The Great Stick-Up

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The Great Stick-up: Slot Overview

Depending on who you ask, crime rates in the United States surged starting from the 1960s, with various reasons cited from shifts in family values to the Baby Boom effect. Instead of delving into theories, let's dive into The Great Stick-up from Pragmatic Play to experience a taste of that era firsthand. This crime-themed game is set in a small North American town in the 1960s, immersing players in a world of goodies, baddies, mystery symbols, and free spins.

Not long ago, Pragmatic Play explored the crime genre with Cash Patrol, but The Great Stick-up offers a different vibe altogether. It's sleeker in appearance and more energetic in its soundtrack. The setting is intriguing, reminiscent of the Wild West with its empty streets, leaving players wondering who or what is being targeted for a stick-up - a bank, a wealthy citizen? The storyline isn't as straightforward as Cash Patrol's cops and robbers premise; instead, it gains clarity during free spins, hinting at a planned jailbreak. As always, Pragmatic Play delivers top-notch visuals and gameplay, keeping players hooked to uncover the next twist in the story.

First things first, you'll need to choose your stake, ranging from 20 p/c to $/€100 per spin. While you're at it, it's a good idea to check the help docs to confirm the game's RTP (Return to Player) version. The optimal RTP sits at 96.3%, but it can drop as low as 94.4% depending on the setup. Regardless of the RTP, expect a highly volatile game with an average hit frequency of about 1 in 3.

The game unfolds on a 5-reel, 3-row grid with 20 fixed paylines. Symbols pay from left to right, starting from the first reel, and you'll need at least three matching symbols to score a win. All symbols are crime-themed, including items like pipes, magnifying glasses, detective hats, handcuffs, maps, stacks of cash, guns, and various gangster symbols. Non-character symbols can pay anywhere from 1 to 10 times the stake for five of a kind, while the gangster symbols offer higher payouts ranging from 15 to 50 times the bet for five in a row. The wild symbol can substitute for any regular symbol and can also pay up to 75 times the bet for a line of five wilds.

The Great Stick-up: Slot Features

In The Great Stick-up's base game, there aren't any special features to speak of. However, landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols changes things up by awarding a payout of 2x, 10x, or 100x the bet, along with 7 free spins. During these free spins, a new sticky mystery symbol appears, along with a progressive feature.

The sticky mystery symbol remains in place for the duration of the free spins and reveals the symbol type shown in a box next to the reels. Additionally, during free spins, small overlay symbols can randomly land on any regular-sized symbol. Collecting 2 overlay symbols upgrades the current mystery symbol to a higher-value one from the paytable. If it reaches the top-paying premium symbol, the progression feature ends. Plus, each upgrade awards an extra free spin.

Comparison with Other Games

Game Design of The Great Stick-up

“The Great Stick-Up” takes us back to the 1960s, immersing players in the streets of a small North American town. The game revolves around a daring robbery that promises to make a local gang incredibly wealthy. With its crime-based storyline and Wild West vibes, this slot offers an entertaining and suspenseful experience.

Design and Theme

The visual design of “The Great Stick-Up” is spot-on. The backdrop features colorful buildings lining the streets of the small town, creating an authentic atmosphere. As you spin the reels, you’ll encounter symbols related to the crime theme, including guns, heaps of cash, and a mysterious smoking lady. The graphics are well-executed, capturing the essence of the era.

Game Mechanics

• Reels and Rows: The game features a standard 5x3 grid with 20 fixed paylines.
• Volatility: Brace yourself for high volatility, which means big wins can be rare but substantial.
• Return to Player (RTP): The RTP varies, with the highest percentage being 96.30%. The jackpot offers a whopping 5000x your bet amount.
• Betting Range: You can place bets ranging from £0.20 to £100.
• Wild Symbols: Keep an eye out for wild symbols, which come with multipliers (ranging from 1x to 75x).

Special Features

1. Mystery Symbols: These symbols can transform into any regular symbol, adding an element of surprise to your spins.
2. Free Spins: Land three or more scatter symbols to trigger the free spins feature. During free spins, mystery symbols appear more frequently, enhancing your chances of big wins.

Gameplay Experience

“The Great Stick-Up” offers a smooth and organized layout. The play table sits in the middle of the screen, surrounded by the colorful town buildings. The controls (spin and settings buttons) are neatly placed at the bottom. The bright and thematic symbols enhance the overall experience.

Winning Potential

• Jackpot: If luck favors you, hitting the jackpot can reward you with 5000x your bet.
• Wild Multipliers: Even without the jackpot, the wild symbols with multipliers can lead to substantial returns.

The Great Stick-up: Slot Verdict

While there's some action in The Great Stick-up, it's debatable whether it lives up to its name. The base game feels pretty basic, mainly relying on regular line wins, leaving the bonus round to carry most of the excitement. During testing, the free spins tended to trigger more frequently than usual for a Pragmatic Play slot, but without official figures, it's hard to confirm.

Promoting a high free spins hit rate might have boosted interest in The Great Stick-up because aside from that, the game didn't offer much excitement. The base game felt repetitive, and while the funky disco track added some flair, it couldn't mask the lack of action. The bonus game had potential with its progression feature, but it was challenging to land enough sticky mystery symbols in useful positions. Some bonus rounds were disappointing, and with a win cap of 5,000x the bet, they could end abruptly.

Despite its appealing visuals and energetic soundtrack, The Great Stick-up falls short due to its thin features and underwhelming bonus rounds. While there are moments of excitement, enduring a string of disappointing rounds can dampen the overall experience, leading to waning interest over time.