The world of online slots is a rich environment with so many different species and inhabitants. The time of fruit machine domination is long gone, and they are now long-distance relatives of modern video slots, available in many genres and packed with all sorts of features. Here’s an overview of different types of slots you can enjoy at online casinos.
I-slots
The special line of I-Slots was developed by Rival Gaming, and it was a turning point in their casino library. The main characteristic of I-Slots is interactivity. In fact, the ‘I’ in I-Slots is short for ‘Interactive’. During the creation of its interactive slots, Rival Gaming would take a standard 5-reel video slot and add layers of plots and storyline chapters, enabling players to immerse themselves in the game completely.
I-Slots’ gameplay advances due to the player’s decisions and actions; the player is pulled in by various mini-games and bonus stages. The best part is that the game saves the player’s progress. I-Slots are also described as intelligent and highly entertaining.
Some of the most popular representatives of the I-Slots types are “As the Reels Turn”, “Reel Crime 1: Bank Heist” and “Reel Crime 2: Art Heist”.
Real-series slot
Exclusively produced by Real Time Gaming Real-series slots all have random progressive jackpots. The jackpots can come after any random spin and there are always two jackpots to be won, a minor jackpot and a major jackpot. The jackpots may vary depending on the online casino you’re playing at, but they grow with each spin and each bet.
Mostly, Real-series slots are games with 5 reels and 20 to 50 paying lines. All Real-series games have Scatters, Wilds and free spins. There are over a hundred titles in the RTG portfolio with these characteristics, and some of the more notable ones are “Aladdin’s Wishes” and “Caesar’s Empire”.
Video Slots
‘Video slots’ is a term which covers the majority of slots available online. They all involve captivating visuals, sophisticated in-game features, 5 reels or more and multiple paying lines. The best video slots are made by companies like NetEnt, Microgaming, Playtech, IGT and RTG, among others.
Slot machine reels of a mechanical machine have found their counterparts in onscreen graphical representations through video slots. These online machines can feature intricate animations, 3D graphics, autoplay and gamble options, a ‘win both ways’ system, multipliers, Scatters, Wilds and plenty of other creative accessories such as expanding and stacked symbols, cascading reels and free spins rounds.
3D slots
3D online slots were designed to give the players a realistic and exciting gaming experience through state-of-the-art graphics features. They are usually fast-paced and include incredible three-dimensional animation; both the high-quality graphics and sound effects are enhanced.
The rich interface design and the addition of video clips help the story of the game come together, thus making it more engaging for the players. Some 3D games boast truly breathtaking graphics, and the imagination of the developers runs wild with bringing all kinds of themes to life, from thrilling adventures to romance and fantasy.
There are various developers out there producing 3D slots, but Betsoft is the one that first comes to mind with titles such as “Mamma Mia!”, “A Night in Paris”, “At the Copa” and “The Slotfather”.
Progressive slots
The progressive part of slots is the jackpot. These slots are those with an accumulating jackpot prize, the one that grows bigger with each new spin of the reels.
There are two types of progressive jackpots.
- Networked, (linked) progressive jackpots all share the same prize pool which stretches across all the casinos featuring the games in the network. The size and value of the winning prize of such games reach astronomical proportions. How? A small percentage is taken from every wager made on all the linked slots in the network and added to the combined total prize pot. Once the jackpot is won, the prize resets to its minimum winning payout or the seeding value and starts growing once again.
- A standalone progressive jackpot has a fixed maximum value to its jackpot. One of the examples would be Cash Splash from Microgaming.
Three Reel
A timeless classic.
Even though 3-reel slots have been surpassed by modern, 5-reel machines, they are still around, providing a retro, old-school gaming experience to whoever is interested. Rarely do 3-reel slots include advanced features and bonus rounds, but thanks to a reduced number of symbols they offer handsome base game payouts.
NetEnt, IGT, Novomatic, Microgaming and Play n’ Go are all known to have fine 3-reels slots in their libraries. Try out Mega Joker, Fire Joker, Couch Potato or Break Da Bank and you’ll get the general idea.
Five Reels
While you can easily find any of the types mentioned, the 5 Reel is one of the the most common.
Playing 5-reel slots allows for multiple paying lines and also systems such as 243 ways to win. They often come with brilliant special features like multipliers, free spins, pick-me bonuses, Wilds and Scatter wins. They also sport added controls like Max Bet, Autoplay and Gamble.
There are 5-reels slots suitable for newbies and ones that target more experienced players. You can find hundreds of 5-reel online slots at casinos powered by NetEnt, Microgaming, Aristocrat, Quickspin, Bally Big Time Gaming, Rival, RTG and many other providers.
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