecraft, which burst to trigger an enhanced free-game feature.
The blue pot increases the value of all cash-on-reel symbols. The red pot blasts the reels with high-paying symbols that lock in place for the remainder of the feature. There is also a friendly robot named “DB7” that expands the reels up to six rows high for one 60-line spin.
At the center of it all is “Neon,” a little green alien who curses like a sailor. If Neon lands in the center reel in the primary game, he awards all cash-on-reels credits on the screen. In the free games, Neon is parked in the center, so cash-on-reels symbols pay off on every spin.
Pot collection features aren’t the only popular game mechanic to which Ainsworth is applying its own twist this year. Super Charged Link—with base games Super Charged 7s and Reel Hot 7s—brings a particular Ainsworth vibe to the hold-and-respin bonus.
At first glance, it looks like a classic Ainsworth three-reel, high- denomination video slot. The base game is a three-reel, five- or nine-line game with classic bar and 7 combinations and a four-level jackpot.
Available on the Raptor cabinet is Rocket Frenzy, with base games Diner and Drive-In. This game offers constant action in the form of blasting rockets. A prize grid of cash symbols sits above the reels. When rockets land on the reels, they shoot up to the prize board to reveal instant credit awards.
There are special “Bunker Buster” rockets that fly up to take out four cash spots on the board. There are bomb symbols that explode to reveal several cash awards at a time. And there is the Rocket Frenzy Bonus, which grants five initial free spins plus extra spins.
ARISTOCRAT GAMING
Football and fantasy are good words to describe the highlights of Aristocrat’s game lineup this year. In the football area, Aristocrat is launching three new titles in its NFL series, all with the popular “Pick Your Team, Play Your Team” menu of NFL logos, allowing the player to select his or her hometown team. All graphics, photos and footage then change to reflect that team.
On the five-reel Marquis stepper cabinet will be Touchdown Trio, featuring three metamorphic collection pots leading to an enhanced bonus. The MarsX portrait cabinet will host Triple Score, with three metamorphic pots leading to an enhanced Hold & Spin feature.
On the MarsX Flex large-format cabinet, with its 55-inch top monitor, is Touchdown Link, utilizing the familiar cash collection feature formerly utilized on the hit game Mo’ Mummy, but worked into the NFL theme.
On the fantasy side of Aristocrat’s lineup is House of the Dragon, an extension of Aristocrat’s game series based on the Game of Thrones HBO fantasy drama series that was one of the supplier’s biggest hit franchises of recent years. House of the Dragon, begun in 2022, is the prequel to Game of Thrones, set 200 years before the events depicted in the first series.
Featured on the large-format King Max cabinet, House of the Dragon is anticipated to be released this winter. As with the Game of Thrones slot series, Aristocrat has collaborated with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment to build out the House of the Dragon franchise with games based on chapters of the show.
On the MarsX Portrait cabinet will be Coin Trio Royal, a follow-up to Coin Trio, one of the launch games for the Neptune Single cabinet in 2022. It also will be offered on the Neptune Single.
The latest addition to the company’s most enduring franchise, Buffalo Triple Boost, will be launched at G2E. Another franchise extension will be Conan the Barbarian, with a hammer feature similar to the main feature in Jackpot Carnival.
Conan’s hammer will now be knocking up cash-on-reels values and awarding multipliers.
The MarsX Fit cabinet, the shorter version of the MarsX Portrait cabinet, will reprise Aristocrat titles including Wild Panda, Wicked Winnings and Two Wild Ways.
Also on Mars Fit will be a brand extension of Bao Zhu Zhao Fu called Firecracker Fortunes. It’s an Americana-inspired Bao Zhu Zhao Fu triple-metamorphic game.
Aristocrat also launches a new cabinet this year, called the Baron, featuring dual 27- inch ultra-HD monitors with integrated dynamic lighting. The Baron will launch with the games Bao Zhu Zhao Fu Ignite Blue Prosperity and Red Prosperity, a refresh of the elegant classic Asian Festival theme with a firecracker spin, enhancing the Aristocrat fan- favorite Hold & Spin bonus; Buffalo Gold Cash Collection, an enhancement of the popular Buffalo Gold theme with cash-onreels symbols added; and Ju Cai Jin Gui Dragon and Ingot.
