Retro Reels Pokie
A read of the title should tell players just what this pokie is all about. Retro Reels features some reels. That are retro.
OK, there’s a bit more to it than that, so we’ll have a look at this 5 reel game with its 20 paylines and classically styled symbols of fruit, bars, 7’s and the $ sign. Released by Microgaming, this one concentrates on lining up symbols for prizes and hopefully landing some bonus features, such as free spins, while a respins option gives players another chance to form a winning combination.
Styled to look like a gaming cabinet in a casino, the very simplicity of it has made Retro Reels such as success that a couple of follow-up games have been released.
Playing Retro Reels
A 3D effect, where the game looks separate from the abstract background and the control buttons are angled towards the players gives Retro Reels a surprisingly up to date design. Many pokies of this nature have just 3 reels, but Microgaming have given this one a 5-reel layout and it looks very effective.
The game title is at the top but the control panel underneath the reels is where players will need to head to set their wagers. They can adjust the value of a coin from just 0.01 to 0.25 and have anything from 1 to 20 coins on each line. It’s also possible to activate any number of lines, from just a single line to all 20, but they need to bear in mind that any winning symbols landing on lines that are not activated will not count.
A payout table details how many times the amount bet per line will be won each time 3 or more of the same type of symbol stop on an active payline on sequential reels running form the left side. Wins are calculated as multiples of the line bet.
All of the symbols have been seen in one form or another across countless other pokies but that’s no bad thing as many players like the familiar icons, which is kind of what this whole game is all about in the first place.
The lowest value symbol is the bunch of grapes, which pay 5x, 50x or 200x the amount staked per line when 3, 4 or 5 of them land on an active line, while moving up the scale are the lemons and cherries.
The retro theme continues with single, double and triple bar symbols, with any mix of them paying from 5x to 75x the line bet. Silver, blue and red 7’s come next, with a mix again being worth a prize, this time from 5x to 100x depending on how many land across the reels, while the $ symbol is the highest value one, paying out 10x when just 2 of them land on a line, then 100x, 1000x and 10,000x the line stake when 3, 4 or 5 stop on an active line.
Retro Reels
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Special Features
Despite the old-school styling, there’s still room for a couple of features, with the Respins available to try after any spin, win or lose. For an extra payment, players can spin any number of reels once more in the hope of landing a winning line. The amount they need to bet is displayed below each reel and it’s calculated after the spin, based on the odds of actually getting a win from the feature.
So if the chances of completing a line by re-spinning a reel are pretty low, then the cost will be low, while the opposite applies if the chances are high.
Players should treat Respins with caution however, as it’s very easy to spin a reel over and over until the potential win is less than the cost of re-spinning it.
The other bonus here is a free spins round, triggered by the number 5 symbol, usefully having the word Bonus written across it. This is also a scatter symbol, so it can appear in any positions to launch the games, with 2 scatters awarding 10 spins, 3 starts off 15 spins, landing 4 scatters at once will equal 20 spins and 5 will trigger 20 spins. No matter how many play out, any winnings during them will be doubled in value.
The Verdict
It’s easy to see why Retro Reels has been such a popular pokie for so long. The design will appeal to players who like the older types of game, while the actual features will attract anyone who prefers more modern styles.
A good bet range, potentially rewarding free spins round and those Respins all combine to make this a pokie that any fan of the game should try out at least once.