Ace of Spades Slot Review
Flashing lights, photorealistic images, beautiful backgrounds, snazzy animation, and awesome soundtracks all have their place in video slot games, but they do tend to be distracting at times. Multiple paylines, bonus features, and free spins can also raise the pulse of players to an alarming degree, although some people might not have the stomach for it.
None of these is a problem with Ace of Spades, Play N Go. The game developer did it again, focusing on simplicity and making it work surprisingly well.
Ace of Spades is a classic in the literal sense. It has three reels and a single payline, much like the 1970 Play N Go game Speed Cash, although that one has a progressive jackpot. Both are very easy to understand and even easier to play. If that sounds boring, then that would arguably be a rush to judgment.
Take the time to look a little bit more closely at the Ace of Spades game before deciding if this game warrants continued existence in the world of online slot games.
Setup
Ace of Spades opens with very little ceremony and has a refreshing transparency. Everything that a player would need is laid out on the screen, including betting options, the Auto Play button, and the paytable. The three-reel game window is slightly to the left of the screen, topped by the Ace of Spades logo and above the wager and win for the spin. It also has no soundtrack but makes up for it with all the sound effects of a mechanical slot machine. This is a nice touch, as it adds to the authentic feel of the game.
The symbols used in the game are the classic and much-maligned playing card symbols for the royal suits J, Q, and K. Instead of equally classic fruit slot symbols, however, the game adds shamrock (four-leaf clover), spade, and gold crown symbols to the list. The spade is the wild card that takes on the identity of other symbols and multiplies the payout.
The minimum bet for this game is 1 coin with a cash value of £0.25. The maximum bet is 3 coins with a coin value of £5, for a total wager of £15.
Payouts
The payout system for Ace of Spades is straightforward. It refers to game coins rather than currency, so calculating actual cash wins will be multiplying the balance by the coin value selected. The winning combinations and payouts for 1, 2, and 3 coin wagers, respectively, are as follows:
- Any symbol + Shamrock = 2, 4 and 6 coins
- Any two symbols + Shamrock = 5, 10, and 15 coins
- Any combination of J, Q, K in any order = 5, 10, and 15 coins
- Three of a kind (Shamrocks) = 10, 20, and 30 coins
- Three of a kind (J) = 10, 20, and 30 coins
- Three of a kind (Q) = 25, 50, and 75 coins
- Three of a kind (K) = 40, 80, and 120 coins
- Three of a kind (Gold Crown) = 80, 160, and 240 coins
- Three of a kind (Spade) = 800, 1600, and 2500 coins
- Two matching symbols + One wild (Spade) = 2x the winning combination payout
- Two wilds (Spade) + Any symbol = 4x the winning combination payout
That is it. There are no surprises or confusion when it comes to toting up the wins, which is a rarity with newer and more complicated slot machines.
Verdict
There is a lot to unpack with Ace of Spades. It is easy to dismiss it out of hand, yet its simplicity makes it intriguing. With medium to high variance, one would expect that winning combinations would be few and far between, which is actually typical for classic slot games.
However, Ace of Spades has a better than normal RTP of 95.94%, which is somewhat surprising for a game with a single payline and no bonus features aside from the spade wild multiplier. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, so playing the game was the only way to determine the value of this game. With the maximum bet laid on the line, the testing begins.
Eight hundred spins into the Ace of Spades game (on Auto Pay, of course), and the balance shows surprisingly little change. Is that a good thing? Well, it depends on the motivation of the player when playing a slot game. If the big risk for big returns is the goal, then this is probably not the game for that purpose. However, if extended play and little risk is the goal, then Ace of Spades has got it in, er, spades.
Overall, Ace of Spades delivers on the enjoyment factor for the casual player intent on plating slots. With the right wager, players can even come out quite a bit ahead. Because it is so easy to understand, it is a great game for beginners, and for anyone in the mood for a little fun.
