Attack on Retro slot launched by Triple Edge Studios to Microgaming casinos

The 1980s is one of the most overlooked periods in history and the foundations of modern society, based on our almost incessant requirement for silicon chip-based products, can be traced back to this particular era.

It was also the era that brought us films like Tron, the first genuinely popular and affordable home computers and some fantastic music from the likes of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Simple Minds and New Order. It was also the era of neon and in truth, Triple Edge Studios have taken a pinch of all of these influences when coming up with their trailblazing Attack on Retro slot game.

As the name suggests, the slot has a somewhat futuristic, cyber-punk retro theme and it has some spectacular graphics, vivid and imaginative that help bring the game to light. It is also a Hyperspins slot, which means you can elect to spin one reel, for a stated price, if you so choose. There are 10 pay lines in play on the 5x3 reel slot and bets start at just 0.10 per spin, although you can ramp up the action somewhat to 20.00 per game if you are a higher roller.

Triple Edge Studios have produced some top games for Microgaming in the past with the likes of Oink Country Love, Book of Oz, and Lara Croft Temples and Tombs, so how does their newest offering stand up to scrutiny? We decided to take a look to find out.

Overview

• Game: Attack on Retro
• Developer: Triple Edge Studios (for Microgaming)
• Reels: 5x3
• Pay Lines: 10 (non-selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.10
• Maximum Bet: 20.00
• Jackpot: 100x
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: Yes
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: High

Presentation

I don't think anybody would argue that the Attack on Retro slot looks fantastic. Set against a futuristic cityscape, the reels are semi-transparent allowing you to see more of the city. With steam rising from the grids, and neon lit buildings, it is very reminiscent of 80's film classics like Blade Runner in its styling.

The music is also very electronic in its nature and I feel is very like the kind of work New Order would produce back in the 80s. Animations are smooth and very nicely done and the graphics also play into that overall 80's retro, cyberpunk vibe.

Sat aside the reels are two insect-like robots who will play a role when we hit one of the features in the game as we will explore below. Overall, this is a beautifully presented slot, but that is precisely what we have come to expect from Triple Edge Studio games.

What is on the reels?

There are a total of eight standard symbols on the reels, plus three more symbols that are linked to the main features of the slot and which we will explore in more detail in the sections below.

The lower value symbols are the four playing card symbols, Jack, Queen, King and Ace and these offer wins ranging from 0.6x your bet, up to 3x your bet. So the wins are not exactly huge in the game as you can see.

Higher value symbols include items such as the hi-tech glove, a neon ghetto blaster, an electric keyboard and lastly what appears to be some kind of hover-board, akin to the one that Marty McFly used in the Back to the Future series of films. Wins on these symbols are a bit better value ranging from 1x your bet up to 20x your bet.

However, the really big wins tend to come from hitting symbols across multiple lines using the different Wild symbols to help facilitate more wins, as we will explore below.

To help you land a better value win, there is also a Hyperspins feature in play. This allows you, after any spin, to pick one reel to re-spin at the price stated. This can allow you, for example, to try and land a third Free Spins Scatter symbol, if you have already landed two on the reels. The cost of the Hyperspin depends on how lucrative spinning that reel could potentially be, so it is a case of having to judge whether it is worth the cost as to whether to use the feature.

Wild features

The first feature you will see in the game are the two Wild symbols, these are the heroes of the slot, Billy and Jesse and both of these symbols can appear right across all five reels. In addition, these Wild symbols can be one, two or three symbols high, meaning it is possible to cover all five reels in the same symbol on a spin.

Both Wilds pay out at the same rate of 6x your bet for 3 of the same Wild on a pay line, 50x your bet for four and 100x your bet for five. You can however mix and match Wilds together to create a winning line but it will only pay out at half of the amounts listed above (so a top prize of 50x your bet if you land five mixed Wilds across the reels)

In addition to the standard Wilds, there is also a Random Wilds bonus which can trigger at any point in the game. When this occurs, the Robots at the side of the reels will spring into action and they will move onto the reels. Where the laser then hits the robot to remove it, a Wild will be left in its place. You can land up to 15 Wilds on the reels in this bonus feature.

If you use the Hyperspins feature, then you can also trigger this bonus, but only three Wilds can be revealed on the reel you choose to spin.

Free Spins features

There is a Free Spins Scatter symbol on the reels and these symbols only appear on the middle three reels. You need to land all three to trigger a pay out of 2x your total bet and also to trigger the Free Spins Bonus Game.

In this game, you get to pick what Free Spins bonus you want. You can select just 2 Free Spins but with a 5x multiplier on any wins landed. Alternatively, you can take 5 Free Spins with a 2x multiplier, or 10 Free Spins with a 1x multiplier. You can re-trigger 5 more Free Spins if you land two Scatters in the Free Spins round, or 10 Free Spins more if you land three Scatters.

During your Free Spins the first and fifth reels are both completely Wild with the Billy or Jesse symbols being selected at random to fill those reels for the spins.

Best feature of the Attack on Retro slot

There are a lot of great features in the Attack on Retro slot but for me, the Free Spins bonus round is the best feature of the slot. It is certainly the one that offers potentially the best value and I like the fact that you have a choice of different games to pick from. It's hard to judge which is the best value, but I tend to go down the middle and take the 5 Spins with a 2x multiplier most times. That's not to say all the other features on this slot are not good, they are, but I just feel the Free Spins bonuses, and the fact you can trigger more Free Spins within that bonus round, makes this the most attractive aspect of the game.

Conclusion

Triple Edge Studios have blessed us with some outstanding slots in recent times and the Attack on Retro slot is another such. Game. The theme is great, it has been executed to a very high standard and best of all, the mechanics of the slot are such that it is a joy to play and is hugely enjoyable. Some people may be put off by the small value wins, especially in a higher variance slot, but regardless of that, the game remains hugely playable and very enjoyable with an abundance of tiop features you can enjoy.

You can play the Attack on Retro slot at any of the Mega Moolah casinos.