Golden Slot Review
This game may be an animal-themed slot, but Golden was launched by NextGen in 2017 to mark the year of the Rooster in Chinese astrology! This is a slot machine that is full of excitement and big wins! In fact, you can win as much as 309,375 in this game!
Gameplay
NextGen’s Golden is a simple game to play. You first need to set your bet. This 5-reel game has 243 different ways to win, and bets range from as little as 25p to as much as £125. With 243 paylines, it is best to keep your coin value low so that you can balance your betting budget. Of course, if you are a high-roller, you can click on the Max Bet button and begin your game!
The secret to winning this game is to spin the reels as many times as possible. This is because Golden is a medium-to-high variance slot machine with an RTP of 97.222%, so triggering the Free Spins Bonus game takes some time. In fact, it could take you as many 150 spins before you can trigger the bonus features, but if you have the patience, the wait will be worth your while!
Once you have laid your bets, you can start Golden by clicking on Spin button. You may also use the Autoplay feature if you want to sit back and watch how the game proceeds. Winning requires you to land between 3 and 5 identical symbols on a payline. How much you win depends on 3 things:
- What is your bet size?
- What is the value of the symbols?
- How many symbols land on the payline
So, higher bet values along with a larger number of symbols of high value landing on the paylines are what will give you the bigger wins. So, if you land the low-value symbols (9 to A), you can win a maximum of 100x your bet. The Eggs and Chicks win you a maximum of 200x your bet. The Hen wins you 500x your bet. The Hen Coop (it actually looks like a lovely little house!) wins you 1,000x your bet and the Rooster silhouetted in the setting sun wins you a massive 2,000x your bet!
If you’re looking for even bigger wins, you need to get lucky and trigger the additional game features!
Additional Game Features
The additional game features can really boost your wins, so let’s find out what they are:
Rooster Wild – This big fowl is the Wild and can only appear on the second, third, and fourth reels of this game. It acts as a substitute for all other symbols – including the Scatter!
Lucky Coin Scatter – The Lucky Coin is the Scatter in this game, and you need to land 3 or more of this symbol so that you can trigger the Free Games bonus round! This symbol can only land on the second, third, and fourth reels of the slot machine. And landing 3 Scatters also gives you a 50x payout.
Free Games Round – When you land at least 3 Scatters on the reels, or if you land 3 or more Wilds on the reels, you will trigger the Free Games Round! When you land the required number of either of these symbols, you will win 10 Free Spins!
Golden Rooster Wild/Scatter Combination – This is a truly unusual feature in this game! You not only have the separate Wilds and Scatters, but you also have a combination Wild/Scatter symbol. The Golden Rooster combination symbol will only appear during the Free Games Round, and when it does, it is two symbols high!
Thanks to this super-special feature, your potential to win bigger prizes during the Free Spins round goes up, and you have the chance to re-trigger another 10 free spins! With three different symbols doing the same job, you can really increase your potential to win in this game, especially in the Free Games rounds. And the extra free spins also add to the odds in your favour! This is truly where you can make some massive wins!
Game Design
Even though NextGen’s Golden is based on the Chinese Year of the Rooster, it isn’t an overtly Asian-themed game. In fact, it looks more like a farm-themed game! You can see the farm in the background, with golden crops laid out in orderly rows. The reelscape hints at the Chinese theme of this game, with the reels being framed by what resembles a window in a Chinese building. The symbols on the game again reference a farm, but they aren’t that attractive, which is a little disappointing.
The game’s music and sounds, on the other hand, are a barrel of fun! The music is happy and upbeat, while the sounds (especially when the Rooster Crows) are super fun!
Golden Slot Review Summary
Golden is an unusual slot machine in that the bonus features it offers are so unique! While the game design isn’t as pleasing as some of NextGen’s other slot machines, the sounds and music definitely are a lot of fun. Plus, when you are looking at 243 ways of winning, massive payouts, and a high RTP, you don’t mind the not-so-great graphics too much!
Overall, this is not one of NextGen’s most beautiful games, but the gameplay and the massive rewards more than make up for that lack. And since this game has a PC, tablet, and mobile version, you can spin to win those golden eggs any time you like!
