IGT “LIGHTS IT UP’ WITH A NEW LINK AND SAP GAME SERIES
IGT has just released in QLD and NSW their new Light It Up game family, available in both link and SAP configurations, with three games already available: Wings of Egypt, Wings of Kunlun and Wings of Valhalla. A fourth game, Wings of Paradise, is due for release at the AHG Expo in Brisbane in March. The Light It Up game series introduces a new and unique ‘hold and reveal’ feature that focuses the players expectations on five-of-a-kind line wins, with the advantage that they gain more volatility and stronger wins at the end of the feature. In the feature, these new games still feel like hold and spin style play, but the Light It Up game family moves away from the same old 6-scatter trigger that has been in the market for over 6 years, has been reproduced by all manufacturers now, and makes up a significant proportion of the games that are installed in clubs and hotels. In Light It Up IGT has replaced the 6-scatter trigger with a simpler Reel 1 and Reel 5 trigger, increasing in the players’ mind, the potential for a feature trigger.
The basics
Link Set Up: The jackpots for the Light it Up Link are available at a $10,000 or $25,000 start-up. With the SAP games, clubs and hotels can choose a $5,000 or $7,500 start-up.
Denomination: The games are available as player selectable multidenom options including 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, $1, and the all-important $2.
The Games:
All the Light It Up games include the ‘hold and reveal’ feature but have an additional free game feature that adds a point of difference.
- Wings of Egypt – includes a simple 8 free game feature triggered by 3 or more scatters with all the royals removed.
- Wings of Kunlun and Wings of Valhalla – have 6 free games that are triggered with 3 or more scatters. Each spin features a multiplier from x 2 to x 8 that increases with each spin. The multiplier also applies if the hold and reveal feature is triggered during free games increasing the wins for the player and the volatility for the higher tier player.
- Wings of Paradise – this is the fourth game in the series, ready for release at the AHGE in March. This game has an 8 free game series with extra wilds added to reels 2, 3 and 4 in stacks at the beginning of the first, fourth and seventh free game. If a player triggers the hold and reveal feature in the free game series any wild on reels 2, 3 or 4 expands, making it easier for a player to achieve a five-of-a-kind win.
A new and unique ‘hold and reveal’ feature.
In Light It Up the old six-scatter feature trigger is replaced by achieving a Wing symbol on reel 1 and reel 5 to trigger a unique ‘hold and reveal’ feature. During the hold and reveal feature, every time a player lands a wing on a position in the screen, the free spins reset to 3 respins. The players will be familiar with this. However, in this new feature, the centre reel has an expanded wild symbol across all three positions on reel 3. For the players, the focus of these games is very much on chasing a 5 of a kind line win, so with this expanded wild symbol pre-populating the 3 central positions on reel 3, the players are aware that it gives them an easier ride to a 5 of a kind win.
At the conclusion of the hold and reveal free spins, the player is prompted to choose one of the ‘wing’ symbols they have filled on their screen. On their selection, a Grand Jackpot, a Major jackpot, or a game symbol will appear. If a game symbol appears, all the ‘wings’ now transform into that symbol and the player is paid out their wins based on that symbol with the expanded wild in the centre reel. Once again for the player, the focus is on the five-of-a-kind line win which sees players achieve a good feature win.
When a player enters the hold and reveal feature, they are eligible to win the Grand Jackpot or Major Jackpot. They don’t have to achieve 15 winning symbols covering the entire screen. With IGT’s new feature delivery the players select a wing, and if they are lucky, and achieve the Grand or Major symbol, they win both that jackpot, and all their line wins.
Free games
There are two free games available in these new games to suit different types of players:
In Wings of Egypt, three pyramids offer the players an 8 free game series. During the free games all the royals are removed leaving only higher paying symbols – a much loved feature particularly for the regular mid-tier players. If a player triggers the ‘hold and reveal’ feature during their free games, they have the added advantage of only the best and higher paying symbols being available as a selection when they choose their wing at the end of the hold and reveal feature, maximising their wins.
Wings of Kunlun and Wings of Valhalla are maths clones with different art. They are designed for the higher tier, higher denom gamers and offers these players an increased multiplier which adds to the game volatility. In these games 3 or more scatters trigger a 6 free game series with a multiplier that increases from x 2 up to x 8 and increases after each spin. If the player triggers the Hold and Reveal feature during the free games, the multiplier from that spin will also apply to their Hold and Reveal feature, significantly increasing their opportunity for a good feature win.
See how the games play in these game Snapshot videos:
LIU Wings over Egypt
LIU Wings over Kunlun
Floor Placement
As SAP games Wings over Kunlun and Wings over Valhalla are designed to appeal to higher denom and higher tier players and will definitely be better suited to outdoor smoking areas, VIP rooms and in hotels. Wings of Egypt is targeted to the lower-mid tier regulars and can go into either indoor gaming floors or outdoor smoking areas. When introducing Light It Up as a link it should work most effectively in outdoor smoking areas, but with Wings of Egypt lightening up the volatility, situating the link in a high traffic part of the main gaming floor would work well.
Summary
It’s all about the five-of-a-kind line wins in these games, and that will be the major focus for players. IGT’s Light It Up game family moves away from the same old 6-scatter trigger that has swamped the market in recent years and replaced it with a simpler Reel 1 and Reel 5 trigger, increasing in the players mind, the potential for a feature trigger.
The new ‘hold and reveal’ feature will feel familiar, but the ‘reveal’ part of that equation will reinforce the benefit of ‘five-of-a-kind’ win as their wing symbols transform. The expanding wild in the centre reel gives the players at least one of the required symbols, so they only have to gain four more on a line to gain a five-of-a-kind win, again reinforcing the five-of-a-kind win and making it easier to achieve. The game mix of high/medium and medium/low volatility ensures that it will suit a wide range of players, allowing clubs and hotels to choose the games that will suit their market best.