Apocalypse Cow Slot Machine
Apocalypse Cow is a classic single payline video slot, one whose madcap title conjures up a rather amusing image: a clueless bovine beast sitting out the end of the world.
The instant-play 3-reel slot comprises both a base game and what’s referred to as the ‘Psychedelic Trail’, a bonus mini-game where you can win extra prizes, including a gargantuan 500x multiplier on your bet. The cartoonish, Flash-based title is a fun and chaotic one, refusing to take itself seriously for a minute, and it would be best enjoyed by those gamers who prefer to play on a single payline rather than 15, 20 or 25.
Those so inclined can play Apocalypse Cow at a host of Microgaming-powered online casinos. Let’s take a closer look at the game, and ask: if the apocalypse comes, does the humble cow stand any chance?
Betting Range and Layout
To play Apocalypse Cow, you’ll need to place a minimum bet of 0.10. The maximum, meanwhile, is 10 credits. The maximum pay-out, as stated, is 500x, meaning you’ll potentially walk away with 5,000 credits in your back pocket. Not bad for a non-progressive 3-reeler, wouldn’t you say?
The layout itself is pretty hectic, with the reels appearing against a drawn backdrop of green jungle. Players needn’t click into a pay-table, as this is located below and to the side of the reel grid. At the bottom of the screen are running tallies recording Bet and Win amounts, and it’s here where you can regulate your wager.
Symbols and Wins
In Apocalypse Cow, there are a total of nine winning combinations players can aim for. Symbols include an ID tag, a helicopter, a melon, cherries, lemons, BARs and 7s. Oh, and there’s a cow – an apocalypse cow, to be precise. None of the symbols act as wilds or scatters, nor is there a free spins bonus, but there is a unique extra game, which is outlined below.
Apocalypse Cow also includes controls such as Nudge and Hold, the presence of which gives players at least the ‘sense’ of being able to control their own destiny (as if a casino would ever permit such a thing!). The title also includes an autoplay mode, ideal if you want to spin the reels while busying yourself with some other task – making coffee, watching TV, browsing the web…
Pay-outs in the base game are as follows: 1x for three cherries, 2x for three blue BARs, 4x for three green bars, 8x for three lemons, 10x for three 7s, 20x for three watermelons, 40x for three sets of dog tags and 80x for three helicopters (what the helicopters have to do with an apocalypse cow is anyone’s guess). The highest-paying symbol, of course, is the trio of smirking cows, which pays 500x. Ideally, we’d like to see the second highest value being closer to the highest: it’s quite some drop-off from 500 to 80.
Psychedelic Trail Bonus
The Psychedelic Trail bonus is activated when three T-bone steak symbols are displayed anywhere across the reels. The subsequent second-screen mini-game consists of a winding, rectangular trail made up of 14 game positions, with each game representing a separate feature.
The boxes (the ‘reel of fourteen’) are coloured in psychedelic shades and include feature shots, bonuses, spin shots, cash shots and mystery prizes, which are represented by question marks. Players must reach the features by hitting the spin button, which will display the number of moves they need to make across the squares. Pick up the feature upon which you land by simply clicking on Collect.
Cow at the End of the World
Apocalypse Cow is a rather barmy title, but the game itself is pretty simple. In fact, a trained chimp could be taught to play a single payline slot game such as this one. That being said, the presence of a bonus round is most welcome and many of the symbols are attached to healthy pay values, including the helicopters, dog tags and watermelons, which pay out 80x, 40x and 20x, respectively.
If the sight of lemons, cherries and 7s doesn’t make you grind your teeth, you should take a closer look at this one, even if you simply want to play in free mode until you’ve better gauged your interest.
