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NEW GAME REVIEW by Frank Legato
Dune
Aristocrat Gaming
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ristocrat Gaming’s new Dune Class III slot game is an industry first, according to the company, in that the slot game’s release to casinos was synced to the October 22 U.S. theatrical release of the motion picture Dune, which is the first of a two-part film based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel set in the far future on an inhospitable desert planet. Dune the slot game features sights and sounds directly from the film, with themed game play unique to the game. Also unique to Dune the slot game are new mechanics such as full-reel multiplier stacks and frequent scatter-triggered features—such as free spins on three sets of reels, an expanding reel feature in which the reels rise to eight rows high with cash-on-reels symbols (the “Sandworm Feature”), and a unique Hold & Spin feature (the “Duncan Feature”). Dune is featured on Aristocrat’s new Neptune Double cabinet, its stacked, curved 49-inch 4K monitors perfect to provide an immersive, theatrical visual experience, along with state-of-the-art
sound, and a custom-designed, adjustable sound chair. The primary game is in a “Reel Power” ways-to-win format on a four-by-five reel array, which yields a possible 1,024 ways to win on each spin. The game features a multi-site progressive jackpot that resets at $500,000, and a secondary near-area progressive resetting at $1,000.
Super Buffalo, Super Dragon Everi Holdings
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the inner wheel to either win hese sister games on Everi’s Empire Flex cabinet feature unique that progressive or land an “Upwheel bonuses offering multipliers and multiple wheel bonus grade” symbol. The Upgrade awards. symbol eliminates all static Both base games are in a 243-ways-to-win format, with 15 individual awards and the lower tiers from reels set in a three-by-five array. the wheel, leaving only the top The wheel bonus on each game is triggered with at least six bonus four levels, for which the player symbols scattered on the screen. More than six bonus symbols in the trigspins again. gering spin unlock special features on each game. In Super Buffalo, each bonus symbol beyond six increases the multiplier applied to the wheel bonus, up to 10X. In Super Buffalo, the extra symbols add Manufacturer: Everi Holdings extra wheel awards—up to 10 slices on the Platform: Empire Flex bonus wheel can yield the combined prizes Format: 15-reel, 243-ways-to-win video slot that are displayed. Denomination: .01 through 5.00 Both themes have a progressive bonus Max Bet: 350, 375 feature similar to the progressive bonus in the Top Award: Progressive; $15,000 reset award-winning Smokin’ Hot Stuff Wicked Hit Frequency: 30% Wheel game, but in a wheel format. The Theoretical Hold: 5%-17% player locks in a progressive and then spins 56
Global Gaming Business DECEMBER 2021
Manufacturer: Aristocrat Gaming Platform: Neptune Double Format: Five-reel, 1,024-ways-towin video slot Denomination: .01, .02, .05, .10 Max Bet: 880, 720, 640, 400 Top Award: Progressive; $500,000 reset Hit Frequency: Approximately 30% Theoretical Hold: 6.01%-12.16%
