Retro-futurism seems to be gaining popularity in recent years. Whether it’s simply a love for the aesthetic, or some form of escapism, we’re not qualified to say. What we are qualified to say is that it makes for some damn good slot themes! Sadly, the theme isn’t as popular as we’d like it to be just yet. But Quickspin has also seen the light, and have created a stellar game about exploring the stars. Spin away in preparation, and get ready to lift-off once your free spins special feature becomes active! Then, gawk at the stars and your multiplier, which increases with every third win. Oh, and did we mention this release has Swooping Reels enabled?
What it lacks in raw visual power, it more than makes up with a well executed theme. One look at the background image has our mind already racing with possibilites. Where are they going? What will they find? How many trips have they already taken? We know it’s not their first one; this planet is very clearly not Earth. Reluctantly, we swap our attention back to the reels. There’s 5 in total, with 25 fixed paylines running through them. Players can set their total bet between $0.25 and $100 per spin. Winning is as simple as collecting three matching symbols in adjacent positions from left to right on a paytable.
We like the vast majority of icons we saw on the reels. They’re very well designed – mixing familiar looks from our world and adding a futuristic twist. Just about anyone can board captain sunglasses’ starship for a quick trip across the sector to visit Aunt Muriel. And feel free to hang around the captain for a while, since he is the most valuable symbol, sharing that title with the Wild.
Swooping Reels! They’re Quickspin’s version of Collapsing reels, or cascading reels, or whichever name you want to use. The core mechanic is simple. When you land a win in Ticket of the Stars, the icons that contributed to that win disappear. Empty spaces are filled with existing symbols falling down to take their place, while new icons fall from above. Using this method, you could chain multiple wins together for the price of one.
And its thanks to the previous special feature that free spins have some insane winning potential. First off, winning three, four or five Scatters will earn you fifteen, twenty or twenty-five free spins. During these extra turns, a Multiplier Meter is active. It tracks all your wins, and grants two more free spins and a multiplier increase after three wins. Get a good winning streak with Swooping Reels, and you could possibly win a few free spins and several multiplier increases in one go.
The slot may seem like a relaxing trip across the stars, but don’t be fooled. Beneath that relaxed atmosphere is a highly volatile game ready to pounce on any unaware victims. We can’t say these types of releases are our favorites when it comes to Quickspin. But it’s certainly better than some low volatility drivel some developers have been putting out recently. Multipliers, free spins and Swooping Reels create an amazing combination that’s fun and lucrative to play. It’s a bit too simple for our tastes, but we can live with that. Especially when it’s 96.52% RTP is above the average, and the jackpot is a stunning 9,714x our total stake!