ARUZE GAMING GLOBAL
Aruze Gaming Global (AG2) is rolling out the new Muso Summit cabinet, featuring a 49- inch monitor, side LED panels and an animated topper.
Among the new Aruze games released at the end of summer is the successful Triple Treasure Pot. The central feature is a three-pot perceived-persistence collection bonus. The pots are the Tiger, which triggers a Coin Nudge feature; the Dragon, which triggers a Jackpot feature that can lead to one of four jackpots including a Grand progressive resetting at $8,000; and the Ox, triggering an expanded reels feature.
The Tiger feature consists of five free spins yielding multiple cash-on-reels symbols, tallied every spin. A random multiplier on the fifth reel can increase all cash-on-reels amounts.
The Ox feature duplicates this sequence on a double reel array, with 100 paylines instead of the base game’s 50. The Dragon Jackpot feature awards 10 free spins, with jackpot icons filling spots on each jackpot display above the reels. Players can win multiple jackpots during this feature.
Another AG2 highlight is Long Fu Zhu, which debuted in California in late summer. This game features free-spin, hold-and-spin and wheel bonus features. Two adjacent orb symbols in the primary game trigger the wheel, which includes credits, multipliers and the four lower jackpots—three static bonuses and a progressive.
Six orbs trigger the hold-and-spin feature, which locks cash-on-reels and jackpot symbols in a three-spin cycle. The triggering symbols lock in place as cash-on-reels symbols at the start of the cycle. The spins return to three with each orb or jackpot symbol. Filling the entire screen returns the top Grand Jackpot.
On the Muso Triple 32 is Dancing Panda, with base titles Supreme Fortune and Supreme Festival. This is another hold-and-spin game, its bonus including a “Fusion” feature in which cash-on-reels symbols—scrolls in this case—fuse to become one large cash symbol.
Another unique twist on the hold-and-spin feature can be found in the Bingo Jackpot series—Bingo Jackpot Las Vegas and Bingo Jackpot New York.
In this 50-line game, the hold-and-spin feature replicates a bingo card, and cash-on-reels symbols in standard bingo configurations pay a bonus in addition to the awards displayed. All cash-on-reels symbols lock in place, but the bingos recorded pay off according to a jackpot ladder, ranging from $100 for five bingos to a $5,000-plus progressive for 12 bingos.
AG2 is launching two separate games utilizing ways-to-win formats with unique reel configurations. In Xin Yun Qiu, a 3-4-4-4-3 array is utilized (three rows of symbols on the outer reels, four rows on the inner reels). In this game, the hold-and-spin feature deploys a six-spin cycle instead of the normal three, and includes wild symbols and multiplying wild symbols along with the cash-on-reels awards.
A sphere above the reels acts as a collection pot, triggering free spins or a jackpot picking bonus.
Power Tower Dragon and Lion feature a 4-4-5-4-4 reel configuration. Six or more orbs trigger a hold-and-spin feature in which a second reel set can be unlocked with six more orbs. In addition to cash-on-reels symbols, the hold-and-spin feature includes all jackpots, including the top Grand prize.
BLUBERI
Bluberi is another supplier featuring a new cabinet this year. The Beacon+ features 360 degrees of floor-to-candle accent lighting, including an innovative back-lighting option for what the company calls “Beacon Tunnel banking.”
The Beacon+ is equipped with a 49-inch ultra-HD monitor offering 600 units brightness, framed by a narrow bezel to maximize screen real estate.
One of the featured games is Timber Jack Going Wilder, just released. It is a three-pot game with two free-game bonus features. The “Beaver Pot Fillers” are activated by wild symbols with coins attached. This triggers full-reel stacks of wild symbols called “When Will it End?” This feature keeps stacking credit awards and any of the lower jackpot amounts on top of the wild stack, accumulating awards.
The game includes unique enhancements like “Overtime Free Spins,” with all awards boosted by 1.5X (like time-and-a-half overtime).
And then you have “ghost reels,” phantom reels spinning above the reel array anticipating bonus triggers that will appear on the main reels. They can even trigger outside of the main reels.
Another Bluberi game previewed last year and just released is Honey Bomb. The unique aspect of this game is the hold-and-spin feature. Instead of traditional reels, it takes place on a giant honeycomb, the individual spots on the comb locking the cashon- reels symbols.
