The Dark Joker Rizes Pokies
Yggdrasil Gaming are well practiced in producing video pokies with themes that can be somewhat unusual to say the least, with Chibeasties and Cyrus the Virus both featuring strange creatures on their reels. The Dark Joker Rizes, however, has a suitably dark theme, with a Joker that would probably have given me nightmares if I'd seen it when I was younger.
Other than this, it's a great looking game with some interesting features such as a bonus mode with higher payouts, mystery wins and re-spins with extra winning chances.
What Symbols Can I Win With?
The basic symbols come from the old days of fruit machines, with Grapes, Plums, Lemons and Bells all on view, but even these have a dark appearance to fit in with the overall feel of the game. The Lemons for example, have been stitched together like some kind of Frankenstein fruit, the Bell is on fire and the Cherries have evil looking pumpkin faces. You get the idea.
Wins are paid out from left to right and right to left, which is an unusual feature on most pokies, but quite common on Yggdrasil games, so although it looks like there are only five paylines, there are in effect ten lines across the five reels.
Unsurprisingly, the Joker symbol carries some special features, so although he looks pretty scary, he’s actually a friend who triggers most of the real fun stuff in this game, starting with the Mystery Wins that can occur at any time. Three Jokers on the reels after a spin, in any positions, will result in a prize of anything between 1000 to 6000 coins, while four of them equals a 3000 to 6000 prize and five Jokers at once will see a guaranteed 6000 coin prize being paid.
The Dark Joker Rizes
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Getting a win transforms the game, putting it in Jokerizer mode, with the spin button now showing an image of the Joker. This gives players the choice of collecting the win, and carrying on in the base game, or spending a further 20 coins per spin in this enhanced mode.
When it’s in this mode, only two Jokers are needed for a Mystery Win of between 20 and 6000 coins, and should this happen, players can be rewarded with a free re-spin. Reels that already have a Joker on them will stay locked in place, with the others spinning once, and at least two Jokers are guaranteed to be on the reels, (although not necessarily landing on the visible parts after the spin.)
If that’s not all, then how about the 200 coin Guaranteed Joker Spin, where the middle spot of the reels will have a Joker in position for a decent chance of a big win. Whatever happens, a Mystery Win of 1000 coins or more will end the Jokerizer mode, which in practice only tends to carry on for a spin or two unless players keep handing over 20 coins a spin, which can add up quickly if no big payouts are hit.
Players will, however, see the Jokerizer mode triggered very frequently, as any win, even a small one is enough to enter it, and it’s a highly innovative and engaging round to play.
The Verdict On The Dark Joker Rizes
Although their games may look kind of strange at times, Yggdrasil can certainly never be accused of following the pack or being lazy. Their games are always just that little bit ‘out there’ and clearly a lot of thought and care goes into their creation.
The Dark Joker Rizes looks like it was created by someone who likes their horror films, but it’s not too freaky and I’m probably overdoing the scary side of the game. If you’re old enough to be playing pokies, you’re not going to be put off by a few dead lemons, and it’s actually a fun game that Yggdrasil are justifiably proud of.