Jingle Bells Slot Machine
Huh, who’d have thought it – a slot machine called Jingle Bells without a sniff of Christmas overpowering the senses. It almost feels like a trick, that at any minute the elves will appear, throwing tinsel all over us as we try to deny that the festive season is drawing ever closer (if you’re reading this and Christmas has arrived, thank goodness for small mercies in the form of classic games).
Tom Horn are behind the deceiving title, having designed a game that is housed inside a 3x3 grid, and thus a very classic looking creature indeed. Traditional slot machines are by no means rare, in fact the boom in interest has caused a lot of brands to branch out, but some transition more successfully than others. Jingle Bells looks to be one of those victorious titles.
Jingling Jesters
Instead of a wild, players will come across a jester, a striped lad with bells on the ends of his pointed hat; far more interesting than a plain old wild. Despite looking much different from what you might be used to, the jester doesn’t do anything different at all, he still subs symbols like in any other slot machine. Furthermore, as seems to be traditional with all types of wilds, he is the most expensive tile on the grid, coming it at 5 credits.
Everything else you will see upon the network of icons are dedicated to the marvellous world of fruit, save for the jingle bells themselves. All of the healthy foods may look appetising, but gift very little in terms of financial gain, with the most you’re able to win being no more than 1 credit. As you’re undoubtedly able to see, this slot machine isn’t very forthcoming with paying you big wads of euros.
As the game is all about the bells, and the pay table making a point of highlighting that, let’s see exactly what the jingle bells could do for your bank balance.
The Bells, the Bells!
You’ll need three of these bonus symbols for the mini level to begin. When it does, players will be shown two lots of bells, both identical in appearance. Despite looking the same, they do very different things, and so your choice will result in two possible outcomes: a surprise large pile of money or a random win of free spins. You won’t know what you’re picking until the prize is revealed.
What’s the Cost?
No slot machine is without a price, not even the ones you play in demo mode, for essentially you forfeit the chance of winning real money for the privilege of testing the game. For those who play for real, the price you pay is in a bet.
Jingle Bells doesn’t really ask for much in the form of money, with a small range of 0.10 to 25 coins, which while more diverse than some of their other games, is by no means a steep betting range. The stake can be set by using the plus or minus buttons on either side of the bet display, with the rest of the features found on the right hand side. You will find the Max Bet, Auto play, Pay out, and Spin widgets here.
The Max Bet does as it says and will take you straight in at the deep end, gambling the most, whereas the Auto play will roll the 3-reels for you, saving you from having to use your hands to play. It’s a lot less tactile experience, and so if you’re very hands on with games, it won’t be for you. As for the Pay-out option, that takes you to a list of the pay table, where you’ll be able to see what each symbol pays out. Lastly, the spin does the most basic of jobs and gets everything working.
Mixed Feelings
This online activity has left us in a bit of pickle, mainly because we can’t decide whether we loved or disliked it. There aren’t many features, but extras don’t always make a game… Few of the wins are ever big, but then the bonus round can reward you generously… The title is misleading but the detour from traditional Christmas imagery makes Jingle Bells a welcomed respite.
It’s all very one and the other, never either or, and for that reason we’ll leave you to decide amongst yourself whether it’s a win for the brand or a fail.
