The online casino industry continues to grow in popularity each year, currently standing as one of the biggest forms of online gaming. Although many people will try their hand at blackjack, roulette, or any other land-based casino classic which has made its way to the internet, the biggest draw, by a very long way, is the selection of slot games.
Every week, more and more slot games are released by the many top developers to meet the huge demand for these games. But now and then, a slot manages to hold onto its audience, be it down to its exciting gameplay, impressive graphics, or winning power, making a long-lasting impression on gamers.
In 2018, three games proved themselves to be wildly popular, earning the appraisal of gamers and industry critics. Two of these games were released during the year, but the other was released a few years ago, got lost along the way, somewhat, and then bounced back incredibly last year.
So, let’s get stuck into the slots that proved themselves to be the very best of 2018.
Originally released by NetEnt in 2015, Dazzle Me experienced a relatively average start to life in the slot libraries, eventually slipping down the list as more games were released. But, early in 2018, the spinners started to play the game again, increasing its popularity a great deal for it leave an undeniable mark on the year.
It’s not surprising that the game took off in the way that it did, given that its theme is quite common across slot games and doesn’t stand out as one with a pop-culture theme does. But with 76 paylines, a jackpot of 152,000 coins, medium variance, and an RTP of 96.9 per cent, it’s very easy to see why players discovering the game last year decided to stick around for more.
Dazzle Me may feature classic symbols like gems, golden bells, and lucky sevens, but its unique 3-3-4-4-5 layout of the reels makes it a very different game to the so-called classic slot machines. Even with this layout, it’s the features which demand the most attention, with the randomly-triggered Dazzling Wild Reels and free spin-activated Linked Reels boasting tremendous win-potential.
Blueprint Gaming’s Diamond Mine features the incredibly popular Megaways structure, under license from Big Time Gaming, which has earned a huge following over the years for its inclusion of many, many ways to win. In Diamond Mine, the cascading symbols allow for each spin to have up to 117,649 paylines.
Released in May 2018, Diamond Mine quickly proved to be one of the most exciting and varied slot games of the year. With transforming mystery symbols, scatters which trigger free spins, an unlimited multiplier deployed within the free spins, scatters within free spins to trigger more free spins, and dynamite wilds to enhance your chances of landing a win, there’s certainly a lot going on in Diamond Mine.
The slot is filled with lanterns, pickaxes, prospectors, and diamonds to give you the real old west feel as you dig for riches, with much of the excitement coming from these symbols cascading. Whenever there’s a win, the winning symbols explode to make way for more symbols from above or to the right, which can lead to wins on top of wins.
Diamond Mine’s payline-filled layout of 7-8-8-8-8-7, the jackpot of 250,000 coins, and its RTP of 96.43 per cent make it an almighty slot game, one deserving of recognition as one of the very best creations of last year.
The glory of Jammin’ Jars is in its vibrant colours, refreshing way to play, and genuinely exciting features. Stepping away from the video slot standard of three rows, five reels, and left-to-right pays, Push Gaming has created an eight-by-eight gaming grid for you to spin for the win.
Every spin is filled with aesthetically pleasing sheets of colour provided by its strawberry, raspberry, orange, blueberry, plum, and apple symbols, which reward wins when five or more of each are touching horizontally or vertically. Then, whenever a win lands, the symbols are zapped away to leave spaces for more symbols and potentially more wins. It’s this style of play that enables players to feel the excitement on every spin, even if the first column doesn’t reveal any of the highest paying symbols.
As is the case with the vast majority of modern video slots, Jammin’ Jars also boasts some features to give you a boost while you play. The adorable Jam Jar is the wild symbol but it also plays as a win-multiplier, which increases each time the symbol is involved in a win, and the game’s free spins-unlocking scatter symbol.
While the regular game is both exciting and rewarding, the free spins feature takes Jammin’ Jars to another level. In the free games of this 96.8 per cent RTP, 10,000-coin jackpot slot, Jam Jars which contribute to wins randomly move to another position and then hold in place when the next spin takes place. You can also keep an eye out for the Rainbow Feature. This randomly triggered bonus can occur after any non-winning round and will add giant fruit symbols to the game for an enhanced chance at winning.
Jammin’ Jars is a beautiful game that’s packed with fruit-filled excitement, placing it as the best slot game of 2018.