No, Helloween is not a typo, so please don’t start pounding your computer in frustration. It’s not simply a passing reference to the holiday that is now enormous in the United States but slowly making its way across the rest of the world, much to the chagrin of parents who aren’t thrilled with the idea of their children going door to door asking for candy. It’s also a reference to Helloween, a German metal band formed in 1984 by bassist Markus Grosskopf and guitarist Michael Weikath, both of whom are still playing in the band today.
For those keeping score at home, Helloween is only the latest in Play’n GO’s string of rock-themed slot machines, which also includes Annihilator, Demon, Sabaton, Twisted Sister, Testament, and Saxon.
Helloween is unique among the series in that it doesn’t include any of the actual band members, either from the past or the present. Instead, the game’s 5-reel, 10-payline grid is located in a castle tower overlooking a forest- and mountain-filled landscape. The reels, which feature a plethora of occult images, crystallize the theme’s mystical aspect. Here we discover several pumpkins, a wide variety of creatures, and the power of magic. Helloween has a unique aesthetic, but its gameplay is very standard.
The band isn’t utterly MIA; they’re just not there when it counts. Fans will be pleased to know that songs from Helloween’s classic albums Keeper of the Seven Keys Parts 1 and 2 have been used in the slot. Several elements have been given song titles as their names, making for a quirky yet endearing tribute to the German rockers.
Helloween may be enjoyed on any platform that allows wagers between 10 p/c and $/€100 per spin. The mathematical model generates several numbers that are already well-known from Play’n GO, namely the medium volatility version. The studio gave it a 6 out of 10 rating, suggesting a gentler experience than the ‘heavy’ metal atmosphere may imply. The standard return to player (RTP) of 96.2 percent is satisfactory; nonetheless, you should double-check this. The operator can change Helloween’s settings, which could result in a lower RTP.
Fans of the band may be disappointed to see that, with the exception of the metally 9-A low pay card royals, the symbols don’t match the band’s aesthetic. Prices have been adjusted to somewhat reflect the Halloween holiday. A ring with a pumpkin face above it follows the frightening hands, then a collection of monsters, then a mystic waving over a crystal ball. Five of a kind is valued anywhere from eight times to twenty times the original wager.
Wildness is one thing Helloween doesn’t lack. There are at least seven of them, and they all have some connection to pumpkins at various times throughout the game. Jack-o’-lantern-themed variations of the standard wild can substitute for other pay symbols to complete winning combinations. The payout for a full house with wild cards is 20 to 1.
Halloween Slot Machine Functions
There are seven separate bonus games to go along with the seven wilds. To activate the Keeper of the Seven Keys Feature Wheel, you must first land three scatter symbols anywhere on reels 1, 3, and 5. The seven bonus spins games are randomly assigned by spinning this wheel. Except for the Helloween Free Spins, which comes with 7, the others all come with 5 free spins.
The expanding wilds are the inspiration for I’m Alive. When wild symbols land on the reels, they stick in place and grow vertically or horizontally until they cover the entire reel.
If a Future Wild lands on the grid, it will spread to cover the entire reel.
In Eagle Fly Free, wild symbols can appear anywhere on the reels to help form winning combinations. Each spin adds one wild to the reels, which stays there for the duration of the feature. These wilds flit about between revolutions, always settling in a different place.
Experimentation is the name of the game here, Dr. Stein. In this case, a low payout symbol type is chosen, and all of those symbols in play become wild.
Time’s Marching On: A landed wild remains in place and advances to the left by one position with each subsequent spin.
When wilds appear in I Want Out, they consume adjacent symbols, expanding to cover a whole reel.
During the Helloween Free Spins bonus round, you may win additional features by collecting scatter symbols.
The Helloween Multiplier, found in the upper right corner of the grid, is the final supplementary element. A 2, 3, 5, or 10x multiplier might be given to a feature’s final win.
Conclusion of the Halloween Slot
Helloween features an eclectic blend of styles that somehow all come together. Although there are various cutscenes featuring the band, the real branding is minimal for a branded slot type game. You can’t tell that Helloween is based on a rock band that’s been active for almost 30 years just by glancing at some screenshots. Turn up the level, though, and it’s a different story—one that will stun listeners who enjoy the sound of Helloween or other classic metal bands. During an era when hairstyles were as extreme as the riffs and singers were capable of soaring to heights that modern artists can only imagine.
The seven features aren’t terrible, and you can anticipate them to occur regularly, but the math model isn’t quite as raucous as the thumping soundtrack. Although there are many characteristics, they are all centered on wilds of varying abilities, thus they seem quite similar. It’s a great touch, though, because each bonus game has a wild that looks somewhat different. However, unless you manage to retrigger the Helloween bonus, you won’t get many free spins, so you’ll need a little of luck to rack up a substantial win. If the Halloween ghosts and goblins are on your side, there is the potential to win five thousand times your initial investment in the game. In reality, however, most incentives will only pay out 10x to 50x, with 100x to 300x appearing quite seldom.
When you put it all together, you have another winner from Play’n GO’s rock catalog. Helloween isn’t even close to the biggest, baddest slot in the collection, but props to the company for trying something new in order to introduce less commercially successful artists to a larger audience.