Playboy Slots

Review of Playboy Slots

Like most red-blooded American men I’ve been a fan of Hugh Hefner and Playboy since I was a young teen. Sure it was mostly driven by the photos in those magazines but that type of thing could be found in numerous other publications too: it was more about their brand of glamorous living and how one should properly enjoy the good life. There was just something about this publication that always elevated it above its competitors.

Most would argue that its success was due to its enigmatic founder, Hugh Hefner, who gave the company a handsome face and a dashing personality, and in the process also became the person that every man in America wanted to be. “Hef” threw the best parties, had the best looking girlfriends, and seemed to have more fun than every other person in the world, (although dating 7 girls at once must be very hard work).

Sure I’ve always admired Hef and his antics, however, as you get older you realize that there’s more to life than living in a huge mansion surrounded by gorgeous women and servants. Ok, maybe there’s not, but this exclusive review of Playboy Slots still won’t be tainted by any fond memories because sadly there’s nothing to do with the colorful founder at all.

This is basically a global photo shoot featuring four models and their exotic locations…and that’s too damn bad because if it had of been based on Hef it would’ve been a helluva lot more fun.

Screenshots

As you would expect, this machine looks very good but it kind of feels like it was made way before 2013. Somehow it has a retro vibe going on, which is probably due to the Sega Genesis style of animation that they chose for the images. Click on the screenshots below if you want a close up of exactly what you’ll get.

Storyline

Since 1953, Playboy magazine has been pushing the envelope and stimulating the American public’s thirst for interesting interviews and beautiful women, and not necessarily in that order. Created by industry pioneer Hugh Hefner, the publication worked its way up to a peak circulation of 7 million readers in the early 1970s and presented photo spreads of some of the most gorgeous women in the world over the next 40 years.

Young ladies from all walks of life have been featured in its pages, with the most notable being Marilyn Monroe, Kim Basinger, Drew Barrymore, Jayne Mansfield, Belinda Carlisle, Madonna, Farrah Fawcett, Shannen Doherty, and the stunning Suzanne Somers. It’s crazy when you realize that this list is only a tiny sample of the Playmates who have undressed for Hef’s magazine over the years – celebrities have always longed to pose in it and readers have always responded by buying the magazine in droves.

This release from Microgaming ignores Hef and the Playboy Mansion as well as the illustrious history of the publication, and instead focuses on beautiful women and glamorous imagery that one would associate with the “Playmate Lifestyle”. After playing it for a while you will see that there’s not much of a plot and this is sadly the game’s biggest issue.

Unique Symbols

Most people wouldn’t know how to respond if you asked them which symbols they thought should be included in a Playboy gambling game. The two obvious ones that come to mind are the famous mansion and of course Hugh Hefner in a bathrobe smoking a pipe. Strangely, neither of those were included and it’s kind of crazy that this could have happened.

Instead of giving us Hef the designers opted to use glamorous images of beautiful young men and women having fun in exotic locations around the world. It’s not what most would have chosen but it all does seem to come together to present a general theme of constantly chasing beautiful women…and free spins.

• 10 with Scotch and Cigar
• J with Platinum Rolex (Jack)
• Q with Matchbook and Phone Number (Queen)
• K with Cards and Casino Chips (King)
• A with Playboy Branded Zippo (Ace)
• Couple on Motorbike at Beach
• Girl Standing in Red Convertible
• Man and Woman Sunbathing
• Kimi
• Sofia
• Ashley
• Jillian
• Playboy Bunny (Wild)
• Playboy Magazine Covers (Scatter)

Hopefully your virtual newsstand is full of Playboy Magazine Scatters because it’s the highest-paying, giving you 200 coins for 5 of a Kind. Next we have the Bunny Wild hopping in with 33.33 coins for five across the reels. The beautiful ladies are next with Jillian, Ashley, Sofia, and Kimi awarding 16.66, 15, 13.33, and 11.66 coins respectively for 5 on the board at once. These numbers aren’t a mistake: crazy payouts are totally normal for titles that have tons of lines like this one.

Actually, you should note that since it has 243 paylines you must play all 243 each time and in order to cover all of these there’s a 30x multiplier each time on the number of coins that you decide to wager. For example, if you want to bet 10 coins every hand you’re actually wagering 300: 10 x 30 = 300, so always make sure that it’s the exact amount that you intend before starting.

Jackpots

You should just be happy that Hef let you into the club – stop looking around for a Playboy Slots Jackpot because you’re not going to find one. He probably didn’t want people getting overstimulated by the girls and big cash prizes. In fairness, it’s extremely rare to see a 243 payline release offer a jackpot of any kind at online casinos so it’s totally par for the course: don’t take any offense.

Bonus Rounds

Sadly, there aren’t any proper bonus rounds in this machine and it instead relies on different free spin modes to keep us occupied. This is a low down dirty shame because most people definitely would have liked to visit the Playboy Mansion and attended one of Hef’s exclusive parties, even if it was only a virtual one.

That said, there are a few small diversions like the “Paytable Achievements” which levels you up after you’ve won every possible payout combination involving a particular symbol. Also, after entering the freeroll area 20 times your paytable will become platinum in color and will trigger a tracking capability that will display your largest five wins, as well as the various symbol combinations that you’ve hit throughout the regular mode. All of your data will be saved for life and you can access it anytime.

In addition to the above, there is a nice little reel feature that sees the Wild double the prize amount of any payline win that it’s involved in. Classy!

Free Spins

Three or more Magazine Scatters across the reels will trigger the “Playboy Club” bonus where you will be able to go on a date with 1 of the 4 beautiful ladies who will be waiting for you. Similar to the Paytable Achievements feature you have to “level up” with the free spins and each of the rounds has to be unlocked one at a time.

