Slot Features – All the Juicy Details That Make a Slot Great

Slot Features or What Makes Slot Games so Fun!

With the evolution of video slots, the special features they come equipped with have developed and become as versatile as ever. So if you’d like to know what type of extras slot games offer these days, stick around and learn about the most common and lucrative bonus types out there.

We’ve covered everything from special symbols to mini games and full-blown bonus rounds that pretty much all modern slot game titles have to offer.

Wilds – the Jokers Every Game Needs

Wilds are perhaps the most common and frequently seen special symbol in online slot games. And they are always a welcome addition to any game due to two main factors. One is that Wilds are designed to be able to substitute for any of the regular symbols in the game (that excludes all other special symbols such as Bonus symbols and Scatters). And in doing so, they can help form winning combinations, when you’re short of a given matching symbol.

And then the other perk that Wilds often have is that they tend to be the highest paying symbol on the reels. So if you can line them up on an active payline, you can be in for some hefty payouts. But with the incredible diversification of online slot games, developers have found all sorts of creative ways to use Wilds in – here are a few of them.

More Wild Symbols to Explore

Scatters Always Pay – No Lines Attached!

Scatter symbols are present in pretty much all video slot games and they have the unique benefit of not being dependent on paylines. Scatter symbols are pretty much the only special symbol that doesn’t need to land on an active payline in order to pay out and/or activate a special feature.

What’s a Bonus Round without Free Spins?

Free spins bonuses are among the most popular type of special features that you will come across in online slot titles. And hence, these are also arguably the most varied bonuses out there.

There are numerous ways to trigger such bonuses that will depend on the particular offering you’re playing. For example, most commonly you will need to land 3, 4 or 5 bonus symbols during a spin. But the bonus may just as well trigger randomly or be awarded as a prize from another bonus game in the same slot.

In addition, the number of free spins can vary dramatically from title to title as well. The bottom line is that they are in any event a fantastic and fun way to increase your winning chances.

Split Symbols – Identity Crisis?

Don’t worry if you’re seeing in twos. Split symbols are another way to better your chances of higher chances that is most frequently seen in the IGT titles, but is not exclusive to that particular developer. The way they work is that basically two symbols of the same type are placed in the same position on the reels.

Multiplier Symbols for Bigger and Better Prizes

Multipliers can appear in any shape and form in slots, depending on the particular title and developer. But they essentially all do the same thing. Namely, they multiply the payouts of a given combination or cash prize by the number shown on the respective Multiplier symbol.

Explore the Diverse World of Bonus Games

Bonus games have gone a long way over the years and they are certainly one of the main factors that sets modern slots from their classic predecessors. And these days especially, software providers go above and beyond to offer the most creative and unique features to please players and keep them entertained.

With that in mind, bonus games differ greatly from game to game and can be dressed according to any theme. But most of them fall into one of the following most popular types of bonus games.

Gamble Feature – Will You Risk It?

Gamble features are common additions to slot titles, and are even more than acceptable in classic 3-reel slots. They are basically a very simple double-or-nothing game that allows you the opportunity to possibly double your winnings after a win. And in most cases they come in the form of a card game or a high-lo game.

Get a Second Chance at Winning with Respins Features

Respins features give players that wonderful second chance when they were just this close to landing a winning combination. For example, if you lined up 2 matching symbols on a payline and didn’t land a third one – then the presence of a Respin feature will grant you an additional spin of the reels, where the reels with the potentially winning symbols will remain in place.

And interestingly enough, the earliest form of respins features is even present in old school slot machines as the well-known nudge feature, which also gives players to make the most of their near-misses.

Nudges & Hold Features – A Little Goes a Long Way

Nudge features are most prominent in classic slot machines. It comes in very handy when you were very close to landing a winning combination. And in this case, the game will allow you to “nudge” a given reel either up or down with the hopes that the winning symbol you need will land the in the position where you need it to be.

In that sense the Hold feature is very similar, and also very popular with retro fruit machines. In this case, when activated, it allows you the opportunity to hold the promising reels in place whilst the others respin.

Progressive Jackpots – Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Some slot games come with a Progressive jackpot, which is very attractive to many players. Such titles promise the potential of massive wins, as they are usually linked across numerous platforms, and every stake made on these slots contributes to the progressive jackpot. Hence, it grows constantly and can reach jaw-dropping amounts. And the jackpot is either rewarded completely randomly or after you have landed a certain combination of symbols or won in one of the mini games.

Relevant news