Online casino software developers are always competing to release new wagering models for internet and mobile gaming licensees. The more the merrier, as they say. Typically, Microgaming is the leader in production, but for the month of January, 2015—which we’re only 2/3 of the way through—Novomatic has jumped far ahead of the pack with 5 new online slot machine releases.
Novomatic is an Austrian based company that focuses on the global gaming market, manufacturing equipment for land-based casinos, gaming systems and interactive games for online and mobile use. Novomatic’s portfolio might not be as impressive as today’s global leaders, like Microgaming and Playtech, but with multiple subsidiaries like Greentube, Eurocoin, Mazooma and Astra Games Ltd grinding out new themes and pay structures, the pace at which it the brand growing has been stepped up significantly. More importantly, they aren’t cookie cutters of one another. All five new online slots are unique, as you’ll see from the descriptions below.
Between July and October of 2014, the online slot machine developer released 8 new titles, followed by a hefty launch of 5 new online slots in November. Novomatic got quiet over the following month, but integrated another swarm of 5 new online slot machines in January 2015. In the last six months alone, Novomatic’s online slot machine collection has grown from 92 to 110 titles.
New Online Slots from Novomatic in 2015
Let’s take a brief look at the newest online slot machines released by Novomatic this month.
Fruitilicious
Fruitilicious is a simple, 5 reel, 5 payline video slot with a fruit theme and a 5000x coin jackpot. Although no wild or scatter symbols are present, the pay table is unique in that a win requires only three alike fruits in any position on an active payline. Whether they are left to right, right to left, or in the middle on reels 2, 3 and 4, so long as there are three alike symbols in a row, it’s a win. There’s also a 50/50 chance gamble option after each win.
Mermaid’s Pearl
This 5 reel, 20 payline video slot has an aquatic theme. The lovely Mermaid is the Wild and the Treasure Chest is the Scatter. When 3, 4 or 5 Scatters land anywhere on the reels, the player triggers free bonus spins of 40, 50 or 60 respectively. That’s a lot of free spins! Plus, more bonus spins can be retriggered during the free spin phase.
Multi Dice
A unique fruit machine with a twist, this new online slot has 3 reels with a special Die to the right that rolls with each spin. Matching 3 like symbols awards payouts, but lining up 3 Dice will award free spins based on the number (1 thru 6) showing on the special Die. There’s also a Stop Watch in the upper right corner that shows a new random jackpot with every spin. Line up 3 Watch symbols and the jackpot on the Stop Watch is released. Multi Dice also offers Hold and Gamble features.
Pharaoh’s Ring
An effective sequel to Novomatic’s original Book of Ra vide slot, Pharaoh’s Ring features the same Egyptian theme with 5 reels and 20 paylines. The Wild is the Ring symbol, but players will have to activate the Extra Bet feature to make them appear (on reels 2 and 4 only). The benefit is that the Ring substitutes any symbol, including the Book Scatter. With 3+ Scatters, 10 free spins are awarded. Prior to the free spin phase, a single symbol is randomly chosen. If this symbol lands on any active payline during free spins, it wins instantly, no matter what other symbols are around it.
Wild Rescue
Online slot machine fans can hit the slopes in Wild Rescue, featuring 5 reels and 30 paylines. It has a special Falls and Avalanches feature that can be triggered at random on any winning combination. When this happens, the winning symbols will ‘fall’ and an ‘avalanche’ of new symbols will take their place, possibly resulting in more wins. If the Helicopter Scatter lands on reels 1, 3 and 5, Extreme Skier Bonus Spins are triggered, with the Falls / Avalanches feature active.