Fantastic 4 Slots

Review of Fantastic Four Slots

There has always been something fascinating about The Thing: he’s just so big and ugly, and he always stood out in the comics that we read growing up. He can be more scary than entertaining, which is fine since the other 3 members of the group were fairly tame for the time. Fast forward a few years and a whole new generation of fans found themselves enjoying the 2005 film, finally giving them their due.

So this is a hard game to review because Fantastic 4 Slots falls in a strange middle ground between “boring” and “cool” because there’s no real bonus round but the all of the graphics and everything else are quite enjoyable. Ultimately whether or not you like this will perhaps depend on how much you like the comic books and the movie, which is of course the case for many releases these days.

Let’s try to make some sense of this title by breaking it down into digestible chunks since many of you could probably go either way on this one.

Screenshots

As you can see from the screenshots below, the overall design is pretty standard when compared to some of the flashier comic book-themed slots that have come out over the last few years. During the regular mode there aren’t many bells, whistles, or surprises, although when it comes to graphics for the Fantastic 4 members themselves, they are very impressive whenever activated.

Click the images to enlarge them and take a good look.

Storyline

What happens when you fly too deep into outer space and get exposed to wacky cosmic rays? Well, you receive crazy special powers such as invisibility, strength, or stretchiness…or you get transformed into a rock-like monster. There’s simply no way that these four scientists could have predicted the results of taking a little intergalactic adventure.

So now this team of funky super heroes consists of Johnny Storm the “Human Torch”, Susan Storm the “Invisible Woman”, Ben Grimm “The Thing”, and Reed Richards, who is known by the braggadocios moniker of “Mister Fantastic”. Together they form The Fantastic Four and protect New York City, as well as the world at large, from insane villains who are determined to wreak havoc on the human race.

This release is based primarily on the 2005 motion picture so fans of the movie will see many similarities in the mood and imagery. Unfortunately, there really isn’t a proper storyline to be found and it just focuses on the individual abilities of the 4 superheroes, which does get a little boring after a while.

Unique Symbols

Like other Marvel Slots made by Playtech, they have decided to use the worst symbol in online gambling, the “9”. So boring. So unnecessary. And oh-so frustrating.

Although this machine has cool Expanding Wilds and free spins areas, it’s definitely lacking in the symbol department. Which is quite depressing when you consider the fact that the software developers were gifted four from the very beginning simply because this is a story about four superheroes. Silly, right?

Sadly, Playtech chose not to include any of their traditional enemies such as Doctor Doom, Galactus, or the Puppet Master. These bad dudes definitely would have made for a more exciting set of reels but what’s done is done. Here’s what you get:

• 9
• 10
• J (Jack)
• Q (Queen)
• K (King)
• A (Ace)
• The Thing (Ben Grimm)
• Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards)
• Invisible Woman (Susan Storm)
• Human Torch (Johnny Storm)
• Earth (Scatter)
• Fantastic Four Logo (Wild)

The Fantastic 4 Wild is the best you’ll find as it dishes out a massive 10,000 coins for 5 of a Kind. The next highest are Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman who pay 2,000 and 1,500 coins respectively for five in a spin. Finally, the Human Torch will give you 1,000 coins for 5 across the board, while The Thing will add 750 to your balance for the same.

Jackpots

As with all modern Marvel Comics slot games, Fantastic Four is a member of the Marvel Mystery Jackpot Network and they probably use the word “mystery” in the title because it’s a mystery to everyone when it will come. It simply arrives without rhyme or reason, although they do claim that the larger your wagers are, the better your chances are of hitting it. (We would love to know the math behind this.)

The jackpot consists of a normal Pick Em’ style area and as soon as you match 3 squares for one of the four prizes on offer you win the corresponding amount. The sizes always fluctuate based on the volume of wagers and the last time they were won but all are seeded generously so it’s always “fantastic” to hit it.

Bonus Rounds

In what has to be considered this machine’s biggest weakness, this machine does not have a bonus round. This really is a shame because given the super powers of the starring characters they easily could have designed a very cool feature that involved flames, stretching, and/or invisibility.

However, during the free spins mode there are “Four Fantastic Features” which technically could be viewed as “mini bonus rounds” since the characters get to show off their abilities a little bit. Regardless, the lack of a proper special area is what pushes this title down to the designation of “average” when it really should have been “amazing”.

