MENUDo you remember the retro arcade games of the 80s and 90s? Perhaps the Space Invaders title rings a bell for you? Well, it definitely did for us, and when we learned that an online slot game by Playtech had been created surrounding the slot, we were potentially way too thrilled to play it. Then again, Space Invaders was a totally addictive computer game way back when, especially for us. If you’re familiar with the title, then it’s quite likely that this video slot will also provide you with a bit of a nostalgic experience. Naturally, being a Playtech slot game, it gives you some of the best quality graphics to see, too. This just adds to the overall experience of spinning the game’s reels and witnessing it all come to life. It’s so retro, that it even provides you with a layout that incorporates the traditional arcade gaming machine box. So, you can imagine how impressed we were from the first moment that we loaded it up. Childhood days all coming back to us. So, let’s find out what else this Playtech offering is able to provide, shall we?
Space Invaders Slot
Watch Out for the Alien Invaders
The layout of the actual slot itself contains a total of five reels and three rows. So, if you’re familiar with video slot games, then this will come as no surprise as a setup. Alongside the layout, the game incorporates 10 pay lines, although these operate in a both ways to win way. Therefore, it actually markets itself as having 20 pay lines, rather than 10. These are not something that you have the ability to customise though, so you’ll always be betting on this amount. Something that you do have the option of changing around though, is the wager that you place on these pay lines. The game has buttons for adjusting this at the bottom of the reels, offering up amounts between 1 cent and $10 per line for you to select from. This means that you have the possibility of selecting a maximum overall wager of $200 per spin, if you so wish. A ‘Turbo’ button also exists at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to play through the game at a faster speed.
Visually speaking, the graphics that Playtech has incorporated into the slot ensure that you’re able to enjoy it thoroughly. As mentioned, the background and surrounding of the reels is designed to look like a traditional arcade computer gaming machine. Then, upon the reels of the game is where you will get to see its selection of symbols. The retro pixelated alien invaders of the computer game act as the first three lower-paying icons, with one in blue, one in green and another in purple. After these, you get to see four higher paying icons which utilize a more modern-day graphic setup. These are present in the shape of what the aliens would look like if they were in present-day format. The fourth and final one of these is depicted as a yellow planet which can provide the highest pay-out during the base game as standard.
Defend Your Home Planet
So, you’ll need to defend your planet from the invading aliens, which is where your cannon at the bottom of the reels comes into effect. This remains active as you spin, moving between the reels and hiding behind barricades to stop aliens from attacking it. Should it stop moving under reel two or four though, it has the potential to fire its own weapon and turn any lower-value symbols on that reel into wild symbols. This will occur only if a win is possible to create by doing so. When this takes place, the pay-out that you receive for it is doubled.
Not only does the game have a cannon moving below its reels, but there’s also the alien UFO that moves about at the top of them. Both of these features are very much reminiscent of the original computer game. Should the cannon stop at the bottom in the same position as the UFO at the top, then the cannon fires at it. Eliminating the alien UFO will also award you with a free re-spin of the reels with extra wilds coming into effect for this, too.
One final thing to make you aware of, is that the wild symbol of the game (represented by a large piece of yellow text stating, ‘WILD’) can also appear at random during the base game. When this does show up, it will substitute for all of the other standard symbols from Space Invaders, helping you to create winning combinations.
Space Invaders - Conclusion
We wouldn’t expect anything less from Playtech – a highly entertaining game with some strong graphics running throughout it. The benefit of this one is that it incorporates a feeling of nostalgia for those of us who were accustomed to playing Space Invaders in arcades or on our original home computers way back in the day. That’s what makes it such an enticing option to access. The fact that it also includes the UFO moving across the top of the reels and the cannon at the very bottom of them just add to the delight of how impressive Space Invaders was upon first being released. We would highly recommend this one to any gamer – even though who haven’t played the computer game before. Playtech pulls it out of the bag once again.