The hold-and-spin “comb” offers credit prizes and bombs that can explode to reveal jackpots. During the final spin, known as “Bomb Time,” all cash balls are upgraded to jackpots, and if players achieve a blackout, all wins are doubled with a 2X multiplier.
Each reel functions as an independent pot filler, giving players five distinct chances to enter the Honey Link Bonus.
These are joined by other Bluberi offerings such as Raging Red, featuring a centerreel character similar to the Bluberi hit Devil’s Lock, which triggers an instant award of all cash-on-reels symbols on the reel array.
Other games Bluberi launches this year include clever themes and characters worked into innovative game mechanics that build on popular features to create totally new experiences. Atomic Duck is such a game. It is a clever take on the early Atomic Age, with a funny duck character who, like Robert Oppenheimer, splits the atom—atom symbols will split to create double or triple credit awards.
The goal of the game is to collect the atoms to move up a jackpot ladder in the top box. A “catalyst” symbol on the fifth reel moves the player up to the next rung on the jackpot ladder during free games. When free games are triggered, there is a unique gamble feature—the triggered award is 10 free games, but the player can gamble with a true-odds pick to get 15 free games or five free games.
Berry Bucks is another three-pot game with pots triggering three individual bonuses. Another game, Dancing Pots, fills in spaces between cash-on-reels symbols to help trigger a hold-and-spin feature.
Jackpot Shot is a new theme that uses “mini reels” during the hold-and- spin bonus. They are miniature reel sets that spin to a what-you-see-is- what-you-get value for the cash-on-reels symbol (for instance, 1-2-0 would equate to $120 if betting $1).
ECLIPSE GAMING SYSTEMS
Eclipse Gaming Systems is expounding on its recent successes and creating new ones, like the supplier’s first three-pot game, Gem Link Deluxe.
An extension of the Gem Link series, the game features glowing blue, green and red gems above the reels that serve as the pots, growing and becoming brighter as gems land on the reels and travel up to the top box. The gems are marked “Upgrade,” “Collect” and “Double,” each representing an enhancement to another popular feature Eclipse is now deploying, the hold-and-spin feature.
When one or more of the pots burst, or when four or more diamonds land on the reels, the hold-and-spin feature is triggered. Diamond symbols lock in place as cash-on-reels awards, and the feature begins with three spins, returning the spins to three when each subsequent diamond lands.
When one, two or all three of the gem/pots burst to trigger the feature, those enhancements are applied to the hold-and-spin awards. The blue “Upgrade” diamond adds a value to all cash-on-reels diamonds on the screen. When the Green Emerald “Collect” pot is active, every green emerald landing in the hold-and-spin feature absorbs all diamond values on the screen into one new symbol, while leaving the original values in place. The Red Ruby “Double” pot doubles the values of all diamonds on the screen.
Other new games from Eclipse include Treasures of Teo, with one of the most novel wheel-spin bonuses to be found anywhere.
Three free-spin symbols trigger an “unlimited” free-spin bonus. With each spin, the wheel spins to one of the two jackpots or a multiplier, applied to winning spins or cash-on-reels awards. When a multiplier is granted (up to 20X), that slice becomes an “End Feature” slice.
The spins continue until the end slice lands. Randomly, a “second chance” slice will extend the feature.
There also is a cash-on-reels wheel spin. When cash-on-reels symbols land on the first four reels with a wheel symbol on the fifth reel, the big wheel spins to multiply the cash-on-reels awards.
The new games from Eclipse are augmented by extensions of the company’s two most popular brands. Big Shake 2 extends the Cash Arcade series with a sequel to one of the company’s biggest hits.
Like the original, the new game uses a simulated physics engine to replicate piles of coins being pushed toward the player from a shelf of a video replica of a coin-pusher arcade game.
The new game adds a mascot, “Jackpot the Gopher.”
At the center of the screen is a three-by-three reel set. At max bet, a special symbol sends six coins to the shelf, which may push coins off the ledge for credit awards.
When symbols trigger the Rapid Fire Bonus, Jackpot the Gopher appears to set a time clock for a feature in which coins rapidly fly to the shelf from a mechanical hose. For a period of five to 25 seconds, the player operates a “press and slide” lever to direct the flow of coins, aiming for three “mini-gems” which can award big prizes if pushed off the coin deck.
