Microgaming LogoMicrogaming is one smart game provider in Great Britain’s and Europe’s remote gambling circuit whose video slots never cease to amaze us. They have superior game conceptualisation and in-game gamification platforms, which lead to remarketing some familiar video slot features as trademarked Microgaming features. Mind you, we certainly aren’t mocking their efforts here; their sheer brilliance of converting an average-looking video slot feature (that you might find on any other platform) into an impressive super feature on their own high-tech platform definitely merits our praises. They have 3 new slots coming this week, and we’re more than eager to wait and watch what new features they bring along. In the meantime, we’ve compiled this list of sexy Microgaming features for you …

1. Sticky Wilds redesigned as Frozen Wilds™ and Magnetic Wilds™

You can’t miss the BIG branding of Frozen Wilds™ and Magnetic Wilds™ on Microgaming’s top video slot Girls With Guns – Frozen Dawn (official promo video below). Those are one of the best Sticky Wild implementations you can get in the market currently. If you read our article about the top 10 UK Online Slots with the new Sticky Wilds feature, you’d agree that Microgaming is a leader in the Sticky Wilds business, with Net Entertainment inching every bit of technical space as a fierce competitor.

 

2. Stacked Wilds reinvented as Striking Wilds™

This feature is unique to the 2014 Football Star video slot which released in time for the FIFA World Cup this year. It resembles a penalty shootout, wherein the striker strikes a ball towards any of the reels and that entire reel turns into a Stacked Wild! This occurs in the Striking Wilds™ bonus feature round. The slot game also provides the Rolling Reels™ feature, so it’s good to pack a punch when the sun is shining! You haven’t heard that phrase anywhere, have you? Well, why not just re-invent two popular idioms, I say! Microgaming knows what we mean! Check out a YouTube video demonstrating the features of “Football Star”!

Related Article: Top 10 UK Video Slots with Stacked Wilds

 

3. IGT’s Tumbling Reels = Microgaming’s Rolling Reels™

Pixies of the Forest by IGT slot logoPlayboy™ and The Dark Knight Rises™ are two brilliant online slots with Microgaming’s Rolling Reels™ feature. If you’ve played IGT’s Pixies of the Forest slot too, you could easily tell that the two are similar in function. After a spin, symbols on winning paylines tumble (or roll away) enabling the symbols above them to fall down. This activity keeps occurring until there are no more winning paylines on the reels. This way, you have a better chance at winning in a single spin, as compared to games without this feature.

Why call them by different names then? Clearly, the two leading software providers wanted to market it separately to their players, in order to maintain the “innovative” touch to the games. They also have different gaming platforms to implement this feature, so it doesn’t harm to refer to the feature by two different names. The world however knows “Tumbling Reels” better, or so we think — tumbling reels created a bit of news as it seemed to many that it resulted in a higher payout.

Rolling Reels™ is available on a number of Microgaming games including Tomb Raider™ and Immortal Romance™.

 

4. Heat Seeking Wilds and Extra Wild Blast Features

Microgaming’s The Dark Knight Rises™ slot is a brilliantly conceived one — it couldn’t have been more stylish and real. When you first play the slot, most of you will be able to access Batman’s Extra Wild Blast feature in a couple of spins. Basically, you choose a character that would act as an extra wild card through your extra spin game play. Players who play for long enough get to unlock the Heat Seeking Wilds feature, and you can use it to your advantage during the extra spins, ie. win all your money back quicker than you’d have imagined.

We think we needn’t say any more because we’ve found this handy video on YouTube that covers it all. Once you’ve seen it for yourself, pray tell us, have you seen any “real” action quite like this before on a video slot game?

 

5. Extra Spins Accumulator on The Dark Knight Rises™

More drama happens when you’ve not won anything for very long, and that is what Microgaming calls “The Fight Mode“. Batman and Bane are trying to kill each other; you see your extra spin counter going up; and you’re simply mesmerised by the luck it brings! That’s the heavy duty Extra Spins Accumulator feature for you. If you aren’t an atheist, you thank God even more, and ask to be blessed with such non-winning spins so that you can catch the action yet once again!

