Microgaming Games of the Month: January to December 2019

Welcome to this, the first in a series of articles in which we will go through each of the game releases during a particular month and give you our opinion on each game, ranking each of them using a simple system before we decide which of the releases in that particular month was Microgaming's Game of the Month.

In order to start the ball rolling, we are going to start to take a look at Microgaming's back catalogue of slot games from years past with the aim of building up to eventually having all the different Microgaming slot games rated and listed in this document.

This series will have two distinct sections. The first will look back at releases from Microgaming from past years, starting with the most recent years and heading back in time until we cover all the game releases from the company.

However, in addition and going forward from September 2020, we will also bring you a more detailed round up of the games released by Microgaming across the month, together with links to demo games you can play of these games and of course, our ranking of each of the releases for that month.

We will then add the scores for each new release for any given month into our list of Microgaming games to see where they stand in the annals of history.

Before we start our look back at 2019, let's first explain the rating system we will use to rank each of the games we cover in these articles, with the aim of bringing you the complete lowdown, eventually, on all key Microgaming (and their partner studios) releases.

The ranking system

With hundreds of slot games to rate, it is important that we pick a ratings system that can reflect the differences within each game with enough clarity. A rating system of 1-10 or A-E for example, would not offer enough differentiation between games. One 6 rated game may be better than another 6 rated game for example.

So for this process, our ratings system will be rated out of a score of 100, shown as a percentage. Furthermore, we may award fractions of a percentage to games in order to differentiate them still further. In general, the scores will mean as follows:

• 95% - 100% - A Confirmed Slots Classic
• 85% - 95% - Outstanding
• 75% - 85% - Excellent
• 65% - 75% - Very Good
• 55% - 65% - Good
• 45% - 55% - Average
• 35% - 45% - Below Average
• 25% - 35% - Disappointing
• 15% - 25% - Very Disappointing
• 0%-15% - Terrible

Games will be rated based on all the key elements of a slot, how it looks, sounds and plays, its features and bonuses, but also factored in will be more difficult to determine elements, such as how original the game is, how enjoyable it is to play and whether it is a game that will have longer term appeal.

Lastly, this list will also focus solely on Microgaming and their affiliated studios releases, not any releases from Microgaming's content aggregator partners. In addition, the subsequent monthly Microgaming Game of the Month articles will look at each game in a bit more detail than we can in these yearly review articles.

So let's begin by taking a look at the releases from 2019, starting in January and progressing through until December. It is worth noting that in earlier years, there are not as many releases across each month, so the options will be limited in some cases, hence the comparative table at the foot of this article comparing each game from every month reviewed so far.

Microgaming Game of the Month - January 2019

There are just the two releases to look over for January 2019, the first was a magician themed slot called The Great Albini which to be honest was a decent looking game but not one that stayed long in the memory, and the second was the Lucky Firecracker slot, which was based on the Chinese New Year (and which has recently been rejigged to work on mobile devices).

It wasn't the greatest month in terms of games to be brutally honest, but for me the Lucky Firecracker slot just about edges this one, although I would not call either game a classic.

1. Lucky Firecracker - 63.7% - Game of the Month
2. The Great Albini - 61.6%

Microgaming Game of the Month - February 2019

There were just two releases in February 2019, although I feel the standard of game improved a little this month. First up we had the exciting Shogun of Time slot by Just For The Win, which featured two different kinds of bonus features including Split Reels Respins and Free Spins plus which also had changing reel sets from 4x3 reels and 81 ways to win in the base game, to 5x3 reels and 243-ways to win in the Split Reels Respins bonus.

The second release in February was Crazy Tooth Studio's Arctic Valor slot, which was a rare 6x4 reel game that had some lovely backdrop effects of the Northern Lights and featured a massive 4096 Ways to Win and the Any Adjacent Pays symbol. An ambitious slot that featured a couple of nice bonus features but which was stymied a little by low value base game wins.

1. Shogun of Time - 69.4% - Game of the Month
2. Arctic Valor - 66.7%

Microgaming Game of the Month - March 2019

The releases picked up on March 2019 with a total of four games released across the month. The action started with the horse racing themed slot Bookie of Odds which featured a Respin option to spin any of the five reels again. This was followed by the Zombie Hoard slot from Slingshot Studios which featured some fun graphics and two ways to trigger free spins, either using Scatters or by collecting tokens.

Switch Studios also released a new table game for Microgaming this month in the form of Roulette, a very nicely presented version of the famous casino classic, which had low minimum bet limits of 0.25 per wager and optional layouts to pick from to bet on. However, Microgaming certainly saved the best until last this month with the return of their Bond-styled action star Agent Jane Blonde in Stormcraft Studios, Agent Jane Blonde Returns, an eagerly awaited sequel to the original Agent Jane Blonde slot.

