Cherry Blast Slot Machine
Cherries have long been one of the most prevalent symbols in the world of slot machines, but they haven’t typically been one of the most exciting ones a player can hit. In many games, they serve as the lowest value winner on the reels; they have been especially popular in three-reel setups where they will grant a small consolation prize even if you just hit one or two.
But that doesn’t mean that this fruit can’t be made into an exciting and engaging centerpiece for a great slot machine. That’s the case in Cherry Blast, a new slot created by Iron Dog Studio. While this might seem like a basic game with a traditional fruit-flavored theme, there’s a lot more hiding beneath the surface, including a very cool special feature that will take you back to the days of retro video games.
A Delicious Mix
Cherry Blast is a five-reel, 20-payline slot machine that is based on a colorful and classic theme. While the backdrop is a cool blue, it is literally bursting with color at the top, featuring reds, pinks, greens and yellows that match up with the symbols that appear on the reels during gameplay.
On the reels, the main goal is to match identical symbols from left to right across the reels. You’ll see a variety of fruits here, ranging from classics like plums, strawberries and watermelons to more exotic fare like kiwis and limes. There are also sevens and liberty bells on the reels to round out the classic, old-school symbol mix.
Bombs Away
While that might sound like a pretty typical setup for a slot machine, Cherry Blast really gets going when you start interacting with the game’s many special features. This starts with the cherry bomb symbol, which can explode outward in various random directions and patterns. This can reveal a host of different special icons: scatters that can award prizes, wilds that will help you earn even more wins, or bonus symbols that can get you into this machine’s special feature, for instance.
The bomb can also reveal some free spin symbols. In the free spins game, you’ll enjoy 9 free plays. If two standard cherries appear during the feature, they will explode, revealing super scatters or super wilds (or a combination of the two) in their positions and in the middle of the two, greatly increasing your chances to win a major prize.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this game, however, comes when you hit bonus symbols that take you into the Bonus Dash round. This is a mini-game that is set up to look a lot like Pac Man, only with the main character being replaced by a cherries that is set to gobble up everything in its path.
At the start of this mini-game, you’ll see your character at the top of the screen. Players can then choose a number between 1 and 5 at the bottom, which will determine exactly what path your character attempts to take to make it out of the level at the bottom of the screen. The higher the number, the more you’ll stand to win, but also the more risk you will be taking.
Once you’ve made your choice, you’ll see the Pac Man-like hero move through the layout. Each pellet eaten will earn 1x the coin value, but the real variance comes from the special, larger blocks that appear occasionally. These can hide much larger additions to your winnings, but also have the chance to end the round immediately. Either when your character exits the maze, or when it is killed by one of the special blocks, the feature will end, and you’ll collect all of the prize money earned so far.
Not Your Average Fruit Machine
Cherry Blast combines one of the all-time classic slots themes with some interesting and innovative features in order to create a unique experience for players. We really loved the way that the bomb symbol had the ability to create all sorts of different results, all of which were beneficial: that meant that while we didn’t know what was coming, it was sure to be great for us, which created a lot of excitement.
We also really enjoyed the Pac Man-style bonus round; even though you just sit back and watch it unfold, there’s still plenty of tension, and it’s great to have the option of managing your risk before you start. All of this is put together in a package that comes with a RTP of over 96%, which is very competitive for this style of game.
The end result is a game that’s both fun to play and deep enough to satisfy even the most experienced gambler. If you’re looking for something new to play that combines a classic look and feel with some really fun bonus features, then Cherry Blast might be the perfect choice.
