Sensible Soccer: Euro Cup Slot Machine
With Euro 2016 fast approaching, what better time to play Sensible Soccer: Euro Cup, the fast-paced, football-themed slot from Ash Gaming? Based on the eponymous video game that proved highly popular in the early 1990s, this one gives you the chance to win real money every time you hit the back of the net.
The enormously enjoyable 5-reel instant-play slot may lack the polished graphics of many contemporary casino games, but it more than makes up for that shortfall in other aspects. One thing’s for sure, if Sensible Soccer: Euro Cup can become half the hit that the video game was, it’ll prove a monumental success for Ash Gaming.
Getting the team sheet in order
Sensible Soccer is a veritable assault on the senses. The transparent 5x3 reel grid appears in the bowels of a football stadium packed to the rafters for a major game. The grass is impossible green, and we can see the open net, sans goalkeeper, behind the reels themselves.
The basic symbols in the game include 10, J, Q, K and A. In the interests of keeping this game old school in nature, there are no suits – no hearts, no spades, no diamonds and no clubs – just thick bold letters, in various colours, representing each icon.
Higher-value icons, meanwhile, include a football, a referee’s whistle, the referee himself, a European Cup bonus symbol, a spectator and a goalkeeper. There’s also a stadium emblem and a game logo. The graphics are certainly not advanced – think 8-bit game rather than Call of Duty – but then that’s kinda the point. Each character icon is rendered in crude blocks, as if made from Lego. Sure, you can find much better graphics, but the point of Sensible Soccer is that it’s a throwback to an expired era. Get with it!
Footballing free spins
To win some free spins, all you need to do is land three or more football scatters anywhere on the reels. The number of freebies you win is up to you, though. You can choose The Banker (aka the referee) symbol, which grants 15 free spins and a potential wild reel, The Fanatic (the spectator), which provides ten free spins and recurring wilds on adjacent reels and The Wobbler (the goalie), which yields 20 free spins and the potential for random wilds.
Interestingly, the impatient can buy their way into the bonus round by clicking ‘Buy Bonus’ in the top right-hand corner. It costs 30x your line stake to do this, but it’s a pretty cool shortcut if you’re low on time and mad keen on gunning for big pay-outs.
As well as a scatter, the game includes no less than three wild characters – the referee, the spectator and the goalkeeper. They substitute for other symbols to help you form wins, though they can’t stand in for each other or the scatter.
Hoisting the Euro Cup aloft
All European footballers dream of one day hauling the Euro Cup into the air. Unless you’re a top-level pro who’s been lucky enough to break into the international squad – and that squad then goes on to win the tournament, which only occurs every four years – this will be no more than a pipe dream. In Sensible Soccer: Euro Cup, you get the chance to take home the spoils.
The bonus game is triggered when you land three Euro Cup bonus icons on reels one, three and five. When the mini-game starts, you must select a team to represent you. Once chosen, you can watch the highlights of a two-legged fixture and cheer on your boys. The further you progress, the more moolah you accumulate. Each team also has its own multiplier attached: weaker teams with large multipliers are less likely to progress through the tourney, but do grant bigger prizes.
If you’re not especially interested in the nuances of the game, you can of course skip the highlights and go straight to the result. There’s also a progressive jackpot in the offing, which is triggered by a total aggregate score of more than ten goals (excluding penalty shootouts) in one of your two-leg fixtures. Needless to say, this is a pretty rare occurrence.
Champions League
Sensible Soccer: Euro Cup is a fantastic slot from top to bottom. With five reels and 25 fixed pay-lines, as well as stakes that range from 0.25 to 20 credits per spin, it’s a game everyone can play and enjoy – although it naturally helps if you’re a football nut. If you aren't then try out the Jungle Trouble game instead, which has a superb theme.
