Tiki Shuffle Slot Machine
Something of a departure from Merkur Gaming’s typical slot machine, Tiki Shuffle is a unique game concept that does away with paylines and instead awards prizes for successfully building totems.
Though strictly speaking Tiki Shuffle is a 3-reel video slot, the reels in question do not operate like those found in other titles by the studio. Instead, the nine spaces on the gameboard spin horizontally and lock into place from top left to bottom right, with Tiki statues being built vertically as they do so. For every completed statue – i.e. one that features three parts in the same design – players are awarded a prize, with multipliers added when multiple matching statues are completed.
Every day I’m shuffling
Despite its fairly unusual game mechanics, Tiki Shuffle is actually an incredibly simple slot to play. The absence of a conventional payout system means players do not have to concern themselves with how paylines are active each spin and instead must only choose the amount they wish to bet.
Similarly, Tiki Shuffle does away with the dual coin size/coin amount system in favour of a total bet button, with players able to wager anywhere between $0.05 and $10 per spin. This makes the slot quick and easy to pick up and means there’s always a transparency over how much you’re putting at risk and what you stand to gain for your initial outlay, with the payout table adjusting accordingly.
Completed Tiki statues result in payouts that range from 4x your initial bet to a whopping 1,000x for the highest value totem, with these amounts being doubled or tripled if multiple matching statues are successfully built. This means the maximum amount players can win from a single spin on Tiki Shuffle is actually 9,000x their bet – i.e. you build three 1,000x value statues, with each being tripled and then added together to give your total win – and all winnings can also be gambled or collected.
Island rhythms
Visually-speaking, Tiki Shuffle is one of the most striking titles we’ve seen from the team at Merkur Gaming. The slot features bright colours and 3D graphics, with a Hawaiian island background coming to life courtesy of lapping waves and flickering torches as the gameboard spins and locks into place.
One subtle, almost unnoticeable, reference to traditional slot design is the fact that each Tiki statue holds an item of fruit in its hands, with a selection of classic oranges, lemons, kiwi fruits, watermelons and pineapples harking back to the symbols used in classic bricks and mortar machines. The highest value statue holds a blue diamond – again, a staple symbol in classic slots – while each successfully completed totem results in an animation and a piece of music being played.
Here again the slot manages to differentiate itself from other titles in the Merkur Gaming catalogue as each piece of audio featured is entirely unique to the game. As you’d imagine, these winning ditties feature the gentle lilt of ukuleles, keeping the slot’s Hawaiian theme consistent and engaging.
What you see is what you get
Unfortunately when it comes to additional bonuses, the only features in Tiki Shuffle are those carved on the faces of the statues themselves. The slot does not include any free spin incentives or pick-and-click mini-games, with the prize multiplier and gamble option being the only standout aspects.
While this would normally be a bit of an issue, given the format of Tiki Shuffle is so unique, it is actually less of a concern as players will still find themselves fairly immersed in the regular gameplay. The multiplier feature adds extra excitement and depth to the game as you always have the prospect of big wins on every spin and overall it is a relatively low variance title in terms of returns.
The standard Merkur Gaming gamble option provides a welcome distraction from the base game and works in much the same way as other titles by the studio. Effectively players have two chances to walk away with something as the first gamble either doubles or halves your prize, but subsequent gambles after that either continue doubling your win or return you to the base game with nothing.
Island in the sun
Merkur Gaming deserve credit for creating an entirely new playing concept in Tiki Shuffle that provides an interesting alternative to conventional slot play. The game is simple to understand and features clear betting and payout options, making it the perfect title for beginners who want to try something a little bit different without having to learn the rules of multiple bonus features.
