‘Tis the season to be… spooky? That’s right, Halloween is just around the corner, and this year we’re celebrating it in style with our Helloween release.
Helloween is a 5-reel video slot with a rocking soundtrack provided by German power metal band Helloween themselves; featuring songs from their pivotal albums Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I and Part II.
Creating this game meant collaborating with the band extensively. Having the band represented in our slot means we have to do them justice. That means choosing the best songs, the right videos, and even making sure the tone of the game matches Helloween and their music. It’s a delicate balance between getting that right and not losing any of the ingenuity or energy of the slot itself. This is something we’ve achieved with multiple slots, from our other music titles like Twisted Sister and Saxon to other games like Nyjah Huston’s Skate for Gold and our Hugo series.
However, the process was a success and not only did we create a great game, but we also had some really cool moments; look out for our video of Helloween carving their own pumpkins to celebrate the game’s release!
The real crux of this game are the features; there are plenty to keep players entertained, including a fantastic free spin bonus game that brings all the others together.
Features are an essential part of any game, which makes getting them correct, a crucial part of the design process. We spend a lot of time designing features that fit well with the narrative of the game and add to the overall player experience. This creates a better game for players, giving more merit to our operators.
The features make Helloween a real WILD game, in more ways than one! There are SEVEN different Wilds in the game, a standard Wild for the base game plus six unique Wilds that each have their very own feature. Even the Scatter is a Wild meaning; if it doesn’t trigger a bonus feature, it can still put a win on the reels!
Naturally, having a game contain so many features presents its own set of challenges. How do you make each one unique, so that they don’t all become boring? How do you make sure each one provides as much entertainment and opportunity as the next? It’s one thing for people to have a favourite feature, but you don’t want them to dislike any.
Those were the challenges we had to overcome and, through the ingenuity and experience of our design team, we managed to create a game filled with fun features that players are going to enjoy discovering and triggering over and over again.
From sticky and expanding Wilds to transforming symbols, each feature brings a different element to the game.