1. Agent Jane Blonde - 87.6% - Game of the Month
2. Roulette - 77.3%
3. Zombie Hoard - 58.9%
4. Bookie of Odds - 52.3%

Microgaming Game of the Month - April 2019

After a bust March, Microgaming wound things down a little in April, but both their releases this month were well worth the wait. The first was the exciting Zeus Ancient Fortunes slot, which featured the opportunity to win both ways across the reels as well as Rolling Reels. The other game was the entertaining Rockabilly Wolves from Just For The Win which featured multiple Wild symbols across its 20 pay lines and one of the most catchy soundtracks of any slot game.

1. Zeus Ancient Fortunes - 88.4% - Game of the Month
2. Rockabilly Wolves - 82.6%

Microgaming Game of the Month - May 2019

May 2019 saw the release of one of the latest slot in the Tomb Raider series of games as Lara Croft Temples and Tombs hit casinos with a fantastic new look that involved 243 Ways to Win, Rolling Reels, Multiplier Trails, Free Spins and the chance to win one of three jackpot prizes, Grand, Major and Minor. Switch Studios also released an updated version of the popular European Blackjack card game which again features quality graphics.

Other exciting May 2019 releases included the innovative Reel Splitter, which uses a similar game engine to Shogun of Time with splitting reels increasing the number of reels from 4 to 5 and the number of ways to win from 81 to 243. The eagerly anticipated Love Island slot from Microgaming also hit casinos, based on the famous TV show and which gave you the opportunity to pick your own islander and the person you wanted to couple with in a 5-reel, 243 Ways to Win slot. Last up in May was the Dragon Shard slot which featured a Win Booster button that allowed you to upgrade the Mystery Symbols in the game and also saw you win both ways across the reels on this 5x5, 40 pay line slot.

1. Lara Croft Temples and Tombs - 86.6% - Game of the Month
2. Dragon Shard - 86.3%
3. Reel Splitter - 70.2%
4. European Blackjack - 67.8%
5. Love Island - 64.3%

Microgaming Game of the Month - June 2019

There were four new releases in June as Microgaming stepped up their output from this time and what an eclectic and unusual mix of games this month produced. Le Kafffee Bar and Our Days probably rank as two of the more unusual themed slots ever released by the company, one based on a coffee shop, the other based on a Japanese teenage romance theme, which by and large was a rare misstep from Microgaming.

Also hitting casinos this month was the Ruby Casino Queen slot, which used the same game engine as the Rockabilly Wolves release from the month previously, while for me the top slot of the month by a considerable distance was the innovative and foot-tapping Village People Macho Moves which featured six reels, a fantastic soundtrack and a massive selection of bonus games.

1. Village People Macho Moves - 92.7% - Game of the Month
2. Ruby Casino Queen - 77.4%
3. Le Kaffee Bar - 54.5%
4. Our Days - 43.4%

Microgaming Game of the Month - July 2019

We had four really different released in July 2019 starting with an exciting slot from Rabcat called Sherlock of London. Based on the famous Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle, this slot was one of the most impressive graphically and in terms of game-play that I had come across, especially in a 5x3 reel, 25 pay line slot. All41 Studios also released their 9 pay line Magic of Sahara slot which once again featured their two ways to trigger Free Spins option, as well as a sizeable jackpot of 500,000 up for grabs.

Also released this month was a sequel to the original Breakaway Ice Hockey themed slot in the shape of Break Away Deluxe, which saw 5x5 reels and a choice of pay line options from 18 up to 88 and of course, which still featured those super stacked Wilds. Last up in July was Crazy Tooth's Queen of the Crystal Rays, which was a massive 6x4 reel slot, featuring any adjacent wins across its 50 pay lines as well as a Power Path bonus round.

1. Sherlock of London - 90.2% - Game of the Month
2. Break Away Deluxe - 71.2%
3. Queen of the Crystal Rays - 68.4%
4. Magic of Sahara - 62.1%

Microgaming Game of the Month - August 2019

August 2019 was a bumoer month for game releases with a trio of slot games, two Scratchcard games based on popular slots and a new version of Roulette. The Roulette game was Sapphire Roulette and this offered a more satisfying and better looking game than the previously released Roulette this year. The two Scratchcard offerings were Lucky Leprechaun and Immortal Romance and while both games were very similar, I felt the Leprechaun game just had the edge as it offered a slightly larger top prize (750x your bet as opposed to 500x).

The first slot game released this month was the beautifully designed Tiki Vikings, which offered both a Symbol Lock Respin and Symbol Upgrade bonus across its 20 pay lines in what was a cleverly thought out slot. The next game was Relic Seekers from Pulse 8 Studios, which featured Rolling Reels with an unusual bonus of one symbol on the screen turning Wild if you landed two consecutive Rolling Reels wins. The game also featured a Collect Keys and Free Spins bonus round. Lastly we revisted the famous Break Da Bank series with the release of the Break Da Bank Again slot, which featured Hyperspins and the chance to win up to 25 Free Spins.