Coin symbols on the first two reels with a Gold Rush symbol on the third triggers the Gold Rush Bonus. A gate above the reels opens to release a flood of coins to the lower deck, including gems representing the Major and Minor jackpots, which are only awarded through this feature.
The other sequel is the latest in the “Big and Bad” game family, Big and Bad Howling Wilds. This game finds multiple ways of awarding wilds and paying cash and jackpot awards.
The main werewolf character stands above five reels. Behind the wolf is a haunted mansion in a fun animated scene. At the beginning of any spin, the “Random Wilds” feature can trigger, causing bats to fly out of the mansion and land on the reels, changing any symbol into a wild symbol.
Free-spin symbols on two, three or five adjacent reels trigger five, 10 or 50 free spins, respectively. All wins are doubled during the free spins, and when bats fly out of the mansion, they become sticky wilds, remaining in place for the remainder of the feature. Any “Wild with Teeth” symbol also is a sticky wild.
Any “Wild with Eyes” symbols on the reels trigger the Howling Wilds Feature. The wolf howls at the moon, changing the wilds into cash or jackpot symbols.
EVERI
This year, one of the highlights in new Everi games is a continuation of the supplier’s mastery of the mechanical-reel slot. Called Player Classic Spin, it is a new cabinet, an extension of Everi’s award-winning Player Classic Signature reel-spinning cabinet. Above the spinning reels is a 23- inch portrait monitor, topped by a prominent mechanical wheel. A nine- inch LCD button deck provides for easy play.
The launch games for the new cabinet, to be available by the end of the year, are Smokin’ Hot Diamonds and Smokin’ Hot Rubies. Both are classic three-reel, nine-line mechanical-reel slots with multiplying wild symbols and multipliers on some of the bar symbols as well— 2X, 3X and 5X, applied to winning combinations.
Three wheel symbols trigger the bonus wheel, which includes credit awards and the top three jackpots—Major, Mega and Grand, the top progressive resetting at $10,000. Two static jackpots are won through line combinations.
A second pair of games will be available on the cabinet in early 2025. Black Diamond Super Spin and Crystal Star Super Spin are extensions of hit titles on the standard Player Classic Signature cabinet.
There will be no shortage of new games launched on that standard mechanical cabinet this year. The Super Nudge Series gives players an opportunity to win the lower-tier progressive multiple times with up to four nudges. The Wild Stacks Deluxe series features stacked wilds and a “wild nudge” feature. The Top Notch series features innovative classic steppers that focus on multipliers instead of symbols and a quick-stop bonus that awards one to 10 prizes paired with multipliers.
Everi’s Premium Mechanical stepper category includes some potential blockbuster games, headed by compelling new titles on the Player Classic Signature wide-area progressive, Skee-Ball and Pop-A-Shot. Both are three-reel “Win What You See” games, with video replicas of the classic arcade games in the top box.
In Skee-Ball, the bonus ball flies into either one of the familiar concentric circles in the middle for a credit prize or three progressive jackpot hoops, including the top Grand—a wide-area progressive resetting at $100,000.
Pop-A-Shot simulates the basketball-shooting stand in the arcade. Prizes flash between credits, multipliers and the three jackpots, and the player wins the amount lit up when the ball goes through the hoop.
On the premium Player Classic Reserve cabinet is Everi’s latest licensed game, Powerball Wild Jackpots. In this game— also a wide-area progressive resetting at $100,000—the line wins are bar and 7 combinations, and three Powerball symbols trigger the top-box display of lottery balls being tossed around in a lotto- style “cage.”
Five white balls bearing credit amounts “fall” to a display, after which red “Powerballs” fill the cage, bearing credits, multipliers and a jackpot, with one red ball falling to augment the award.
Other premium stepper games to be displayed include Disco Inferno, with a disco ball in the middle of a wheel that spins in a colorful light display to the background music of the Trammps’ 1976 disco anthem; and Money Maker Press Your Luck, a mechanical-reel game based on the famous game show.
