Banana Slots
Crazy, wacky, utterly bananas. There are many things you could say about this simple, 3-reel, single payline gambler from GameScale. They may not be the most fitting.
After all, despite what it may look like when the screen first loads up, this is definitely a serious game for very serious gamers. But first, perhaps an introduction would be best. Welcome to Banana Slots, one of many fruit-themed online slot machines that offers the real pub or barroom experience, from the comfort of your own home. Sort of.
When the screen first loads up prepare to be not-that-blown-away by what greets you. The idea is that you are actually playing a one-armed bandit, and although it’s clear we are looking at a one-armed bandit, the drawings are pretty crude. Whilst not the worst we have ever come across, the artwork is what critics might call functional, rather than aesthetically impressive. But then we’re here to make money, not admire beauty, so how about we skip to the important bit; getting rich.
Five-a-Day
Or should that be ten? Who knows, and who cares as long as you have a balanced diet. Digressions aside, Banana Slots is a standard, 3-reel, single payline gambler as we already stated. If you don’t really know what that means, then it’s simple- on the slot machine you will see three ‘reels’, each with pictures on.
The idea is that you spin the reels, and then try to match three of a kind of the pictures. Do this and you stand to win plenty. Fail, and, well, you won’t win anything but you can always have another go. At the bottom of the machine you’ll see the overall controls, we’ll come to those later.
The choice of pictures is pretty limited – there are bananas, obviously, watermelons, triple, double and single BARs, and cherries. Each corresponds to a different value when you get three of a kind, and with cherries and triple BARs, it’s possible to just land one on the reels and then come out with some (admittedly low) winnings. Not bad.
Gambling Like a Pro
As you begin to play Banana Slots there are a few things you will notice on top of all the information we have just provided. On the right of the machine you’ll spot a panel that says ‘PLAY 3 COINS - INSERT BILLS €5, €20’. This is basically pretty pointless, but tries to make the whole thing a bit more like a simulator. When the game first loaded, you will have been asked for a ‘Denomination’ – how much you want to play with. From that pot you need to keep topping up by clicking on this flashing ‘BILLS’ panel, almost like you are actually putting coins in.
You can also adjust the size of your bet by hitting the poker chips in the bottom of the screen. It’s possible to place 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, and 5, by doing this. As with every way of adjusting bet sizes, the more you put down the more you will be picking up when you win, which is obviously pretty tempting. On top of this, there are up to three coins that can be in play – blue, green and red, and they are ascending in value in that order.
Crude, but Fun
Banana Slots might not really look like very much – a pretty crudely drawn, 3-reel, single payline gambler with no bonuses, scatters, or wilds up for grabs. And, realistically, that’s exactly what it is. Nevertheless, it’s also a lot of fun, although it’s aimed squarely at those who take their gambling very seriously – hence the lack of distractions.
Overall, we have certainly seen more complex, detailed and immediately appealing games, but that’s the point – this is one that really pays out the rewards once you start getting into things properly. Which is ironic, because we first thought that this wouldn’t be one we would stick on for very long – a little too limited for our usual tastes.
Yet here we are, and all the better for it. After all, when you only have three reels, a handful of possible matches, and one individual payline, the wins appear to come much thicker and faster than usual.
