PRAGMATIC PLAY
Among Pragmatic Play's diverse array of themes, one that occasionally surfaces is the banking industry. It's not uncommon for software providers to incorporate finance, money, and bank vaults into their games. In Pragmatic Play's lineup, you'll find similarly themed titles like Cash Bonanza, Empty the Bank, and Piggy Bank Bills. So, Reel Banks finds itself in good company thematically. On the gameplay side, Reel Banks offers a bonus round that should excite players who enjoy accumulating cash symbols and receiving money pot awards.
In Reel Banks, the base game is set in an opulent bank environment. With its grand architecture, towering columns, and massive doors, it resembles walking into a vault at a prestigious bank or an above-ground version of Gringotts. Symbols of wealth adorn the surroundings, from boxes of bullion and bills in the background to coins, bullions, and bills on the game grid itself. Wealth is a common theme in online slots, and Pragmatic Play adds another cash-centric option to the genre. While it may not seem particularly groundbreaking at first glance, Reel Banks offers an experience that fans of the studio should appreciate.
Playable on all devices, it's worth noting that Reel Banks comes with three different RTP settings, depending on the market. The highest RTP setting sits at 96.04%, while the others drop to 95.01% or 94.02%. The volatility is high, earning a rating of 4.5 out of 5 from the studio. To start playing, players select a stake ranging from 25 p/c to €/€100 per spin, or they can opt to buy free spins directly into the bonus round for 80x the bet. The RTP remains the same whether playing in regular mode or using the buy feature.
The game unfolds on a 5-reel, 4-row grid, featuring 25 paylines for landing regular line wins. Winning combinations range from three to five of a kind, with payouts varying. For instance, five-of-a-kind hits can pay 1.6 to 2 times the stake for low-paying symbols like diamonds, hearts, clubs, or spades, increasing to 6 to 16 times the bet for symbols like 'sevens', purses, bundles of bills, gold bars, or diamond inspectors. Wild symbols are also present on all reels, substituting for regular pay symbols and offering wins of up to 16x the bet for five-of-a-kind combinations.
At the core of Reel Banks are its Money symbols, which play crucial roles in both the base game's Money Collect feature and the Free Spins feature.
Money symbols come with cash values ranging from 1x to 500x the total bet. Completing this feature requires the presence of the Collect symbol, which appears exclusively on the rightmost reel. When a Money symbol lands on the grid simultaneously with one or more Collect symbols on reels 1-4, the combined value of all Money symbols on the screen is awarded.
Triggering the Free Spins feature requires Money symbols to land on all five reels, granting 9 free spins. During this bonus round, a container known as the reel bank is placed above each reel. At the start of the round, the Money symbols that triggered the feature contribute their values to the respective reel banks. As the round progresses, any new Money symbols that land also add their values to their specific reel banks. Additionally, special symbols with unique abilities may appear:
Aspect | Reel Banks (Pragmatic Play) | Other Games (Various Providers) |
---|---|---|
Theme | Banking and wealth | Varies (e.g., ancient Egypt, fantasy, adventure) |
Base Game Setting | Fancy bank with vault-like atmosphere | Diverse settings (e.g., forests, pyramids, oceans) |
Symbols | Coins, bullions, bills, gold bars, diamonds | Varies (e.g., fruits, mythological creatures, gems) |
Wild Symbol | Substitutes for regular pay symbols | Common feature in most slots |
Money Symbols | Cash values (1x to 500x the bet) | Unique to certain games |
Free Spins | Triggered by Money symbols on all reels | Different triggers (e.g., scatters, bonus symbols) |
“Reel Banks” immerses players in the heart of a luxurious bank vault. The design cleverly captures the opulence associated with wealth and banking. Here are the key visual elements:
In Reel Banks, the gameplay is easier to recall, featuring a classic collect mechanic in the base game where Money symbols are awarded whenever they appear alongside a Collect symbol. Things ramp up during the free spins bonus round, offering a similar experience to its predecessors. While it may not introduce blazing lights of extreme novelty, Reel Banks still manages to provide entertaining gameplay overall. Comparisons to Black Bull may arise regarding excitement levels, with Reel Banks possibly offering a similar level of thrill but through a different approach. However, Reel Banks does boast higher potential wins of up to 5,000x the bet, albeit with a lower RTP and a pricier bonus buy option. It's a give-and-take situation.
In summary, players seeking a slot with a Money symbol collection mechanic and a relatively sophisticated bonus round may find Reel Banks to their liking. While it may not revolutionize the genre, Reel Banks carries the signature glossy appeal of Pragmatic Play games, which should make it appealing to its target audience.