Electric Avenue slot will have your rocking to an 80's style synth track

When I first heard the name of this 6x4 reel, 4096 ways to win slot from All41 Studios, I did wonder if the company had agreed a deal with the 1980s Reggae star Eddy Grant, who had a very big hit in the 80s with a song of the same name.

However, there was no sign of Mr Grant upon loading up the game and instead what we found was a rather eye-catching 1980s themed slot that offers something rather different to your typical 5x3 slot game.

With a sizeable jackpot to chase, the game also can be played across a wide range of bets to suit all pockets and there are two different Free Spins bonuses that you can select from if you manage to trigger them by hitting three of the Scatters across the reel.

So is this an Electric Avenue which, as in the words of the song, you would like to 'rock down to'? We decided to grab our Frankie Say Relax T-shirts and have a look for ourselves to find out.

Overview

• Game: Electric Avenue
• Developer: All41 Studios (for Microgaming)
• Reels: 6x4
• Pay Lines: 4096 Ways to Win
• Minimum Bet: 0.20
• Maximum Bet: 30.00
• Jackpot: 205,000
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes (2)
• Other Bonuses: No
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: High

Presentation

The first thing to note is that the Electric Avenue slot has a very 1980s vibe and look although the semi-tropical, urban sunset look is a little unusual. I did get a little bit of a Miami Vice feel to the look of the slot, although this was only slight. However, the 80s theme is really reinforced by the symbols that you will see on the reels.

The other aspect of the slot that plants it firmly in the 1980s is the soundtrack, which is a 80's styled synth track that is rather agreeable and will have you tapping your feet along to the beat in no time. Think early Depeche Mode, mixed with a little bit of the Cheeky Girls and you won't be too far off how this slot sounds.

With it's neon lit look, controls on the right of the screen and simple, yet high variance game-play, Electric Avenue looks the part.

What is on the reels?

There are ten standard symbols on the reels, plus a host of other symbols linked to the main features of the game which we will explore below. The standard symbols begin with four lower valued symbols. These are the four playing card suits, Diamond and Club are the lowest value, with the Hearts and Spade being valued slightly higher.

Wins start from three symbols across the reel and go up to 6 symbols across the 6 reels. The big disappointment is that even six of the diamond and club symbols across the reels still pays less than your bet (a payout of 0.75x) while six of the hearts or spades simply sees you get your money back. So this is a higher variance slot that does make you work for your rewards.

The higher value symbols are all 80s themed and include a can of soda, a pair of stylish sunglasses, a Rubik's Cube, a pair of training shoes, a polaroid camera (which I am sure was popularised in the 1970s) and the top paying item is a Ghettoblaster. Wins on these symbols range from 0.5x your bet up to 25x your bet for landing six of the Ghettoblasters across the reels in any position.

If those wins sound low then there is a reason for that as will become apparent when we look at the Wild features of the game below.

Wild features

The reason that the standard wins are so low on the Electric Avenue slot is that on the middle four reels, there are four different Wild symbols, each stacked up four symbols high. When landed in full on the reels, they will fill the reel completely.

What makes these symbols special though is that each Wild can also have a multiplier attached that corresponds to the reel they are on. So the Wild on the second reel has a 2x multiplier, right the way through to the Wild on the fifth reel which has a 5x multiplier.

Best of all, you can land two Wild Reels with a multiplier simultaneously to further increase the value of the win. It is chiefly through using this aspect of the slot that you can land some of the better value wins in the base game.

Free Spins features

One of the best features of the Electric Avenue slot is the Free Spins bonus, which is activated when you land three or more of the DeLorean Scatter symbols anywhere across the reels on a single spin. When you do, you get to then select which of the two different Free Spins bonus rounds that you want to play.

Your first option is the 7 Electric Free Spins bonus. In this bonus, you have 7 Free Spins and at the start of the round, one of the symbols on the reels is selected at random to be the Power Wild symbol. Then on each Free Spin, every time you land that selected symbol, it will turn into a Power Wild and remain stuck in place on the reels until the Free Spins bonus ends.

If you can land four of the Power Wilds on the same reel, then you will receive an additional three Free Spins too.

The other Free Spins bonus game you can select is Neon Free Spins. In this bonus you get 10 Free Spins which comes with a Wild Wheel on each spin. The Wild Wheel contains a number of different multipliers up to 55x the standard win.

The Wild Wheel can be any of the middle four reels in the game. You can also trigger this bonus feature again by landing three or more Scatter symbols during your Free Spins.

Best feature of the Electric Avenue slot

I like the way the Electric Avenue slot has been put together and the unusual set up and theme makes it somewhat different to the slots that have generally been released of late. The best feature for me, even though both Free Spins games are great fun, is those Wilds on the middle reels. The ones that have multipliers can be the real game-changer in the base game, and can lead to some of the much better value wins you can land, without triggering the bonus features.

Conclusion

If you enjoy higher variance slot games and in particular those that are on a 1980s theme, then Electric Avenue will certainly tick all the right boxes for you. Presented beautifully by A41 Studios, the game captures the essence of a 1980s slot nicely. I like the fact you can select which bonus game to play in Free Spins and those multiplier Wilds in the base game are a huge plus. It is higher variance, so you need to play it with respect, but you will undoubtedly have a great time when you rock down to Electric Avenue!

You can play the Electric Avenue slot at any of the Mega Moolah casinos.