NEW GAME REVIEW
BY FRANK LEGATO
Frankenstein
Light & Wonder
This game offers a masterful piece of computer animation on L & W ’ s Cosmic cabinet to illustrate the theme of the 1931 Universal classic film Frankenstein . It is the first of L & W ’ s Universal Monster series ( Dracula comes next ).
The five-reel game is available in 30-line penny and 2-cent versions , 15-line versions in the 5-cent and 10- cent denominations , and a five-line version for $ 1 and $ 2 denominations .
The game screen depicts a nighttime graveyard scene with Dr . Frankenstein ’ s castle at the back . The reel array is at the front , and overhead is a grid of credit awards topped by static jackpot prizes and three progressives , resetting at $ 500 ( Major ), $ 2,000 ( Super ), and a Grand jackpot from one of two L & W wide-area links , resetting at $ 200,000 or $ 400,000 .
There are several different images of Boris Karloff ’ s Frankenstein monster , in different colors , in cash-on-reels and jackpot symbols . Every time “ It ’ s Alive !” appears on the first reel , all of the Monster symbols are awarded , including cash-on-reels awards and jackpots . More than one of the jackpots can be
Manufacturer : Light & Wonder Platform : Cosmic Format : Five-reel , 30-line , 15-line or five-line video slot Max Bet : 25 , 300 , 600 Denomination : . 01 , . 02 , . 05 , . 10 , 1.00 , 2.00 Top Award : Progressive ; $ 200,000 or $ 400,000 reset Hit Frequency : 21.79 % Theoretical Hold : 11 % -13.5 %
awarded in this feature .
When the feature is triggered , the animation comes to life as lightning bolts from the credit awards and jackpots in the top grid zap each monster ’ s “ terminals .” The monster grimaces as each award is zapped , in a hilarious sequence .
When “ Power Up ” appears on the first reel , some of the prizes on the board above are boosted by anywhere from 2X to 10X . The board will remain powered up until at least one prize is awarded , after which it resets with random multipliers .
When scatter symbols land on the first , third and fifth reels , it triggers eight free spins on a five-by-five reel array . Scatters on the two outer reels trigger three additional free games .
Raise the Sails
IGT
Manufacturer : IGT Platform : PeakSlant49 Format : Five-reel , 243-ways-to-win video slot Max Bet : 600 Denomination : . 01 Top Award : Progressive ; $ 1,000 reset Hit Frequency : Approximately 30 % Theoretical Hold : 11 % -13 %
Raise the Sales is one of a pair of sister games on IGT ’ s Peak- Slant49 cabinet . ( The partner game is San Xing Riches .) These two partner games combine top player-favorite features with unique art packages . The base game for the pirate / treasure-themed Raise the Sails is a five-reel , 243-ways-to-win slot featuring three separate free game features . The base game features cash-on-reels symbols . When a “ Collect ” treasure chest symbol lands on reel five , all credit values on all reels are instantly awarded . There are three progressive free-game features , two with expanded reel arrays . The free spins are triggered by a bronze , silver or gold coin along with a treasure chest symbol on the fifth reel .
The 19 Bronze free games play out on the standard three-by-five reel array , with 243 potential ways to win on each spin . The 28 Silver free spins occur on a four-by-five array , which results in 1,024 ways to win . The 16 Gold free spins are on a five-by-five interface , for 3,125 possible ways to win on each spin .
During the progressive free games , cash-on-reels symbols are joined by symbols representing the two jackpots , resetting at $ 250 ( Minor ) and $ 1,000 ( Major ).
Global Gaming Business SEPTEMBER 2023