Monster Smash Slots
Monster Smash is a progressive video slot from the Play’n GO gaming suite. Released in June 2014, the highly animated casino game has 5 reels, 5 paylines and an entertaining theme that’ll make you smile rather than scream. That’s because the monsters that show up here resemble cute critters rather than things that go bump in the night. Think Monsters Inc rather than Freddy Krueger!
Monster Smash utilises free spins bonuses, scatter bonuses and mini-games in an effort to give you the best gaming experience possible – whether you’re lucky enough to win or unlucky enough to lose. Is it a smash hit? Well, that’s for you to decide. Read on for our detailed breakdown of this slapstick casino game.
Both Ways Pay
A word, first of all, on how to form wins. Unlike with most slots, which insist that you make wins from left to right starting from the leftmost reel, Monster Smash lets you find matching combinations in both directions. In this sense, you’re twice as likely to hit wins as before.
Setting Your Bet
As is customary, the control panel is located along the bottom of the screen. This is where you’ll find the all-important Spin button; Auto Play; Pay Table; Double Up; Triple Up; and Collect. Running tallies record your balance and you can use + and - keys to determine your bet level. It’s all pretty straightforward. In Monster Smash, the minimum bet is 0.1 while the maximum is 2 coins per line. The player can also choose to play up to 50 auto spins.
Friends with the Monsters
Monster Smash takes place on a cute 5x3 purple reel grid. The game title appears in green bubble writing in the top left-hand corner, and alongside the title you’ll see three progressive jackpots: the Tasty Jackpot, the Luxury Jackpot and the Dream Chance Jackpot.
Inside the grid itself, you’ll find mostly fruit and monsters. The symbols are bright and shiny, and stand out sharply against the purple backdrop. Icons include coconuts, watermelons, plums and pineapples. There’s also an emblem showing two baseball bats, in addition to several monsters, some of which look like characters in Monsters Inc, particularly the green cyclopes which is a ringer for Mike Wazowski.
Most avatars are linked simply with pay-outs, which are triggered when you land three, four or five matching symbols on adjacent reels. However, there are a few special icons.
Among the regular symbols, the Sulley-esque blue monster pays 70 for three, 80 for four and 150 for five. The yellow monster pays 55, 75 and 150, while the green cyclopes also pays 55, 75 and 125. The monster that looks like a sea creature is to the third to grant 55, 75 and 125.
Scatters and Bonuses
Though there is no wild symbol in Monster Smash, there are two sets of scatter symbols. The first is represented by the aforementioned crossed baseball bats. If they happen to be set within a bronze, silver or gold ring, the player will qualify for one of three progressive jackpots on offer. Three or more golden rings will lead to the Luxury Jackpot, so long as the wager exceeds 0.10 per line. Otherwise, the symbol will buy you entry into the Tropical bonus, Monster bonus – or both, depending on which reels they appear. The bonus amounts are recorded above the reels.
The baseball bats also offer modest pay-outs in their own right: two for three, five for four and 25 for five.
The Here, We, Go scatters are the gateway to five unique bonus games, which can re-trigger up to a limit of 100 games. Simply find three Here, We or Go icons on the board; they appear on the first, third and fifth reels. One of the bonus games sees the four character monsters smash adjacent symbols to the left and right, in the process awarding additional wins multiplied by the total bet.
Double or Triple Up
Monster Smash includes a gamble mode, which lets you attempt to quickly double your winnings. Just hit Double Up or Triple Up at the bottom of the screen. You’ll be shown three kiwi-like symbols, beneath which lies a win amount – or a big fat zero. The player can gamble up to ten times, or until they decide to collect.
Monster Smash Hit
Monster Smash is a hoot. The theme is fun, the graphics are good and the bonuses come thick and fast. Three progressive jackpots are even up for grabs. Load up Monster Smash and get your freak on.