Joker Strike

We always find it interesting just how different slots can be. Despite the core gameplay being the same, the bonuses they include, the graphics and audio, even little touches and details can transform how a title plays and feels to experience. We’re a long way away from the old days when visuals were simple and blocky. Nowadays, there are so many variations to the slot formula that even playing them can feel like a completely different thing from the old too bright, too loud and simplistic games. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to go back to those simpler times, where one feature is the make or break of things, rather than having more than five bonuses to keep track of like in some of the more recent games we’ve reviewed. Instead, Joker Strike makes things simple. You only have Wild that can help you score wins and there are no Scatters. Instead, every time you win, that symbol lights up on the small square that surrounds the reels. A highlight starts and runs through the icons, and if it lines up with the winning one, you get a bonus! If not, you have to try again.

The user interface is what you’d come to expect from Quickspin, borrowing their traditional orange white setup, but there is a new button to talk about! Specific to this title, it offers several options for high rollers who might be interested in spending a bit more than most. As for the graphics and symbols, they remind us of more old school titles, with a facelift you would expect if they were made in 2018.

As for gameplay, Joker Strike revolves specifically around its single special feature to alter the gameplay in any meaningful way. Once you score any kind of win, those symbols become highlighted on the square that surrounds the reel, and if the light lands on them, additional icons are added onto the reel, depending on how many symbols were part of the win to begin with. This vastly increases the odds of getting four-of-a-kind and five-of-a-kind wins, and as all wins are increased when playing the High Roller mode, as well as being given additional bonuses, it can very quickly incentivise you to pay a lot more than what you were planning to.

You can play Joker Strike for as little as $0.10 up to $100 per spin on 10 fixed paylines. As we mentioned, when playing the High Roller mode, all wins are set to match up as if you were betting $2 each turn. However, the High Roller mode only gives you 5 spins, in addition to extra features, so while the prizes are lower than what you should be getting for 5 spins, the added bonuses have the potential to easily make up for it if you’re lucky, which you may not always be. The game is playable without these, but there’s no denying they increase the RTP, so while it officially sits at a 98.11%, it is also highly volatile and it’s not something you can afford to forget.

There really isn’t much to talk about when it comes to symbols. Poker card icons such as spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds are lowest ranked on the ladder, alongside silver bells, golden stars, lucky sevens and the Joker itself. On top of all these, there is the Wild symbol, which is just a golden block with the word Wild written on it.
After winning a spin, the game rolls to see if gamblers get additional symbols by trying to get that icon to match up to the square surrounding the reels. If it’s a match, then the player receives two extra icons for each winning combination, which means that there will be between six to ten extra symbols, increasing the odds of five-of-a-kind wins.

In addition, using the High Roller mode lets you bet big for extra rewards. $20 gets you 5 spins with a guaranteed Wild that roams the reels clockwise until the reels stop. For $30, you get those two in addition to Wild Strike, which adds two Wilds to the square that surrounds the reel, increasing your chances of winning the feature. Finally, for $50, in addition to the other bonuses, you get Double Chance, which adds an extra marker with which you can win the feature.