Joker Strike Slot Review – a Modern Gameplay Twist
Once Joker Strike was released in 2018, it quickly became the “talk of the town” due to its interesting and innovative gameplay mechanics. Created by the software developer Quickspin, this particular slot game bears some of the trademarked traits of its creator and examples its own individuality through a variety of elements. In this Joker Strike slot review, we will be fully exploring what makes this game great and provide you with in-depth knowledge about its unique gameplay.
Have the Last Laugh with the Joker Strike Slot
Although there is no clear-cut storyline behind this game, its developer invites players to “stop the mischievous prankster” and get a whole lot of wins when doing it. The HD visual theme is clearly reminiscent of the classic slot designs from the 90s, but the smoothly-made graphics definitely bring out the modern side of Joker Strike on the surface. As expected from this slot’s visual spectacle, the game looks equally impressive on both desktop and mobile screens.
Balanced All Joker Strike Slot Machine Features
While Joker Strike features a standard 3×5 reel layout, it is the slot’s outer ting that gives its gaming interface another level of depth. The regular reels spin with a classic “rolling” motion, while the outer ring reel has a unique way of spinning through its symbols. Speaking of which, there are eight main ones – Joker, Seven, Star, Bell, Heart, Spade, Clubs, and Diamonds, and one special one (Wild). Depending on the combination of symbols, players will engage different gameplay features. For quite a while now, the Joker Strike slot machine has been considered to be an amazing title to play for real money; however, the game can also be experienced in demo mode.
The Bonus Features Here Are Connected
The first main feature is called “Joker Strike”, and it will occur every time a player lands at least three of the same symbols in a winning combination (from left to right). Then, the outer slot ring will activate, and a marker will travel in a circular motion, passing through a variety of squares. Every single one of those squares will depict a symbol from the game; however, the only symbols that will be “lit” are going to represent the ones that landed the winning combination; if the travelling marker lands on a lit symbol, it will engage a special feature – if not, a player will collect their winnings and continue playing.
The Random Substitution Feature Offers Massive Potential Wins
If you’re lucky enough to have a marker stop at an activated symbol, the clone feature will activate and position two of the winning symbols above every reel where a winning line is present. One of the most unique traits of this bonus feature, is that two cloned symbols will be positioned for every symbol in the winning line. Here is an example – a winning line of three symbols will have six clones, while a five-symbol winning line will produce 10 clones. After all of the clones have been distributed at the top of the gaming interface, they will randomly substitute any available symbols on the reels, resulting in massive wins!
Different Gameplay Dynamic with the “Hi Roller” Mechanic
While the regular gaming mode offers a streamlined experience, the Hi Roller feature allows players to purchase three types of free spins (FS). Every type grants five FS; however, the difference between all three is not only their cost, but also what type of additional features they will activate once the FS are enabled.
For example, the first Hi Roller FS will cost €20, and will have an enabled wild symbol rotating throughout the reels while they are spinning, providing a greater chance for landing a successful win. These “guaranteed extras” are definitely something that both beginners and seasoned slot players are bound to enjoy.
The second type of HI Roller spin will cost €30. It will also have a guaranteed Wild that will spin clockwise; however, the other addition here is that two Wild squares will be activated in the slot’s outer ring. If a marker lands on that particular space, the Joker Strike feature will substitute the symbols on the reels with wilds.
The third version of the Hi Roller spins will feature all of the other two types’ previous benefits, but with one addition – an extra marker. Every time the outer ring is activated, two markers will run opposite against each other, essentially doubling the chance of activating the Joker Strike mechanic.
Hi Roller Feature:
- 20€ – 5 spins + guaranteed wild
- 30€ – 5 spins, guaranteed wild + wild strike
- 50€ – 5 spins, guaranteed wild, wild strike + double chance
Playing the Slot for the First Time
One of the best characteristics of the Joker Strike slot machine, is its ease of play. Given the fact that the slot has 10 fixed paylines, the only thing that will be required from a player to do, is set the total bet per spin (BPS). Although the game can be configured to run in coins or in a specific currency, the title is mostly presented to run with €. With that being said, the smallest bet per spin that can be made by a player, will be €0.10, while the largest €100. Once you’ve selected your preferred BPS, simply hit the spin button, and on you go!
There is an interesting factor here that concerns the Joker Strike RTP percentage – there are actually several different values. The return to player rate in the slot’s base mode has a value of 96.46%; however, things are a little different when it comes to the Hi Roller FS modes. Given the somewhat volatile nature of the game, any spin of the reels in Hi Roller FS mode will have an RTP between 97.89% and 98.11%.
There are two pay tables here – one is regarding the regular gameplay mode, while the other depicts the potential payouts of successful spins landed during Hi Roller FS mode. It should also be mentioned that while the payout rates for the base game will change based on the BPS value selected by the player, the money prizes in the Hi Roller paytable will have fixed amounts.
To put things into perspective, we present our hypothetical results by using a BPS value of €100. With that being said, the smallest amount that can be won here, will be formed from three Diamond symbols in a winning line which will pay out – €80. If we take, however, the highest possible winning combination (five Jokers), they will pay out €10,000.
Interface Functions and Gameplay Customization
As expected, the slot has a superb autoplay function that has two modes – the first one is regular, and it allows players to choose the number of spins they would like to engage. The minimum is 10, while the maximum – 1,000. The autoplay function also has advanced settings that will allow players to adjust the loss and win conditions which will disable autoplay. If you wish to wait less time in between rounds, you can shorten the time by initiating the fast play function, which will allow you to cycle through approximately 1.5 spins per second. Regular gameplay speed usually performs and lands a spin in one second.
Superior Slot Design and Optimised Mobile Compatibility
Just like every other slot title produced by Quickspin, Joker Strike looks and sounds amazing. Every graphic and sound effect is originally designed; the only thing that this slot will share with other titles made by Quickspin, is the control interface. The uniform orange gaming controls are present in all Quickspin slots that are meant for desktop gaming. You will be happy to learn that Joker Strike, just like every other game produced by the developer mentioned above, is highly optimised for mobile devices that run on Android and iOS.
A Fresh and Non-intrusive Title
Quickspin’s motto states that they “create the world’s most awesome video slots”, and if we were to judge by the way Joker Strike is made, we could believe that there is some merit to that statement. The truth is that this slot does something that many other games fail to do; it delivers a perfect balance between the simple base gameplay, and the complexity of the buyable features. Due to the nature of the slot’s bonus features, it is understandable why there aren’t any “life-changing” wins here, but that isn’t something that is bad. We recommend to everyone who is able to play the Joker Strike slot, to do so. The Joker’s luck might just be on your side!
FAQ
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Why Can’t I See a Fast Play Function?
Although Quickspin has developed the feature to be available in Joker Strike, it might not be present in all casinos. Different operators have unique specifications when getting slot games from developers, which is why fast play may be limited. The same can also be applied to the “slam stop” feature of the game. If you wish to know if these features are available, try to initiate Joker Strike in demo mode first (if available).
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Is There Something I Can Do to Influence the Outer Ring Marker?
Unfortunately, no. The special Joker Strike feature’s outcome operates on the same RNG principle as the entire slot itself. Whether you’re playing the game in its base mode or in Hi Roller free spins mode, you will need to rely on your luck if you’re hoping to hit that special feature.
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Is There Anything I Can Do in Joker Strike to Enable a Special Function?
While players can’t influence the slot in any way, there might be something they can do. Theoretically, the more spins you have, the more likely it is for you to land a winning combination. This in turn, will trigger the special slot feature. The best way to approach this matter is by setting your BPS to the lowest possible amount.