The Powerball theme also heads up Everi’s collection of games in the Premium Video category. Powerball Power Play resides on the Dynasty Luna, a new cabinet with a 36-inch square main display and a 49-inch J- shaped monitor positioned above it. In this application, the lower screen houses a five-by-three reel array and the large top monitor displays a lotto-style air chamber.
Powerball Power Play is a 30-line base game with cash-on-reels symbols landing on the first four reels. If a red Powerball lands on the fifth reel during the free games, it awards all cash-on-reels values with a multiplier up to 10X.
The main bonus is a hold-and-spin feature, with Powerballs as the cash- on-reels symbols and jackpot symbols for five lower-level prizes. During the feature, the player can unlock two additional reel sets. Filling all nine rows on three reel sets with Powerballs and jackpots triggers the widearea Grand progressive, resetting at $100,000.
The other launch game for the Dynasty Luna cabinet is a new version of Casper the Friendly Ghost titled Casper Triple Fright, to be unveiled at G2E and released in mid-2025.
Everi also will display several new premium video slot games on the Dynasty Dynamic cabinet, including two new versions of Cash Machine—Cash Machine Inferno and Cash Machine Lock—that take the popular title to the premium, high-denomination space; and Chia Pet, which brings to life the late ’70s pop-culture phenomenon of figurines with growing chia sprouts resembling hair.
Chia Pet features a three-pot collection feature (Chia pots, if you will) leading to a hold-and-spin bonus. Every time a Chia Pet lands on the reels, a watering can above the corresponding pet in the top box waters the pet, making it grow.
GAMING ARTS
Over the past few years, Gaming Arts has developed a library of games on the Vert-X Duo dual-screen and Vert-X Grand 49-inch portrait cabinets. This year, in addition to showing the first game content developed in concert with its new partner, Germany-based Merkur, the company also will unveil its first games designed on Merkur’s MOD EX hardware and platform.
One of the MOD EX games is Big Catch Bass Fishing, the first collaboration between Gaming Arts and Merkur.
Big Catch Bass Fishing is a cash-on- reels game. During primary and bonus games, cash-on-reels and jackpot symbols appear, and when the main fisherman character appears, it triggers a “Cash Collect” feature, awarding all cash and potentially multiple jackpots on the screen.
A standout from Gaming Arts’ Nevada studio is Puzzle Time, which was previewed at G2E last year, but has been adopted into a two-game family, one deploying a cluster-pay screen, with symbols appearing on a dark background, and the other, “Puzzle Time Reel the Wins,” with a standard four-by-five reel array.
The symbols in this case are puzzle pieces, which pay if they connect. Full puzzles above the array act as three collection pots. Through the course of the game, you’ll fill up the different puzzles, which trigger one of the features.
The pots are Multiplier Time, which applies a random multiplier to wins, Big Time, which sends larger puzzle pieces with larger prizes to the reel array—the larger prizes are easier to connect—and Jackpot Time, in which the player lands puzzle pieces with letters in an attempt to spell “MINOR,” “MAJOR” or “GRAND” to win the corresponding jackpot.
The popular three-pot metamorphic feature appears in several of Gaming Arts’ new releases this year. In Wild Temple, pots of gold coins trigger unique features in free games.
“Monkey Bucks” triggers a cash collection feature in which a frame travels across the reels with each spin, and cash-on-reels values inside the frame are awarded immediately. “Temple Riches” triggers a board game-like feature in which the player collects keys to unlock a jackpot wheel for large credit awards. “Free Games” adds expanded wild symbols to the array for a free-spin round.
Another cash-collection style is utilized in Lava Lock. The primary reels contain cash-on-reels, free-spin and jackpot symbols. Metamorphic symbols grow to trigger one or more of the three bonuses. In the main Lava Lock feature, when the Polynesian princess Pele appears on the center reel, all cash values, jackpots and free spins on the screen are awarded instantly.
A free-game bonus multiplies the frequency of Pele appearing on the center reel, and a Volcano Feature causes the volcano in the screen’s background to erupt, raining down a random number of cash values to the reels.
IGT
IGT is celebrating a “relaunch” of the iconic Wheel of Fortune brand with games in the 28-year-old family in several new formats, including video poker, electronic table games and more.
Perhaps the best of the new Wheel of Fortune games is the spectacular bank presentation of the game called Wheel of Fortune Cash Link Big Money on the new Wheel of Fortune Trio hardware.
