The Umpire Strikes Back Pokie
If you are one of the millions of people kept awake at night wondering what an online pokie that mixed Star Wars and Cricket would look like, then you will now be able to relax, as Microgaming have released The Umpire Strikes Back.
It’s quite common for games to be themed around a pun and this one takes things a bit further by having a bonus round packed full of jokes that mix the topics of the movies with the sport, having features like Over-Kenobi and Stump Trooper triggered along the way. Someone at Microgaming must have had a lot of fun thinking these lines up and hopefully players will have fun lining up symbols across the 3 reels and single payline featured here.
A Short Time Ago….
As far as symbols, background images and pictures go, this game is all about Cricket. It’s arranged in much the same way as any other 3 reel game from the same developer, with the reels surrounded by a payout table that lists what players will win each time 3 examples of the same symbol stop across the payline that runs through the middle of them.
To the right, players will see information about a Nudge game that’s one of the bonuses on offer, while the whole game plays out against a cricket pitch complete with players, the Umpire himself and the game title written in a vaguely Star Wars style.
There’s also information about how the feature round starts when 3 cricket balls come into view, while underneath all of this we see the control buttons that are used to adjust the amount bet per spin from a minimum of 0.10 to a maximum of 10.00.
The payout table starts off with traditional fruit symbols, with the cherries paying out 1x the stake when they land across the line and lemons being worth 2x. Cricket scorecards showing 4 and 6 are next up, followed by oranges that pay 10x.
It's back to the cricket theme again with the shin pads that pay 25x, the helmet is worth 50x and the cricket bat rewards players with 200x their stake.
The jackpot symbol is the Umpire and this fine gentleman pays out the jackpot of 1000x the stake when he stops across the line.
The Umpire Strikes Back
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Bowling For Bonuses
The cricket balls are attached to random symbols and if any 3 are in view, without necessarily having to be on the line, the bonus round begins.
It plays out against a backdrop of a stadium, where our Umpire is holding a glowing cricket bat (lightbat maybe?) and the aim is to predict if numbers will be higher or lower than the ones displayed on 3 counters. These take players up or down the corresponding columns, with extra Nudges, multipliers of features awarded.
It’s the features that really have the Star Wars element and can trigger treats like extra lives, multipliers and guaranteed wins. Some of these play out back at the main reels, where we also find the Nudge game where players can move reels up and down a bit to try for a winning combination and if they have been lucky, players can bank up to 50 Nudges.
Holds are randomly awarded and here, the aim is to keep a reel or 2 in place while the others spin again in the hope of landing a win, while other features like Shiftas and Let ‘Em Spin will simply ensure that the next spin is a winner.
There’s also a maximum win of 2000x their stake to won, making The Umpire Strikes Back a pretty rewarding game for those who manage to climb all the way up the columns of the bonus rounds.
The Umpire’s Decision
A fun fusion of sports and sci-fi should make The Umpire Strikes Back as popular game. Microgaming are well known for the quality of their 3 reel pokies and this one is a worthy addition to their range, having some generous rewards in store for lucky players.
They should be bowled over by the bonus round as well, with a certain amount of skill needed to get the best results from this enjoyable game.