THE DROP – PRODUCT TEST DRIVE: KONAMI MONEY TRAILS

The first of the new Money Trail games, Rising Koi has been launched into the NSW and QLD market in April and results so far are exceptional. With the second in the series, Fortune Phoenix now approved and coming soon, Konami looks set to add to their earlier successful All Aboard games. These games represent a new design direction for Konami with fun and interactive graphics making the most of the taller screen, and new features that will attract and engage both small players and the more serious punters looking for good win opportunities by adjusting their bet levels.  The art design makes use of well-known lucky symbols for all players these days, such as the koi and phoenix (longevity) and ancient Chinese coins (wealth).

Denomination: The Money Trails games are multi-denomination games where the playER can select from 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c and $1. The player can also choose up to 50 lines for 1c and 2c play, up to 25 lines for 5c and 10c play, and up to 5 lines for $1 play. This gives, particularly the lower end-time-on device player, more control over their bets, while still allowing bigger punters to lift their bets and increase their potential wins.

Game Features: The Money Trail games offer the players many opportunities to win through multiple game feature options. Free spins are won when 3, 4 or 5 scatters award 6, 8 or 12 free games. During the free games in Rising Koi extra scatters are added to the reels to increase the opportunity for retriggers. In the soon to be released Fortune Phoenix, picture symbols are selected at random and change to a Wild symbol at the end of each spin, increasing the chance to improve, or achieve wild wins.

The ladder style Money Trails feature makes use of the tall single screen and is the reason why the game content is specific to the new Concerto Stack cabinet.  In this feature, 4 or more prize scatters will trigger three bonus spins. The prize scatters are copied to the bottom level coin on the money trail. The money trails are connected to each of the 3 middle reels and players could be winning opportunities to climb each of the three trails. At the end of each spin any additional prize scatters are added to the money trail on the corresponding reel, and the bonus spins is reset to 3. When the player reaches the top of the money trail they achieve either the mini, minor or major jackpot. The Mega Jackpot can be won once one of the other jackpots has been awarded, and the prize scatter lands on that reel for that corresponding money trail.

SAP Profile: These SAPs are available with two Mega Jackpot configurations of $5,000 and 8,000 so that clubs can choose the level of liability that best suits them, and their player market.  The second-level Major Bonus depends on the denomination that a player chooses. For example, a top end player choosing a $1 configuration will have a $5,000 major bonus to play for, while smaller players have a lower Major Jackpot to chase if they are just covering the lines with their bet. This is often the jackpot level that gamers make an initial play choice on, and allows them to chase a jackpot they deem to be more achievable in a gaming session. The ability to self-determine this level through their denomination choice, 9remembering that the maxbet levels are the same no matter what domination is chosen),  is an interesting addition to the game for regular players.

Volatility:  Both Rising Koi Money Trails and Fortune Phoenix Money Trails are medium to high volatility games with frequent bonus features and credit prizes. There is a great deal of entertainment for smaller players who are not forced into high bets, while still having some solid win opportunities for the regular players willing to increase their bets. While there is appeal for smaller players it is most likely to be favoured by the bigger players and early performance results are confirming that these players are enjoying the advantages of increased bets.

Floor Position:  While these games, due to the new portrait-style screen and machine design, will catch the eye of the players as soon as they walk into the gaming room, a high traffic position mid floor would be the best fit for the bigger regular players.  With attractions in the game for mixed player markets it needs to be in a visible bank for day players, with some privacy for the bigger players. For this reason higher denomination areas don’t offer high visibility, and wall positions will not offer privacy. Find a good performing bank in the middle of gaming the floor

Performance: Performance results have been exceptional for Rising Koi Money Trails that was originally released in NSW on 30 April, and in QLD on the 11 April so the game has been in the market for over a month, definitely long enough these days to get a good idea of performance levels.  The second game, Fortune Phoenix Money Trails, is approved and due for release soon. In the Queensland Maxgaming charts for May, Rising Koi Money Trails is at 2.2 times above floor average, and at 1.6 times the floor average in NSW clubs. The Star Sydney has also installed the game on its launch pad and it is currently one of the best performing products last month.

For more information on the games contact your local Konami reps.