The Wheel of Fortune Trio is something to behold. Three RiseSP cabinets sit in front of a giant wheel, filled with credits, multipliers and jackpots—including the top life-changing progressive. It is ringed by five arrows indicating paying slices. The presentation towers at 12 feet tall.
To this backdrop is placed a concept that was a popular feature of some Wheel of Fortune video slots— Cash Link. This includes a two-pot bonus mechanic, one money pot triggering free games and the other the “Big Money Repeat Pay” feature. In the latter bonus, whenever a Big Money feature is triggered, it adds the Big Money coin value to all cash-on-reels coins on the screen.
The wheel can multiply the Big Money Cash Link value up to 35 times, and depending on the trigger and the player’s wager, up to five pointers can be active for multiple prizes.
In addition, IGT is launching Wheel of Fortune Super Cash Link Bon Voyage as a wide-area progressive on the successful Peak65 large- format cabinet. It includes the Cash Link feature, the wheel bonus with multipliers up to 35X, free games and a “Respin Bonus.”
IGT also is releasing new Wheel of Fortune titles in Class II, in an electronic table game to be revealed at G2E, and as a video poker game. Wheel of Fortune Poker, in Triple Play, Five Play and Ten Play versions, offers a five-credit-per-game bet that activates the TV show word puzzle, and the familiar bonus wheel.
With the bonus bet made, every dealt winning hand may add a letter to the puzzle board or solve the puzzle, which will activate the wheel spin.
The extra bet also jacks up the value of a dealt royal flush to more than double the usual pay.
The Wheel of Fortune display will be complemented with new iterations of its other star games. Prosperity Link Blessings takes that hit theme to the tall SkyRise cabinet, which launched this year with the Whitney Houston Slots game.
The dramatic presentation of two curved 55-inch portrait screens fits the Prosperity Link game perfectly, providing an ample canvas for an extended hold-and-spin bonus.
While Prosperity Link is a fitting encore to Whitney Houston on the SkyRise cabinet, the Whitney Houston slot game family expands to the Peak65 cabinet, for an oversize display in Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
The new game uses the large format to reprise features like the Money Records cash-on-reels symbols, a jackpot picking bonus and free games, all with hip ’80s theming, including boom boxes and cassette tapes (as well as ’80s Whitney).
IGT also is launching new games in its Core Video segment, including the return of one of the legendary themes of the early 2000s in the new game Little Green Men Return. Featured on the PeakCurve49 cabinet, the new game brings back the familiar three-eyed alien characters as collection pots in a free-spin round featuring cashon- reels symbols.
The aliens in their spaceships are marked “X-Beam,” “X-Pando” and “Boost Blast.” One, two or three of the pots can burst to trigger five free games with enhancements—X Beam adds multipliers up to 10X to the reels, X-Pando expands the reels, increasing the ways to win with each new row, and Boost Blast randomly increases cash-on-reels symbols in the free-spin bonus.
During the primary game, if the main alien character lands in the middle of the reels, all cash-on-reels values are awarded instantly. In the free- spin round, the character is locked on the center spot, paying off the cash-on-reels values with each free spin stepper based on the legendary IGT video title. A free-game bonus adds a unique multiplier feature: Every time a Cleopatra symbol lands, it lights up a letter above the reel. Completing L-E-G-A-C-Y increases the multiplier from 3X to 4X or 5X, applied to all free-game wins.
Wheel of Fortune Poker is, as usual, accompanied by a new group of specialty video poker games that offer innovative ways to secure awards beyond the normal hand payoffs. In 5 Card Plus 2 Poker, there is a five- card pay table and a seven-card pay table. With the extra five-credit bet made, every winning hand has a one-in-three chance of adding two extra cards to pay off on the seven-card table as well.
Major Multipliers Poker adds random multipliers of up to 100X on various pay categories when dealt Jacks or better, two-pair or three-of-a- kind hands. It’s offered in Triple Play, Five Play and Ten Play versions.
INCREDIBLE TECHNOLOGIES
Incredible Technologies is unveiling a new cabinet in its Prism series, called Prism Skybox. It features twin 43-inch monitors—the bottom monitor curved—and the immersive presence of its predecessor, the Infinity Skybox.