Free Spins

Three or more Earths anywhere on the board triggers 12 free spins, with each of the members of the Fantastic Four using their unique special powers to help you stack up cash. Which hero will help you depends on who appears on reel #3 and stacks up on all 3 rows.

When activated, the Invisible Woman gives you 4 spins and throws globes that increase your multiplier every time she appears anywhere on the reels. Mister Fantastic gives you 4 as well and becomes an Expanding Wild.

The Human Torch will also dish out 4 gratis games and totally take over the board by transforming into an Expanding Wild on the 1st reel and locking into place while the other 3 members are removed for the remaining ones. During this time tons of new Torch symbols are added to boost up the payouts. The Thing only awards 3 spins but every time he lands he becomes a Frozen Wild that stays on the board until the round is over.

A frustrating aspect of this feature that needs to be mentioned is that if you hit 3 Earths again while rolling you won’t receive any additional spins. This really doesn’t make any sense, especially since you can win extra when 3 characters stack up on Reel #3. It just seem right.

Graphics

The graphics are quite good here, with the high point coming when members of the Fantastic 4 are involved in big payline wins. The Human Torch will burst into flames, The Invisible Woman will have lightening bolts roll over her body until she is invisible, The Thing will punch your screen until it cracks, and Mister Fantastic stretches up from the street and into the sky. All of these are quite well done and always a treat to see.

Another great graphic is when you hit 3 Earths to access the free spins mode, the Silver Surfer flies in and circles the globe in celebration of the opportunity to win big. Also, every member of the group has a special animation that they will preform when they appear during the round.

Regarding the appearance of the actual characters, it needs to be said that all of their faces seem a little narrow and slightly reptilian…except for The Thing who looks exactly how he should. They should have spent a little more time on the design of each character to get their faces right.

Audio & Soundtrack

Fantastic Four has some of the most relaxed music that you will ever hear in a comic book gambling game, especially when you’re in Info Mode. It can really only be described as “lounge music”, which is certainly a strange choice for a release with this type of subject matter. Nevertheless, it’s quite enjoyable.

Alternatively, if you hit The Human Torch special feature during free spins things really get cranked up a notch with a high energy drum beat that will have you bobbing your head before you know it. This machine definitely takes you to many different places with its soundtrack.

Then when you finish freerolling and your loot is being added to your total, there is a really fast dance track with a robotic voice saying, “Ya! Ya!“. The song is decent and you should find the voice to be quite amusing, (it’s actually the “Big Win Song” that’s in all Playtech games of this era).

On the flip-side, an annoying audio during the regular mode is that it repeats a loud musical jingle for every payline win, so if you get 3 different wins in one spin you have to listen to “daaa-daaa-daaaa-da-da” 3 times in a row. It’s really hard to believe that this sound effect made it past the testing stage. The other bothersome thing is that the audio for the Fantastic Four member who’s symbol is involved in a payline win is repeated numerous times, which most of you will find quite unnecessary and distracting.

That said, all of the sounds associated with the user controls are normal and unobtrusive.

Conclusion

Longtime fans of the Fantastic 4 should be quite happy with this release since all four members are predominantly featured throughout the action and all of them have really cool graphics that showcase their individual super powers. The main issue is that there’s not enough special areas for the 4 of them to really show off in.

It’s easy to get confused when playing because it’s fun for a while but then you realize that it’s missing something, and that “something” is a bonus round. Which is the same criticism that we had for Captain America: First Avenger Slots – another Marvel game created by Playtech. Their refusal to add more fun features to these blockbuster titles is just so enraging: give the people what they want.

Ultimately, Marvel fans will enjoy this one for a few hours, while serious Fantastic Four fans will probably be able to stretch their sessions out a little longer. Anyone who could take or leave this group of superheroes will probably lose interest quite quickly and cash out to go play something else – there are just too many fun options out there these days to settle for anything but the best.

Flame on!

Random Video of Fantastic Four

For those of you who are wondering what the criticisms were for the 2005 film The Fantastic Four, here is a Youtube video from CinemaSins that clearly lays out every problem in a humorous way. There is mildly strong language so make sure the kids aren’t around when you’re watching. Enjoy!