Pink Panther Slots

Review of Pink Panther Slots

The Pink Panther can proudly claim that he’s a popular cartoon series, a popular live action movie series, and has one of the best theme songs of all time. This cool cat has been loved by both children and adults all over the world for the last half century, which is quite the feat considering that the Panther never said a single word of dialogue. We was basically the original Mr. Bean.

Truth be told, just seeing the Pink Panther’s face takes me back to the old days – the movies were wildly popular in the 1960s and the cartoon was a smash hit for the entire 1970s. So anyone over 40 years old is definitely going to feel nostalgic when they see the Panther and are probably going to have a soft spot for his gambling game.

The great news is that even though I’m biased, this one is actually a lot of fun and even non-fans are going to be entertained. This exclusive review of the Pink Panther Slots will examine every detail under a magnifying glass to explain why it’s an absolute blast.

Screenshots

As you can see from the screenshots below, the crew over at Playtech did a great job of designing the reels and stayed true to the original cartoon. Of course there’s tons of pink throughout the various areas but the shades of blue that they used for the backgrounds and user controls balances out the color scheme perfectly.

The animations for the various characters look like they underwent a bit of an update, which was probably the right thing to do. The foundational images were definitely from the ’70s cartoon, with just a slight twist on their original looks. In short, everything looks great.

Storyline

There have been many incarnations of the Pink Panther but this particular release focuses on the cartoon version from the 1970s so don’t be looking for Peter Sellers or David Niven because they’re not here. However, we do get the Pink Panther: the massive pink diamond with the flaw in the middle that looks like a panther in mid jump.

Even though the cartoon ran for over a decade it never became clear which side of the law the Pink Panther was on. In some episodes he was causing mischief or trying to steal things but then in other episodes he was helping people and thwarting evildoers. Perhaps he just marched to the beat of his own drum and did whatever he felt like at all times, and many people will be able to relate to that.

With none of the original cartoons having any dialogue whatsoever it must have been extremely hard for the writers to establish a plot. They had to rely more on visual gags and nonsensical adventures for their stories, which of course was just fine with the fans.

Sometimes the Panther was wreaking havoc on a construction site and other times he was tracking down thieves and helping out the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. You just never knew where he was going to end up each week.

This title from Playtech does a great job of capturing the spirt of the Pink Panther and the general storyline of the cartoons, with the special features doing a great job of reminding us of how much we love the characters.

Unique Symbols

The reels here feel a little bare when you’re watching them spin due to the amount of white space around many of the symbols. Therefore, they would have benefitted from the addition of another character or two from the original cartoon like Charlie Ant, Blue Aardvark, Misterjaw, or Crazylegs Crane Jr. They would have provided a little more beef to fill things up.

That said, there’s an argument to be made for having a clean board that makes it easy for the player to see what’s going on. As you’ve read in a few of our reviews, the results in some games are impossible to make out because all of the images just jumble together. Therefore, we should probably conclude that Playtech did a good job in this category: here’s what they decided to include…

• 10
• J (Jack)
• Q (Queen)
• K (King)
• A (Ace)
• Magnifying Glass
• Pink Paw Prints
• Cartoon Bomb
• Pink Paint Can
• Inspector Clouseau
• The Little Man
• Pink Panther (Wild)
• Pink Panther Logo (Scatter)

Of course the Pink Panther himself awards the most, with his Wild giving you 5,000 coins for five across the board. This is then followed by Inspector Clouseau and The Little Man who give you 500 and 300 coins respectively for 5 of a Kind.

It’s great how Playtech broke down the payouts because when you consider all of the different bonus rounds there simply can’t be a lot of high amounts in the regular mode – everything needs to be paid for somehow. Thankfully, they still decided to make hitting 5 Wilds a big deal so there’s always something to chase in the regular mode.

Jackpots

If you’re on the hunt for a big cash payday you’ll be happy to know that there are two Pink Panther Slots Jackpots on offer: the Major Pink and the Minor Pink. Don’t worry, you’ll win a little bit of money no matter what happens here because The Jackpot Adventure guarantees that if you strike out on both of the main purses you will still be awarded a consolation prize.