The G2E launch of Prism Skybox also will see the debut of the launch games for the cabinet, Crazy Money Break ’N’ Bank and Treasure Lock. Both games take full advantage of the oversized Prism Skybox presentation.
Crazy Money Break ’N’ Bank brings back one of IT’s most beloved game families, the cabinet’s high-definition monitors adding entertaining animation surrounding the game’s two “pots”—piggy banks made up to look like Washington (“Gorge Washington”) and Lincoln (“Baberaham Lincoln”). You “pick your pig” at the beginning of play.
The piggy characters are hilarious in themselves—“ Gorge” with a wig and tri-cornered hat; “Baberaham” with top hat and beard—but the game follows the brand with cash-on-reels stacks of cash marked by cartoon Founding Fathers on various bill denominations.
This version utilizes the “SkyWheel,” a large wheel that grows to occupy both monitors when the bonus is triggered. Slices on the wheel include credit prizes and the four jackpots, with a $10,000 “SuperSync Progressive” as the top prize.
The SuperSync Progressive is being introduced by IT this year. It is a local-area progressive linking up to 100 IT games, spanning different game families. The top prize is available at all bets.
There also is an interactive Money Catch bonus, a signature of IT’s “Money” games. In this case, when that bonus is triggered— through the inner of the two concentric wheels on the SkyWheel display—the screen switches to a scene with dollars flying through the air.
The wheel spin determines how many grabs at the flying bills the player gets in a set time period. If picks are left at the end of the feature, they go to the piggy bank to conclude their picks with an anticipation- building prize reveal.
Treasure Lock is a three-pot game with a more volatile program than Crazy Money. Three metamorphic pots lead to an enhanced Lock & Spin bonus. The “pots” are portrayed as transparent vertical chambers that fill up with coins as game play progresses until one or more burst to trigger the Lock & Spin hold-and-spin feature.
The pots are Multiplier, which multiplies select cash-on-reels symbols up to 5X; Saver, which triggers a three-spin extension when the feature would otherwise end; and the Wheel, which triggers a spin on a wheel that includes the four jackpots, including the top SuperSync Progressive.
The launch games for the Prism Skybox accompany games on the other two cabinets of the Prism family. On the Prism VXP is Ascending Fortunes (base games Pagoda Rising and Jewel Oasis), which includes a progressive free-games feature. The five meters are displayed above chambers of coins and gems.
Colored gem scatters on the reels grow each chamber. As one or more of the chambers nears the top, the entire top screen moves upward, indicating an approaching bonus event.
Also highlighted on the Prism VXP will be Temple Falls Jungle Adventure, featuring two treasure-chest bonus pots that trigger one of two features. The Coin Collect bonus awards 10 free spins to accumulate coins, credit prizes or a wheel symbol that triggers a spin for jackpots. The Symbol Upgrade bonus can expand the array with up to three extra reel sets.
IT will launch several new games on the Prism Element cabinet, which was launched last year. Heading the list are Bonus Builder Emerald Spins and Lockin’ Wheels Spicy Spins.
Bonus Builder employs a unique pot feature. Three unique levels each hold three free-spin enhancement “pots.” One pot marked “Ways” adds additional ways to win during free spins.
KONAMI GAMING, INC.
Last year, Konami filled out its Dimension line of cabinets. This year, a flood of new games will fill those cabinets, many calling on past Konami successes with the most popular modern game mechanics added.
Charms Full Link on the Dimension 49 portrait cabinet is such a game, with base games Leprechaun’s Gifts and Leprechaun’s Blessing featuring a hold-and-spin feature similar to Konami’s hit All Aboard series.
During Leprechaun’s Gifts’ primary game, gift symbols appearing on all but the first reel transform into the same paying symbol or into coin symbols. The coin symbols travel to the top display to increment the pot. On any random spin, six or more coins can cause the pot to burst, triggering the Charms Full Link hold- and-spin bonus including the enhancement identified on the coins.
The coins are marked “Extra Spins,” “Double Games” and “Lucky Kicker.”
Extra Spins grants a fourth spin after three spins without a coin or bonus, extending the feature. Double Games expands the bonus to two stacked reel arrays. Lucky Kicker adds a spinning coin on the right of the array for an extra bonus amount. The player can trigger one, two or all three of the enhancements on a single feature.
