Jokers might be a bit of a fallback option in the slot industry, having been done a ton of times already, but software providers just can't seem to resist their allure. Here's another one to feature a loveable jokery rogue from developer Pragmatic Play. Going by the name of Joker Blast Bonanza, it's a clone of the studio's mythology-themed slot Sword of Ares, so players are in for a repeat performance of things like a Multiplier Collection feature with multipliers of up to x500 and free spins.
Except this time, instead of a buff deity in his godly splendour, players get a smiling, waving, bell-hatted joker hanging out in a plush crimson space. Thematically at least, Joker Blast Bonanza is aiming at a very different target audience than Sword of Ares was and came across as pretty generic as a result. In a market already awash with jokered slot machines, Joker Blast Bonanza does little to stand out, and being a clone, the game gave off the impression that Pragmatic Play wasn't trying too hard to impress.
The same stats have crossed over from the previous game, too, meaning a default RTP of 96.4% or 96.39% when buying the free spins bonus round. With a highly volatile math model, rated 5 out of 5 by the studio, players can select a stake of 20 p/c up to $/€100 per spin. On the front end, Joker Blast Bonanza's active gaming area is made up of 6 reels holding 5 symbols each.
Joker Blast Bonanza is a scatter-paying slot, meaning it does not use lines or ways to evaluate wins. Instead, when at least 8 identical symbols are in view, in any position on the grid, a win is created. A set of classic symbols adorn the pay table, which from low to high, are lemons, a plum, a strawberry, grapes, cherries, an orange, a bell, a 7, and a diamond. Hitting an 8-9 OAK scatter win pays 0.25 to 4 times the bet, while a 12-30 OAK scatter wins awards 1 to 20 times the stake. Joker Blast Bonanza might not have any wild symbols helping make wins, but it has a few other special symbols which can up the thrill factor.
Central to the way Joker Blast Bonanza functions is its tumble feature, which removes winning symbols from the reels. The remaining symbols drop as low as possible on the reels, and gaps are filled by symbols dropping from above. When no new cluster win occurs, the tumble sequence ends, and the total win is paid.
Above the reels is a meter displaying 3 multiplier values in the base game and 6 values in free spins. Multipliers start each new spin in a locked state. Via tumbles, the number of winning symbols or exploded symbols are collected. At certain points, the multipliers are unlocked. At the end of a tumble sequence, the winning total is multiplied by the highest unlocked multiplier. In the base game, it goes like this:
Bomb symbols land anywhere in the base game and in free spins. When a Bomb hits, it stays on the reels until there are no more winning scatters. When bombs explode, they remove symbols from the board in a horizontal, vertical, cross, or X configuration - the bomb symbol will display the direction. Removed symbols are collected by the multipliers, and new symbols drop down from above. In the base game, Bombs will only detonate if at least one tumble has occurred.
Should 4 or more scatters hit in the base game, players are awarded 15 free spins. In free spins, the multiplier meter behaves like so:
If you're in a hurry to trigger free spins, they can be bought for 100x the total bet. Whether free spins are bought or triggered organically, they cannot be retriggered.
If you've played Sword of Ares, there really isn't much, if anything, to add here about Joker Blast Bonanza that wasn't said last time. Everything functions the same as before, technically speaking, with nothing new to look out for or any changes other than the obvious topic switch to be aware of. It does live up to its name, though, being full of jokers, blasting, and, should it all come together, produce quite a bonanza. Seen from an optimistic angle, Joker Blast Bonanza occupies a specific niche that should satisfy players in the mood for a scatter wins slot with a mischievous harlequin exterior.
Seen in a less favourable light, playing Joker Blast Bonanza was a bit of a chore in some ways. With nothing original going on and being in possession of a generic cover over a recycled gaming engine meant, it was hard to get overly enthused while test-running Joker Blast Bonanza. In many ways, it does offer the same level of thrills possible in its predecessor and a fairly similar style of entertainment as that found in the popular Gates of Olympus and related slots range. Scatter win slots continue their upward trajectory, and the combination of winning system, tumbles, bomb clearances, and considerable multiplier values, not to mention a win cap of 10,000x, the bet means Joker Blast Bonanza is technically capable of ringing all sorts of harlequin hat bells when it's going off.
And so the Pragmatic Play manufacturing line thunders on, any production quota aided by a willingness to drop clones about the place. While not a bad game by any means, the generic theme, the reprocessed engine, and the same old features make it easy to dismiss if you are not an enthusiastic member of Joker Blast Bonanza's target audience.
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