First up we have the Kimi who will give you 10 freebies with a 5x multiplier on all money won and she also holds the distinction of being the only one that you can retrigger while freerolling. Next, Sofia saunters in with 15 gratis games and some “Running Wilds” that will have them generating a column of Wilds that will add 1 to the reel after each result. Don’t be in a rush to see her though because she’s only accessible after your 5th visit.

Once you’ve joined the ladies in the club for a 10th time you will be able to select Ashley, who will seduce you with 20 free spins and a lucrative “Rolling Reels” feature. This has the symbols in winning paylines removed once the cash is added to your balance and the ones on top of them then fall down to replace them and hopefully create another win, with the processing repeating itself until you hit a losing combination. The nice twist on this round is that you get an increasing multiplier with each collapsing win, up to a maximum of 5x. Now that’s a fun party.

Finally, once you’ve made your way through the virtual velvet ropes of the club for a 15th time you can visit with Jillian, who’s waiting for you with 25 spins and a “Wild Night” feature that will come at random. This will make 1 to 5 reels totally Wild, which can obviously be a huge boost to your bankroll depending on how many of them end up changing.

These are all definitely a lot of fun to play, however, they obviously don’t make up for the absence of a proper bonus round.

Graphics

It’s hard to rate the graphics in this title: they look fantastic for a video game but they’re not really as lifelike as one would expect. It’s very easy to tell that they were digitally created. Wouldn’t most people looking to play a Playboy-themed release want real images from the magazine’s models? Also, these Playmates might be based on humans but they’re certainly not the most popular ones to ever grace the pages – where’s the star power? Microgaming left a lot on the table here.

Each area comes with its own background imagery and the girl you choose to share your feature with will take you to a unique place. You’ll visit the beach, the disco, and even a messy apartment. The changes in scenery keep things fresh and interesting and they’re a welcome break from the regular mode.

Lastly, it goes without saying, but the images of the different girls that are available in the club are very risqué – Ashley’s photo certainly doesn’t leave much to the imagination. So if you’re sensitive to partial nudity you will want to avoid this title in favor of something else. (And if you are sensitive to partial nudity, how did you make it this far into the review?!)

Audio & Soundtrack

The main song sounds like a mischievous track that would be heard in the background of an episode of an old 1990s Fox nighttime drama like Pacific Palisades. It’s driven by a slow guitar riff and whimsical maracas, while a sexy piano and smooth synthesizer battle for supreme control of the track. It’s actually a very good jam so it’s recommended to play this one with the volume way up.

Kimi’s area has a 1980s style synthesizer-dominated song with whimsical bridges and sexy bleeps and blorps that will have your hips swinging. Sofia’s area has an uptempo, calypso-infused, toe-tapper that is accentuated with electronic trumpets, synth blasts, and a throbbing bongo beat, all of which come together to make it the best song that was included.

Then once invited into Ashley’s chic condo you’ll be greeted with an intense metal-inspired, guitar-heavy anthem. It kind of sounds like the Scorpions mixed with early ’90s David Bowie – it’s not the greatest song on the soundtrack but it will definitely have your head bobbing as you freeroll.

Finally, Jillian’s feature gives you a high-energy dance banger that will take you back to your early 20s and the vapid discotheques that you used to frequent looking for short-term romance with creepy strangers. Think Daft Punk with a twist of the Chemical Brothers and you’ll know what to expect here.

All of these songs do a great job of transporting you to different places, from New York City rock clubs to the sunny beaches of Ibiza. To be honest, this release might be one of the best slots of all time from a purely musical standpoint and the soundtrack really keeps you in a good mood even if you’re on a losing run.

Unfortunately, the win audios are too aggressive with a loud guitar cranking out over the peaceful ambient music for certain payline payoffs. They just didn’t do a good job of mixing the sound effects and music, especially when the Wild is activated and a flatulent synthesizer triumphantly blasts out a clunky jingle.

It’s all very distracting and unnecessary and it takes away from the amazing soundtrack that’s heard throughout. Next time leave the obnoxious win audios for the gaming floors of Las Vegas, please.

Conclusion

If you’ve always dreamed of spending some time in the shoes of Hugh Hefner, Playboy Slots gives you a good idea of the things that used to surround him at every waking moment of the day. Unfortunately, there’s no storyline whatsoever and it relies solely on luxurious images of the finer things in life, which almost comes off as a taunt to the very people who are playing it. Sure there are some virtual Playmates included but in this day and age most will be looking for something with a bit more substance.

Although this release could definitely be referred to as “sexy”, it will probably leave you wanting more after a while – it’s all beauty and no brains. However, those who are big fans of the brand will enjoy it for hours no matter what, and at least they’ll have lots to look at as they go. Not to mention that the amazing soundtrack will keep more than a few of you dancing in the club till closing time. Bonus Bandits will feel shunned by the lack of a true special feature but might find themselves kept busy with the 243 different ways to cash in.

I’m kind of torn on this one. It’s definitely fun to play for a little while but I always end up feeling like it could have been better. Either way, you’ll want to indulge yourself for at least a few spins so you can see the glamorous life that Hef spent decades promoting.

Playboy the magazine has always been interesting, but Playboy the slot game just doesn’t live up to its legacy.

Random Video of Playboy

Well this certainly was a hard one to figure out so let’s just go with something safe. Here’s “Playboy’s Roller Disco & Pajama Party” from 1979 hosted by Richard Dawson, featuring tons of celebrity cameos. Don’t worry, the most offensive thing in this video is the haircut on Chuck Mangione’s guitar player. This is definitely 1970s decadence at it’s best…(or worst)…