The area has 12 doors that you will select one at a time to reveal 1 of the 3 characters. If you are too nervous to make your own choices you can opt to just wait for the timer to expire and then the machine will then open random doors for you with the breakdown as follows:

• 3 Little Man Doors: Consolation Prize
• 4 Inspector Clouseau Doors: Minor Pink Jackpot
• 5 Pink Panther Doors: Major Pink Jackpot

The prize pools are seeded by the players of the game in every participating online casino, with 1.4% of the total wager amounts going towards the payouts. The starting sums for the jackpots are admittedly low but very few branded titles even have them these days so we shouldn’t be too greedy.

The Consolation Prize starts with €80, Minor Pink starts with €100, and the Major Pink begins with €1,000. If you’re not playing in the currency of Euro it will be whatever the equivalent is in British Pounds, U.S. Dollars, etc.

Entering the Adventure can happen anytime during the regular mode at random, even on a losing spin, and like many other Playtech releases it claims that the more you wager, the better your chances are of hitting it. Although we’re still unsure how the math behind that would work.

Bonus Rounds

There are a whopping four unique special features in Pink Panther that keep the action moving and your pulse pumping. Three of these are proper bonus rounds with the fourth being the free spins mode that will be explained in the section below.

First off we have the Wheel of Pink which is actually 2 wheels in 1, consisting of an outer wheel that has multipliers of 5x, 7x, and 9x, and these can really supercharge your balance. Keep an eye on that inner wheel though because that’s the one that’s really going to determine your fate here. Its sections alternate between “Collect” or “Respin” and we’ll let you guess which one you want to be hitting each time.

You are correct: as soon as you hit “Collect” the fun is over but as long as your inner wheel stops on Respin you will keep going and continue to stack up the multipliers and the extra money. You can really bump up the wins with this one and we’ve seen some great results like a ridiculous 66x multiplier on a £4 bet for a huge total of £264.

Next we have the Color Pink which pits you against the Little Man in a fence painting competition. You each have rollers with his being blue and yours being pink and you paint up and down the 4 columns of numbers which are laid out randomly with amounts between 1 and 5. You each roll over each other’s paint job and some numbers will change color and some won’t.

At the end of the painting session the pink numbers will be added up with the total being the win multiplier on the bet that initially triggered the action. You can then choose to “Collect” and accept that multiplier or try again to get a higher number. Be careful though, you only have 3 chances and after the 3rd you will get whatever the amount is for the final round. If you like to gamble, it’s recommended that you keep choosing to repaint if you don’t get at least a 17x multiplier.

Another event to enjoy is the Pink Trail Bonus which flips the script and has you in the shoes of Inspector Clouseau hunting that sneaky Pink Panther who stole the beautiful diamond. You follow the pink paw prints on the floor, with each print giving you a multiplier that will be added to your total for the feature. There are 4 different rounds in this area and at the end of each you’ll be asked if you want to collect what you have or keep going.

This one is fairly straightforward but just like everything else in this machine there’s a twist that will make or break your bankroll. If you choose to keep going and end up stepping into a hole your round will end and your win amount will be cut in half. However, if you press forward for 4 rounds and don’t hit a trap you will capture the Panther and recover the diamond, which will double whatever cash you’ve stacked up to that point. It’s a prickly pear but most will want to try to make it to the end so they can snatch up that diamond.

Finally, there’s a small nugget of fun that can be triggered in the regular mode called the Pink Pow that has the Panther dish out anywhere between 2 to 6 Wilds onto the board that will of course increase your payline wins for that result.

Free Spins

If you’re trying to track down some Pink Panther free spins you’re going to have to tackle the Crack the Pink Code that will give you exactly what you’re looking for. In this one you are taken to a unique area with 10 safes that you will crack open to reveal free spins, multipliers, or Expanding Wilds. However, you have to be careful because one of the safes has the Little Man hiding in it with a stick of dynamite and this will blow up your plans and send you along with whatever prizes you have collected up until that point.

