Castle Slots
When MGA change up their dynamics, they really go for it, don’t they? Having become so used to classic yet innovative slots with multi-levels and bonus rounds, Castle blew our minds from the off. Not only does it look very different from what we’re used to, but it has a conventional 3x5 grid, consisting of 10 fixed winlines.
Having used highly animated 3D imagery, you feel like you’re watching a low budget Pixar film rather than playing a slot machine, which we can’t decide whether it works or not. Visually speaking, it’s modern without being in your face, aesthetically sound and very unique, but then we look at the staring faces of the characters and begin to feel unnerved. Their frozen expressions are incredibly creepy, and to make matters worse, they keep looking out at you as you play.
What is more, it’s hard to know whether these two characters symbolise protagonists we know, like Romeo and Juliet, or whether they’re simply medieval pawns to help progress the game forward. Initial opinions are very mixed.
Dancing Jester
The big headed, dark haired man not only hangs about on the left hand side of the gaming screen, but he’s also the scatter of the game, bringing with him up to 10 extra rounds. Oh, and he changes his hat so that he looks like a jester.
This would seem like enough to be going on with, but than the brand made the same symbol the wild for the rest of the paytable, which means the icon essentially becomes two for the price of one. Now you get payouts of up to 60,000 credits and free spins.
Sadly, although having looked rather promising, this feature is the only one for the entirety of the paytable, which means that the variance here is incredibly low. It’s not the smallest we’ve seen, but it’s pretty darn close. It’s a shame, as despite our reservations, a bit more variety may have made this an MGA title to remember, whereas now it quickly fades into the background. Can anything help the real cash slot to claw its way back?
Multiplier Wheel of Mayhem
The answer to that question is yes. Just when we thought we’d exhausted all the fun of Castle (and yes, it really was coming to an end so soon), we discovered the gamble option.
We’ll always gamble options out, even when we know that it’s likely going to be a boring old card game, but here we got a nice surprise – not a card in sight. Instead we were presented with a table consisting of multiple components, of which only four had a x2 multiplier, with the rest remaining blank.
Select to gamble and the wheel spins, with all your hopes pinned on getting one of the multipliers; we managed to get to a 20 credit prize, but we foolishly went in for the kill yet again, instead of banking our wins. As a result we lost and all our prize money went bye bye. Still, while the round lasted it was incredibly fun and so different to what we've played in the past.
Bet = Jackpot
Here’s the thing with Castle, if you’re hoping to get an attractive jackpot, you need to bet the maximum amount, and while 30 credits may not be too pricey, is it worth it for only a 89 coins jackpot? We’re thinking no.
This was the top amount during our playthrough, and so we can’t confirm whether the figure changes over time, but we hope that they do as that is one measly amount to be looking forward to. Even more so when you know the paytable can chunk out way more money than the value given.
A Nice Surprise
All in all, we enjoyed Castle, even despite all the bumps along the way, and a burning desire to never look the characters in the eyes ever again; it just has that special something that draws you in.
There’s no whirlwind of prizes, no unexpected features, but there’s big wins and an enticing gamble feature, which in this instance is enough for us.