Another game calling on past successes is Mighty Mayan Chief, featured on the Dimension 27 triple-screen or the big-screen Dimension 43×3 (with its three stacked 43-inch monitors). In this game, there are two metamorphic gems, one triggering a jackpot picking bonus and the other boosting the value of “Reveal” symbols, which transform several symbols into the same symbol for large wins.
The new game also retains the Free Games and Super Free Games features that made the originals popular.
The player can win up to 450 standard Free Games but can exchange them at one Super Free Game for every eight Free Games. Super Free Games features bonuses such as higher paying symbols, more transforming symbols and higher payout potentials.
On the Dimension 49 is Crazy Stuffed Coins, with a metamorphic character that enhances free games with multipliers, ex-panding reels and progressive jackpot opportunities; and Moon Celebration, with a wild feature and expanded reels in a free-game bonus.
Also on the Dimension 49 is K-Pow Pig, which wraps hold-and-spin and free-spin features into animated sequences that combine classic comic book-style art with Japanese anime-style art in a fun visual.
Konami is displaying several games that can be featured either on the Dimension 49J large-format portrait cabinet or the jumbo Dimension 75C. One highlight in these large formats is BUZZR, which wraps a cash- on-reels feature and a what-you-see-is-what-you-get mechanic into bonuses with footage from three classic TV game shows, Beat the Clock, Card Sharks and Family Feud.
The Beat the Clock free-game feature adds multipliers throughout the bonus. The Card Sharks feature is a high/low card pick, and the Family Feud sequence is a cash-on-reels free-spins feature with extra spin opportunities.
Bingo Frenzy Stampede is another title on the two large-format cabinets. This game features a unique hold-and-spin feature, played out on a five-by-five “bingo card” grid. During the feature, every time five cash-on-reels awards land in a straight or diagonal line, it’s a “bingo.” A dauber flies down to stamp the combination, and all the values are awarded instantly.
The bingo values collapse into a center coin, and the other spots open up again as the hold-and-respin feature continues.
LIGHT & WONDER
Light & Wonder is making the most of the great cabinets launched recently, from the Cosmic slant-top cabinet to the jumbo Mural and Horizon cabinets. This year, another new cabinet, the Cosmic Upright, will be revealed.
All the cabinets are being utilized in new versions of several hit game franchises. They include Huff N’ Puff, the No. 1 core game in the market at press time. The company will launch a premium version of the franchise at G2E, including a wide-area progressive version of Huff N’ Even More Puff, presented on the new jumbo cabinet Horizon, which features a 75-inch monitor with surrounding LED panels that bring the total display up to 90 inches.
The wide-area progressive version will be called Huff N’ Even More Puff Grand. It features expanding reels, three wheels and the life-changing top prize.
Another extension of the brand is Huff N’ Puff Money Mansion, on the giant Mural cabinet. In this game, released in late summer, the massive Mural screen hosts a cash-on-reels bonus feature on an expanded reel array. The three little pigs randomly appear in the base game to help trigger the bonus.
Other brand extensions will take well- known brands to new cabinet presentations. A new entry to the legendary Dancing Drums game family will be one of the inaugural games on the new Cosmic Upright cabinet. Also on the Cosmic Upright will be new versions of the hit games Ultimate Fire Link and Invaders from the Planet Moolah.
Those games will join the two blockbuster inaugural games on the Horizon cabinet, Squid Game and Kong Skull Island. There will be several G2E reveals of new licensed entries, including refreshes of longstanding licenses.
Those brand refreshes will include many of the most famous L&W licenses. One show reveal will be a new entry in the Wizard of Oz franchise, and there will be two new Monopoly-themed games at G2E.
Joining these will be a new licensed game based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit franchise and another new licensed game will be Rampage, based on the classic arcade game.
Light & Wonder also is launching innovative new games on the various iterations of the Landmark stepper cabinet.
On the original Landmark 7000 is a game that packs in just about everything that could be loved by a traditional mechanical stepper player—Double Black & White.
Another new stepper on the Landmark is Easy Money Deluxe, which features a flashing top-box bonus that adds multipliers and credit prizes. Featured on the Landmark Transparent is Bang! Bam! Boom!, which includes the first three-pot metamorphic feature on a stepper slot.
