I’m not entirely certain about this, but it sure does seem as if Thunderkick are far less active in the online slots industry nowadays – it felt as if there was a new game from these guys every other week just a few years back, whereas now I barely ever seem to spot any new releases attributed to the Swedish team. I felt as if I should at least try to back up this statement when I re-read the text before submitting it, and the reality of the situation may be a little different – the Thunderkick website is packed with other slots that I simply haven’t encountered out “In the wild”, so perhaps it’s more a case of the company falling behind in the distribution department? Whatever the case, it’s sad to see – I’ve enjoyed lots of the previous titles created by the Thunderkick Team, so I was excited to check out their latest effort dubbed “Zap Attack!”. This 25-payline machine has a top prize of 5,000x the player’s stake alongside a 96.15% RTP – nothing out of the ordinary so far.
The information section of the game is relatively short compared to other slots I have looked at recently – just six pages explain everything that makes up the slot. There are expanding multiplier wilds on three of the game’s five reels, providing a means of boosting your winnings by as much as 125x the standard paytable amounts. We also get a “bonus game” – Thunderkick’s preferred lingo for describing a free spins feature. This particular bonus includes an extra feature where the most valuable alien symbol can use his ray gun to boost the value of other symbols and add an extra free spin or two to your remaining meter. A bonus buy menu allows you to purchase a set of free spins directly from the base game if you prefer to do things that way.
Come on then Demoslot army – the aliens are here, and it’s time to show them who’s boss! Grab your type 15 phaser cannon and meet me by the entrance… what do you mean you haven’t got a phaser cannon? Alas, it’s probably best to stay home and play our Zap Attack! demo Instead then, I guess.
| Provider | Thunderkick |
| Reels | 5 |
| Rows | 5 |
| Paylines | 25 |
| Bonus Rounds | 1 |
| Bet Range | 0.10 - 100 |
| Volatility | High |
| Max Win | 5,000x |
| Bonus Buy | Yes |
| RTP | 96.15% |
| Our Rating | 7.3 |
Zap Attack Casino Bonuses
Zap Attack Demo
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Zap Attack Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
The question of whether we are alone in the universe – or not – has been asked repeatedly for as long as humans have walked the earth, but it seems to come into focus more strongly every couple of decades or so. We’re currently going through a “hot” phase due to the US government declassifying their files on UFOs – now being called UAP – but we still lack any definitive answer to the overall question. I can’t help but wonder what will happen to all alien-themed slots, such as Alien Fruits, Reactoonz and the like if they ever do show up and start causing problems for humanity! Will we still look at aliens as friendly, human-like creatures of the kind pictures in Zap Attack? I guess that only time will tell on that one!
Now for the real question of the day – how much can you win when playing this machine? The most valuable regular symbol is the alien, but he’s only worth up to 10x the total bet for a full payline of five of a kind. Don’t feel too disappointed by the headline figure though – the multiplier wild reels can boost that number by up to 125x, and the symbols also appear in stacks rather than singles, making it much more likely that you will win on multiple paylines simultaneously. The ranger is the next most valuable item on the table, with a payout of 5x for all five symbols, followed by the waitress at 4x, the grandma at 3x, and the miner at 2x. That just leaves the royals – five aces or kings will get you 1.5x your bet back in winnings, whilst the queens, jacks, and tens only pay 1x or even money.
Thunderkick games used to include a quick bet selection screen, but the developer seems to have done away with that part of their design in recent years. Instead, pressing the stake button will open a menu with various betting options. There are minimum/maximum permitted stakes of €0.10 and €100.00 per spin respectively, with the usual caveat of fairly limited options towards the upper end of that range.
Base Game & Modifiers
There are a couple of aspects of Zap Attack! which feel a little different to the average modern video slot. For example, the game uses a 5×5 reel set – much larger than the traditional 5×3 layout – yet still only includes 25 fixed paylines. Thankfully, Thunderkick has made sure to group the game symbols together into stacks on all five reels, ensuring that you won’t end up hitting endless dead spins due to this unusual configuration.
Expanding Multiplier (Invading Wilds)
The paytable explains that the maximum multiplier achievable via these symbols is 125x (5x5x5), suggesting they only appear on three of the game’s reels. When I was testing the game, however, it appeared as if these special wilds could land anywhere on the playfield – I guess the game is coded to ensure that no more than three can land during a single round.
Each multiplier wild will take on a random value of 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x. These symbols will also expand to cover the entire reel they land on before your winnings are evaluated too, making them extremely valuable – especially in the bonus game.
Zap Attack Slot Bonus Features
During base gameplay, landing three or more scatter symbols will trigger a set of free spins. The number of triggering symbols determines the number of spins awarded – three scatters will grant you seven spins, whilst four or five scatters increase this to 11 or 15 spins, respectively.
Free Spins Feature
When the bonus round is in play, you can top up your remaining spin counter by landing just two additional bonus symbols. This will grant you three extra free spins, increasing to five, seven, or nine spins for three, four, or five bonus symbols, respectively.
At the end of each round, all special visible alien symbols will shoot one of the mid-win symbols displayed on the right of the playfield. After ten zaps, the mid-win symbol will transform into more alien symbols, increasing the likelihood of this happening again during future spins. With enough zaps, it’s possible to flood the reels with high-paying symbols by the end of the feature – all you need now is a couple of expanding wilds to take full advantage of the situation!
Bonus Buy
Many games include a bonus buy feature nowadays, but Thunderkick has gone a little further by also allowing you to choose the number of triggering scatter symbols. A three-scatter trigger with 7 spins can be bought for just 60x the current stake, whilst the 11 or 15 spin bonus rounds are much more expensive at 125x and 250x the total bet each. More spins mean more chances to transform the reels into blocks of high-value symbols, but the higher cost of entry obviously increases your level of risk at the same time.
Pros
- Great-looking game with high-quality presentation, graphics, and sound.
- Expanding wilds can provide big wins even during the regular spins.
- The bonus buy menu offers three different price and risk-to-reward levels.
Cons
- A 5,000x stake jackpot is only average for a modern slot release.
- Regular paytable prizes are pretty low – you’ll need a couple of multipliers if you are going to hit it big.
- Only a slight difference to their previous games Pink Elephants and Pink Elephants 2.
Final Thoughts
Zap Attack! is a solid release for Thunderkick and reminds me a lot of the great games that I played from the developer in days gone by. It’s a shame that the top prize isn’t a little bigger – just doubling that to 10,000x would make this a definite must-play. Unfortunately, that part of the design really lets the game down and seems likely to end up causing many players to have their bonus winnings capped.
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