Jungle Boy Slot
Culture is cyclical. With the passage of enough time, everything becomes fashionable again and every franchise is reborn and remade or, to use the term that’s currently en vogue, ‘rebooted’.
Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book was published in 1894, followed by the classic Disney cartoon in 1967. And now, nearly 60 years later, not only do we have The Jungle Book as an all-new Disney film, but we have Jungle Boy the video slot courtesy of Portomaso Gaming.
Those purveyors of video slots are known for having their fingers on the pulse of popular culture, and they’ve scored another hit with their faux Jungle Book five-reel offering. There’s a lotta fearsome creatures to be found lurking in the jungle, but if you keep your wits about you, there’s also a lotta riches to be had.
Load your shotgun, keep your eyes peeled and get ready to delve into the deepest darkest jungle…
Reaping the Fruits of the Forest
When Disney’s timeless cartoon was released in the late 60s, it earned a place in the hearts of a generation. When the film was released 40 years later, however, it emerged in supposedly more enlightened times. If critics are to be believed, it’s racially insensitive and historically inaccurate to cast a white boy as the protagonist of Jungle Book.
Portomaso Gaming appear to have missed the memo however, for theirs is a whiter-than-white Mowgli. It’s safe to assume that the average slots player isn’t rolling the reels in the interests of cultural sensitivity; be it out of defiance or ignorance, Portomaso Gaming deserve credit for not pandering to political correctness.
In execution, the game adopts a cheery cartoon style that’s not a million miles away from the Disney cartoon. The symbols include baby Mowgli, clad in leopard print nappy, playing with Shere Khan the tiger.
There’s also a grinning hunter wielding a shotgun and a ripped looking man clad in leopard print – is this a fully grown Mowgli or is it Tarzan? Other symbols include a pair of palm trees (not technically found in the jungle, but let’s not quibble), baby Mowgli astride a crocodile, Tarzan rowing a wooden canoe and a blonde, leopard print-clad beauty who we’ll call Jane.
Fronds of tropical foliage ring the reels, with a toucan and parrot occupying pride of place in the canopy. It’s all very lush and highly exotic. But enough about the aesthetics. How does Jungle Boy play?
Jungle Fever
Jungle Boy plays much like every other Portomaso Gaming slot, that is to say pretty well. There are no surprises to be found here: just a smooth, super fast video slot that’s a pleasure to play.
As you’d expect, scoring 3, 4 or 5 in a row will provide your meat and drink, the basis from which you can start to build some serious winnings if your luck’s in and the slots gods are smiling kindly.
The lowest value symbol is the pair of palm trees, scoring 15, 25 and 35 for 3, 4 and 5 in a row. The panther, Baloo, is worth 20, 30 and 50, followed by a curious witch-like creature clasping a staff, at 20, 50 and 150. Next up is a crashed plane which scores 10, 35, 150 and 300 for 2,3,4 and 5 respectively. It’s a similar story for Mowgli with Shere Khan: 10, 50, 250 and 500.
Portomaso Gaming are prone to making their more valuable symbols capable of commanding a win for just two in a line and Jungle Boy is no exception.
The next batch of symbols, Tarzan, Jane, hunter with gun, Tarzan in canoe and Mowgli with crocodile, all command between 10 and 25 for 5 in a line. The wild symbol comprises Shere Khan guarding the entrance to a cave. It can substitute for any of the playing symbols to score winning combinations except for jackpot, scatter and bonus.
That’s Rich Coming from You, Boy
In play, Jungle Boy provides plenty of betting options for the discerning player. Forty active paylines ensure there’s always some kind of action happening as the reels do their funky dance and the matching symbols tumble into line.
Winning combos pay from left to right, as you’d expect, with a max bet option for players who want to go all out. Three or more scatter symbols in view will herald free win spins, which top out at a maximum of 15. Finally, there’s the bonus game, which is activated after securing 3 or more bonus icons, and takes you through to a feature where you have to shoot at coconuts.
Portomaso Gaming excel at games like this, typified by cartoon graphics, cutesy sound effects and enough gameplay to keep regular slots fiends returning time and time again.