Thankfully, it reveals what was in all of the safes at the end of the round because it’s very frustrating when they don’t tell you what you should’ve picked. You should be happy if you can open 6 safes without hitting the Little Man because that usually gives out enough extras to get excited about.

Graphics

This release has one of the longest introduction videos ever made, which is due to the fact that it gives you a sneak peek at the many special features and shows you the action that’s in store. It’s recommended to watch it in full the first time because it is kind of funny.

At this point you surely understand why there are simply too many graphics to list, so just believe us when we tell you that they’re all great and we wouldn’t change a thing. Whether it’s the tons of animations on activated symbols, the crazy Wilds bobbling around, or the numerous visuals in the bonus areas, this game is crammed with action.

For example, when the Panther drops onto the screen as an Expanding Wild the graphics are funny as he shuffles slightly and gives you a “thumbs up” for your win. In addition, it seems like the Panther that hangs out at the left side of your reels is always gesturing at you and making faces. There’s just always something going on in this one.

Audio & Soundtrack

The soundtrack for the regular mode is a perky little number that is dominated by an aggressive, yet peppy xylophone that bangs out different riffs for each spin. These are interrupted by wobbly blasts from a tenor saxophone whenever a Wild drops on the reels, or a wailing trumpet if you hit a bunch of paint can symbols in a payline win.

The other tune in the soundtrack is simply a sped up version of the tune in regular mode that pumps out uninterrupted during the free spins mode. Wait till you hear it – it’s a real toe-tapper.

Then in what has to be one of the most shocking omissions in “Television-Themed Slots History”, it does not have the classic Pink Panther theme song. One could assume that the estate of Henry Mancini owns the rights to the song and that it would have been quite expensive for Playtech to license it, but in this case you have to bite your lip and cut the check. A Pink Panther game without the original theme music is incomplete, to say the least.

As is the case with most machines, the audios when the winnings from multiple paylines are being added to your balance gets very annoying thanks to a loud sound for each line, and in this case it is a big “BLARMP“. This is even more frustrating than usual because there’s no way to turn down individual sounds in the settings so you can simply listen to the ones that you enjoy.

The fire alarm that screams in your face when you hit 5 of a Kind certainly wakes you up…or blasts you out of your chair, depending on how ready you were for it. You will have heard this same fire alarm in other Playtech releases as it’s one of their favorite sound effects to include. Hopefully they tire themselves out with this audio soon and bury it in their digital graveyard.

The final sound effect of note is that if you’re in the middle of taking a break from the action and you hear a knocking sound, it’s not someone at your door – it’s the Panther knocking on your screen trying to hurry you up. That audio can have you looking out of your windows when you first hear it so don’t get played for a fool.

Conclusion

The few annoying audios aside, Pink Panther Slots is going to be a game that most people enjoy playing for long stretches of time. It’s really difficult to get bored thanks to the tons of special features, free spins, and the two available jackpots. This title really gives people looking for an enjoyable slot that’s based on a television show everything that they could possibly want.

Hardcore fans of the Pink Panther will be very impressed with this interpretation of the classic cartoon and nobody should have any criticisms or complaints. The color scheme is beautiful, the reels are easy to see, and there’s always something fun going on no matter what point you’re at. Not to mention that it feels like a bonus round is being triggered every two minutes.

So if you want a funky blast from the past that gives you tons of different ways to stack up the loot, go check out Pink Panther today and get transported back to that magical dreamscape of cheesy 1970s cartoons…you’ll be very glad that you did.

This release is definitely an instant classic.

Random Video of Pink Panther

Well now we need to hear that theme song in order to get it out of our heads and since we won’t find it in Playtech’s creation, here’s a version from the Youtube. Check out the amazing sax solo from Don Menza and the sweet triangle tickling by the drummer. We even get a heart-felt intro by Henri Mancini himself.