ARISTOCRAT’S WORLD OF PLAY
Aristocrat has a wide range of great games available for clubs and pubs, and more to come with the launch of the Grand Globes game family in QLD and next month in NSW. Additional games are available for their strongest current game family Dollar Storm, and there are other games proving to be super popular among players that many clubs and pubs have missed such as Bao Zhu Zhao Fu. A peek into the following months will add to the game choices for us
Grand Globes – The AHG Expo feature game
Grand Globes is a new game family that combines popular holiday themes with a strong entertainment focus. There are four games available: Hawaii Dreaming, Shanghai Stories, Vegas Pays and Paris Lights.
A Hold and Spin Feature with a difference.
The games include the popular hold and spin feature but where this differs is that there are a number of additional features to provide a unique hold and spin experience for players every time. The feature is triggered by six ‘grand globes’ and during the hold and spin feature the players are looking for the frequently occurring ‘plane’ symbol.
When it lands this symbol spins to provide one of seven additional feature benefits including a 2x multiplier, a 3x multiplier, a credit boost, a star to contribute to the three required for a Super Jackpot or Mega Jackpot win, three extra spins, or belt buckle symbols that contribute to unlocking additional rows in the feature.
Free Games
The Free Games in Grand Globes are common across the four games and are triggered by three scattered passport symbols in the centre three reels (2, 3 and 4). Once the feature is triggered the players are presented with two different free game options:
- 8 Free Games with Added Wilds: This is the ‘safe’ option for players and is consistent across all four Grand Globe games. This feature is well known among players and offers them eight free games with added wilds to boost their wins. Here they are choosing an option in the feature that is a quick and simple feature win.
- Increased chance to win the hold and spin feature: The second option for players provides a game feature that gives them a better chance of getting the hold and spin feature. In Vegas Pays and Paris Lights a new ‘cloned reel’ feature replicates reels by linking them together and this changes every spin. All the symbols in the reels that have been linked up are identical, so players increase their chances of scatter and line wins. In Hawaii Dreaming and Shanghai Stories the second free game option for players is sticky cash on reels. When a grand globe symbol with a cash on reel prize is landed it holds for the next spins giving the player an extra chance to land all six grand globes required to trigger the hold and spin feature.
Grand Globes has just been released in QLD as a link with a 10K or 20K startup and early performance results are looking very positive. In NSW the initial release will be a SAP version with a $5K and $7K start up at the end of April.
New Dollar Storm Games
The Dollar Storm game family has been increasing in popularity over the last year and is replacing older product as the go-to choice for regular mid-high tier players. The advantage that these players have found is that the 20c denomination is a 25-line game and with the games’ dynamic bonuses lifting with their denomination choice, at 20c they can play for the Minor Bonus at $1000 on all 25 of the available lines. They can also win the Super Grand Jackpot from a single symbol.
Two new Dollar Storm games, Aussie Boomer and Fight for Troy, allow clubs and pubs to freshen up or extend their existing machine numbers.
Bao Zhu Zhao Fu – firecracker games sneak under the radar.
With such a wide range of games the Bao Zhu Zhao Fu games have been missed by many clubs and pubs. New to the land-based gaming market, these two, mathematically identical games, Bao Zhu Zhao Fu Red Festival and Bao Zhu Zhao Fu Blue Festival, have been Aristocrat’s most popular games on their social gaming apps.
They take the best parts of the popular Fu Dai Lian Lian game family and elevate the game play. Bao Zhu Zhao Fu combines metamorphic triggers with three exciting hold and spin features where players aim to combine all three hold and spin features for the ultimate jackpot. For me, these games have been working well in outdoor areas and are favoured by mid-tier players.
The Goss – future games
Aristocrat has many more games due for release this year to support and extend the number of machines we already have installed on our gaming floors.
Aqua Kingdom is a new game family coming in the next few months that has been created by the game studio that developed the Choy’s Kingdom games. The word is there will be four unique games in this range that offer more variety in free games with a focus on higher denominations.
Due to the popularity of the games in the market, I’m also hearing a whisper that there are new games coming for Cash Express Luxury Line later this year.
For your lower tier players who like to spend some time at your club the Wild Rumble games are coming where players can match up their wilds and multiply their wins with a Grand Star style 5 of a kind mechanic. These games keep the focus on fun and entertainment for more consistent but smaller wins.
I’m hearing in April there will be an interesting development with a new Players Choice game that will see Grand Star introduced to the pack as a SAP. If true, this will be great for smaller venues that didn’t have the floor space to add this long-term performer in as a link. And rumour has it that the creator of Grand Star is working on a new version, “Grand Legends”.
Looks like another good year for new games, and continued game support for existing product.
Justine Channing
Gaming Specialist – Cream Gaming
