Helloween

Before you begin slating my grammar Helloween is not a typo, it does not just refer to the huge celebrations that began in America and is now everywhere in the world now and is a time where desperate parents feel truly uncomfortable with their children walking around the neighbourhood in the dark winter night knocking on the doors of complete strangers. No Helloween refers to a German Rock band founded in 1984.

Helloween is the latest slot from the developers at Play ‘n’ Go and is another release that falls within their series of rock-themed slots and joins Annihilator, Twisted Sister, Saxon and so on. However, this is not like the other slots in the series as no band members are featured in the game. The band is not completely absent and makes its presence known along the way. Fans of the band will be right at home as some of the music comes from Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 and 2 the band’s most famous titles and there are features that have been named after hit songs which makes this an eclectic offering rather than a homage to the German band.

Helloween Overview

The slot is played out over 5-reels and 10 pay lines which are housed within a tower in a castle with stunning views out of the huge arched windows at the serene countryside, mountains, and forests. The mystical part of the theme makes its presence known crystallised on the reels which portray enigmatic images. It is here that there are various monsters, a ton of pumpkins and magic. Although the presentation is rather crazy the gameplay is solid, so keep reading to find out more.

This slot can be played on all devices which gives you the freedom to play wherever and whenever you wish. The first thing you need to do is select the bet that you are most comfortable with and bets range from just 10p per spin up to a maximum of £100 per spin. If you are familiar with the math model used by Play ‘n’ Go, then you will be familiar with the statistics and know that this is classed as a slot with a medium volatility level. The studio has rated this slot officially as a 6/10 so it could provide you with a soft ride rather than the heavy vibe the slot may suggest. The return to player though packs a surprise as the default value of 96.2% although we do suggest you check this as the operators can lower this if they wish.

Helloween Symbols

When it comes to the symbols they may not be as you may expect particularly if you are a fan of the band, however the lower paying playing cards 9 through to Ace which all portray a metal feel. The premium symbols are more in the spirit of the Halloween celebrations. You will come across creepy hands, a load of creatures, a mystic that is pawing over a crystal ball and a ring with a pumpkin face. There are a rather odd bunch and worth from 8x – 20x your stake if you land five of a kind. One thing Helloween is not short of is wilds, in fact it has seven of them and they appear randomly throughout the game and are all depicted as pumpkins. The normal wild has been created in the form of a jack o' lantern and can replace any of the other symbols to create a winning combination and this wild will also pay 20x for landing five.

Helloween Features

The seven wilds are match by seven different bonus games. The aim is for you to land three scatters on your 1st, 3rd, and 5th reels to unlock the Keeper of the Seven Keys Feature Wheel. The wheel spins and awards one of the seven free spin games, and each is complete with five free spins apart from the Helloween free spin feature where you are given seven free spins from the off. The free spin features on offer are as follows.

The I'm Alive feature is all about the spreading wilds when the wilds land on the reels they are sticky and will expand up or down until the fill the entire reel before they disappear. Next is the Future wild and when this lands on the grid it expands and fills the entire reel. The Eagle Fly Free wilds float around you reels and can help to crate winnings, one wild gets added to the reels on every spin, remaining for the whole feature, in between the spins the wilds fly around and land in a new space every time. Dr Stein is a feature that is based around being experimental and for every low symbol selected it turns wild.

The final four features are the March of Time, and with this any wild that lands will stick to the reels, taking one step left on every spin until they get to the final reel and fall off. The next wild feature you can come across is the I Want Out and with this every time a wild land they will eat the symbols around then and then blow up to be made into a 2x2 symbol. The next are the Helloween free spins and during the seven free spins for every three scatters you collect the feature wheel is activated and awards another feature to play. Finally, there is the Helloween Multiplier which is located at the top if the game screen and at the end of any feature a multiplier of 2x, 3x, 5x, or 10x could be applied to your total win.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that Helloween is a rather strange mix of things but in its own strange way it works. I must say that for a branded slot there is not that much branding but there are some scenes which include the band, however, if you only saw the screen shots you would not actual be able to find that the slot was based around a rock band that has been making music for over 30 years. The math model is not quite as boisterous as the soundtrack which is a good thing really.

The best thing is that there are seven features and they do activate frequently, and although the features are similar, they revolve around various wilds and the abilities that they can bring. It is a great thing that each wild looks different and with the wins getting as high as 5,000x your stake but most of the bonuses are more likely to be 10x – 50x with the occasional 100x to 300x which is not too shabby. When all of the game attributes come together this is a solid slot from Play ‘n’ Go and although it may not be the strongest of the slots, they have produced you have to admire the developers for choosing a subject that is different from competitors.