The Dark Knight Rises video slot by Microgaming, demonstrating the Fight Mode

 

6. Symbol Scramble Feature

If you observed the previous video carefully, there’s a Symbol Scramble feature demonstrated right at the start. As the name suggests, the symbols that land on the reels during regular game play are rearranged or scrambled to give you interesting combinations that eventually result in a payout. This happens when you’ve not been winning anything for a while, and it definitely is Microgaming’s little gimmick to keep you motivated to play the slot. We’ve got our hands on The Dark Knight Rises™ official video slot advert for you, so check out all their features here.

 

7. Dashing Wilds feature on Secret Santa slot game

If you played Microgaming’s Secret Santa slot game, you might have observed how four random symbols suddenly converted into Wild cards, and paid out unexpected money for your spin! Their primary motto is the same as other features — reward the player intermittently and keep him / her motivated longer than they usually would have liked. Check out a promo video for Secret Santa below to assess the feature by yourself.

 

8. Cinematic Spins™

Both the original video slot, The Dark Knight™ and its sequel The Dark Knight Rises™ are powered by a unique Microgaming feature known as Cinematic Spins™. Microgaming has purchased rights to actual cinematographic clips and sequences from the Batman movies in order to give you a very real feel of their game. The clips are activated behind special symbols like the Wilds, and after one manages to achieve special combinations like “Five of a Kind“. You’ll also see actual clips from The Terminator movie series on the video slot, Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2. Check out this official Microgaming video for the Terminator 2 slot.

 

9. Running Wilds™

These are the useful features you’d find on some old Microgaming online video slots like Playboy™ and Untamed Wolf Pack. When triggered in a specific extra spins round, the number of Wilds landing on the reels increments by 1 with every extra spin. In the end, an entire reel (or a couple of reels) are loaded with wilds, and you land the “Big Win” prize!

We thought this was a handsome feature, but we’re not sure why Microgaming aren’t doing this often these days.

Microgaming's Playboy Online Slot Game Screenshot Demonstrating Running Wilds

 

10. Trailing Wilds™ on Avalon II™ slot

A brilliant video slot with 8 exciting bonus games and several features, Avalon II™ released last year and received a huge fan following. While Avalon II™ (video below) is generously loaded with many of the Microgaming features we discussed above, Trailing Wilds™ is one of the rare ones you can find on this slot. Trailing Wilds™ – for most of you – is a merger of Expanding Wild and Sticky Wild in function. In the Forest Trail bonus extra spins round, wilds appearing on one or more reels are latched on to the reel for the next extra spin. However, instead of covering the entire reel with Wild during the same spin, they expand to one reel position below (resembles a trail), and in the next spin, the third position of the reel is converted to Wild. If an entire reel is covered with Wild, it plays in a sticky mode for one more spin before getting dissolved. Trailing Wilds can occur anywhere on the reels, and if they occur on the first and second positions, they are capable of expanding to the position below.

This feature is also available on Microgaming’s Santa’s Wild Ride slot.

 

11. Super Stacked Wilds, Split Wilds and other multipliers

Stacked Wilds are those which occur on the entire reel, ie. the symbols are placed in such a way that you might be lucky enough to get Wild symbols on the complete reel. Microgaming’s Super Stacked Wilds can be demonstrated on their slot, Girls With Gun – Frozen Dawn™. There are several multipliers which Microgaming slots often possess. Microgaming likes to do random big wins, multiply your winnings on Rolling Reels™, and also do Split Wilds. While these features are yet to be consistently implemented on most Microgaming slots, there’s always an air of fascination around them. Check out their latest online offering, Jurassic Park™.

 

That Sums Up All Microgaming Features for you…

Aren’t you stumped by the sophistication Microgaming has brought to their games? If yes, Microgaming has managed to get you hooked on to their games forever! And mind you, it isn’t a bad thing at all — they are the best software providers / game makers UK and the rest of Europe has seen in a while, so you know you’re definitely playing stuff worth your time and money. We have to say that their mobile versions are not quite as loaded with features as their online (desktop) versions. We’re sure this will change soon, with high-end mobile gaming technology kicking in these days.

We like how Microgaming has studied players’ psyches diligently — reward and motivation is what players are looking for when they play slot games. They know their business and customer requirements only too well to re-invent old techniques and develop new ideas alike under their trademark. We love them a great deal!