1. Sapphire Roulette - 87.1% - Game of the Month
2. Relic Seekers - 84.1%
3. Tiki Vikings - 82.5%
4. Break Da Bank Again Respin - 78.7%
5. Lucky Leprechaun Scratch - 63.2%
6. Immortal Romance Scratch - 61.0%

Microgaming Game of the Month - September 2019

September dawned with two games that offered essentially the same type of game, just with different themes in the shape of the two 10 pay line, win both ways slot games Banana Odyssey and Aurora Wilds, with the key difference being Aurora Wilds had its own Jackpot game alongside the base game, which in our view just gave it the edge. These two games were then followed by Just For The Wins clever Tweet Hearts slot, which once again reworked the game engine from Rockabilly Wolves and Ruby Casino Queen but this time gave us a rather cutesy, bird themed slot with an unusual 17 pay lines in play.

Finally, we runded off the month with a new slot in the Book of Oz series, in the shape of Book of Oz Lock 'N Spin, a 5x3 reel , 10 pay line slot that features the Hyperspins option and the chance to win up to 5,000x your bet and allows you the ability to lock reels in position (similar to the old style Hold option on older style slot games).

1. Aurora Wilds - 90.5% - Game of the Month
2. Banana Odyssey - 86.3%
3. Book of Oz Lock 'N Spin - 83.5%
4. Tweet Hearts - 71.9%

Microgaming Game of the Month - October 2019

We also saw four released in October 2019 and they began with the excellent Boom Pirates slot from Foxium, which offered Free Spins, a Boom Pirates feature and a chance to win up to 3,800x your bet on this slot game which could increase up to nine reels in size with up to six symbols on the reel with the number of ways to win increasing to over 1.6 million.

Deco Diamond Deluxe was up next and this 5x3 retro styled slot featured a spin the wheel bonus feature, as well as an optional Deco Deluxe Symbol Nudge feature you could activate for a 50% premium on your bet. Then followed the 9 Masks of Fire slot from Gameburger Studios, which featured a 5x3 reel set up but the chance to win any of nine jackpot prizes up to 2,000x your bet. The month was then rounded off by the immaculate A Dark Matter slot, an atmospheric game from Slingshot set in a creepy Victorian village and which featured Stacked and Invading Wilds as well as a Free Spins bonus round.

1. A Dark Matter - 83.6% - Game of the Month
2. 9 Masks of Fire - 81.9%
3. Deco Diamonds Deluxe - 76.8%
4. Boom Pirates - 73.8%

Microgaming Game of the Month - November 2019

November was the time when Microgaming really began to ramp up its output with seven games released across the course of the month, all of them slot games. The contenders this month were Long Mu Fortunes, Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx, Lock a Luck, Rising Royals, Tiki Mania, Playboy Gold Jackpots and the Christmas themed Festive Indulgence.

Of those games certainly Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx, Playboy Gold Jackpots and Tiki Mania were the standout games for me with Stormcraft Studio's jungle adventurer perhaps doing just enough to claim the top spot.

1. Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx - 91.7% - Game of the Month
2. Tiki Mania - 87.1%
3. Lock a Luck - 86.9%
4. Playboy Gold Jackpots - 79.8%
5. Long Mu Fortunes - 78.6%
6. Rising Royals - 74.2%
7. Festive Indulgence - 57.3%

Microgaming Game of the Month - December 2019

If seven games being released in November wasn't enough, slot gamers had a Christmas bonus when Microgaming released eight slot and casino games in the month of December. It began with the nicely designed Ivory Citadel slot, followed by a new card game from Switch Studios in the form of Vegas Single Deck Blackjack. Next up were the spectacular slot duo North Storm and Treasures of Lion City before we landed another card game in the shape of Baccarat.

The Happy Holidays Scratch followed on from this before the year was completed with two more slot releases in the shape of Arctic Magic and Foxium's Stumpy McDoodles. But which one was the best release in December?

1. North Storm - 90.1% - Game of the Month
2. Treasures of Lion City - 85.9%
3. Stumpy McDoodles - 81.5%
4. Baccarat - 79.4%
5. Happy Holidays Scratch - 74.6%
6. Ivory Citadel - 73.7%
7. Vegas Single Deck Blackjack - 71.5%
8. Arctic Magic - 70.2%

Microgaming rankings table

The table below has been updated with all the games shown above, as well as any other months reviewed since:

The game type lists the standard size of the game (reels x symbols on each reel) followed by the number of pay lines or ways to win. If the game has any other notable features beyond standard features such as Free Spins or Wild symbols, these are also listed here using the key below.

Ranked titles from Microgaming (data from 2019 only at present)

This table will be updated as we review previous years and also forthcoming months with additional data.