Deep Space Slot Machine
From Star Wars to Star Trek, from Avatar to Apollo 13, there’s always plenty going on up in space. At least in Hollywood. This effort from Simbat is keen to have some fun in the final frontier too. But is it out of this world or worth leaving behind in a galaxy far, far, away?
Plenty of Space
While so many games go for sleek modern look, Deep Space has gone retro. You’ll feel like you’ve gone back in time to play Space Invaders. They’ve also gone for a minimalist theme. No planets or asteroids or comets. In fact, the background isn’t even black, but a calming blue. No worries about no one being able to hear you scream in this storyline. You can zoom out for a more traditional slot machine view, but you’ll probably prefer the detail when in close-up.
As the background is so, well spacious, it means it is all far easier to see the boxes for how much each symbol is worth. Which does make you see that for all the space theme, most of the symbols are fruit. The only symbol uniquely relevant to space is the rocket one, though it should be added that you can also get stars.
Your individual Win and Credits are clearly seen, and it’s always fun to see the numbers fly by on the Clubmeter. Your overall Deposit and Win are clearly marked at the bottom so there’s never any confusion.
Lift Off!
There are two games on here, Basic and Top. With Basic you use all 4 reels and a single winning line, with combinations that can be made up of 2, 3 or 4 symbols in a row. Bet 5 is played on 3 reels but you can collect prizes from classic combinations that count criss-cross. Doubling that by going on Bet 10 allows you to use all 4 reels, meaning you can win on reels 1,2 and 3, or 2,3 and 4.
Bet 20 is where the real rocket power is. As well as using the 4 reels, it allows you to use symbols belonging to reels 1, 2 and 3, with those of 2, 3, and 4 to form a classic combination. If you get three rockets they are worth between 20 or 200 credits, though this only refers to the Top game. The diagrams on the top right of the screen, divided up in Bet 5, Bet 10 and Bet 20 helpfully give you a visual example of what they mean.
You can get 100 credits from 3 Jackpots, Bars or Stars and 50 from 3 Bells. It then drops a little so that the same number of items gives 20 credits for watermelons and strawberries, 10 for plums and oranges and 5 for lemons and cherries. When on the Top game, Jackpot, Bars and Stars are where it’s at. For all 3 symbols, 2 in a row is worth 8 credits, 3 gets you 40 and 4 gains you a cool 200.
It could be clearer what the differences are between the Top and Basic games, and on the Head and Tail feature. For a game that has such a simple layout and makes it clear how much each symbol is worth, it is a strange oversight.
Navigation Systems
Like other Simbat Games, the overall gameplay is helped by the well thought-out format. In the Menu button you can play for a pretend 10 euros, which you can use as many times as you want until you feel ready to play for real money. You also login, register and take out your money here, all of which are simple to follow. The fact you can hold the different slots gives you an extra involvement and sense of game style.
You can slide to different levels of volume, which is always useful. There’s no similar setting on Autoplay though. The Info button takes you to the rules of the game, as well as Account, Storing Balance and Cashout of Credits. You’ll also find rules to the other games Simbat offer, with the links to the games themselves under the Start button. Both are in alphabetical order which makes life easier. Unlike other Simbat games, the flashing is less noticeable, which may please some players.
There’s Fun Lurking
The lack of a storyline, memorable sounds and understated design may mean you tire quickly of it, but there’s still a very fun game in here. If it doesn’t quite take you to infinity and beyond, you should still have a fun journey.
