Football Slot Machine
For the many football fans who enjoy gambling as well, the soberly named Football is an Endorphina creation worth a moment of their time.
Football has a cartoon-like, fun design with a dose of humour that will seduce a large public and especially the many, many aficionados of the sport all over the world.
There are no spikes needed to play this game in either free play or hard cash mode; a good team spirit and a thorough read of our review will suffice…
Walking the Field
It comes as no surprise that the background for Football is… a football field. Or, rather, a close-up of a patch of grass with the characteristic white lines across. The graphics are actually quite realistic, you will be able to distinguish almost every single blade of grass with a closer look.
The sound effects are definitely worth mentioning here. You can hear the crowds shout and cheer for their favourite team as you play, giving the game a more realistic feel, as if you were in the stadium as well.
However, the developers abandoned all claims of realism when it comes to symbol design: if most of them are indeed closely related to the football universe, they also have cartoonish facial expressions and, in some cases, a personality of their own.
Warming up Before the Game
As usual, Endorphina chose to emphasize the importance of the game universe throughout. It means that the game screen is relatively uncluttered, with a lot of unused space that makes immersion easier for the players. If both the background and the reels are of various shades of green, the symbols and commands around them are more colourful, which contributes to building a cartoon-like, fun atmosphere.
The commands themselves are simple and familiar. There are three steps to follow: select the value of a single coin by clicking the Coin icon at the top left-hand corner, choosing how many of these coins to bet and on how many paylines. This is done right under the reels, thanks to the corresponding arrows.
Goal!
The reel symbols in Football have their own, strong personality. They will start moving and even speaking every time you win a cash prize, including the classic, playing card-inspired entry symbols at the bottom of the paytable. You can see the Jack, Queen, King and Ace kick a ball and score a goal at each win, which is quite fun to watch.
The next symbols are a Yellow and a Red Card, both with a very disappointed look on their face as they wave around. Next are a Stopwatch, a pair of Gloves and a spiked football shoe. The goal of the game is of course to line up as many of the same icons as possible. Some symbols start paying with combos of only two identical ones on the same payline. The game offers fair odds and there are other surprises in the gameplay that deserve a closer look.
Bonus Features
Three symbols in Football come with an extra twist. The Yellow and Red Cards, which we have introduced earlier, are actually more than fun characters: they have a Scatter function if they show up in a group of five identical Cards on screen. This means that for instance, if five Yellow Cards appear on the reels, you will win a cash prize regardless of alignment. And what a prize: that is indeed the only way to win the Jackpot! The idea of adding a Scatter function to an otherwise regular symbol is quite original and gives a new dimension to the game.
Another special symbol is the Golden Ball icon, the Wild card in Football. It is there to help you complete or upgrade an existing combination for extra gains! A classic, but always appreciated move.
Finally, there is a bona fide Scatter symbol in the game: the Golden Whistle. Three of them on screen awards 15 Free Spins, a x4 combo awards 30 and five whistles triggers 45 Free Spins! During those free games, all your wins are multiplied by three automatically.
Back of the Net
You will get the best of both worlds with Football: some classic, high-stake slot gaming combined with the universe of your favourite sport. The cartoon-like characters are endearing and help create a fun, yet believable atmosphere. There are enough bonuses available to spice up your gaming experience efficiently.
As always, cute characters can be a hit or miss bet for the developers: some players will prefer more of a classic, casino-inspired experience. Others simply are not interested in football at all, in which case it might be more difficult to make the best of the possibilities offered by this Endorphina creation.
