NetEnt have been doing what they do for a long time and have seen their reputation in the industry fly thanks to numerous successful partnerships with some of the biggest names in the industry.NetEnt is one of the most recognisable names in the iGaming world, not only amongst industry insiders, but also with players, and the latter is due heavily to the exceptional selection of games that the popular Swedish software developer has released during their twenty years plus in the online casino industry.The jewel in the crown of the NetEnt games portfolio is undoubtedly their collection of top-quality slot games (not that their casino games aren’t also brilliant) ranging from classics like Gonzo’s Quest to brand new releases like Asgardian Stones.Spurred on not only by their own drive to better themselves, but also by the highly competitive nature of the industry, NetEnt have consistently introduced excellent games to the iGaming world for many, many years now.There’s many factors that have led to NetEnt’s slot games enjoying the immense popularity they do. It’s partly down to the exciting themes that the developer often takes, and the exquisite artwork, graphics, and animations that characterise NetEnt slots have also helped a lot, but above all, it is the gameplay that sets these slots apart.NetEnt are well known for offering a host of exciting features, which can include traditional bonus games like free spins rounds and pick and click features, but also includes some slots that are either exclusive to NetEnt, best known for their use in NetEnt games, or features that the developer originated which have since been copied by other providers.Of course, NetEnt is not scared of the traditional, and you will find cash trail games, pick and clicks, and free spins features are the most common features with their slots. However, even in these cases there’s often something added, free spins features can come with increased wilds, multipliers, retriggering options, Wild Respins, and more.There’s a lot of unique and impressive features in NetEnt slots, and as more games arrive from the developer, even more will be introduced to the iGaming world, but let’s have a look at some of the best NetEnt slot features that we’ve seen so far.
Wild Features
Wilds are one of the most used features in slot games, usually symbols that will replace any symbols (often besides the scatter and bonus symbols) to help form winning combinations, they are essential the Joker card of slot games.However, NetEnt don’t do wilds like most people do wilds, and there’s a host of different types of special wilds to be found in NetEnt slots.
Transforming Wilds
Found in games like Magic Portals, NetEnt take a multitude of approaches to the Transforming Wild feature. In Magic Portals itself, there are two portals on the reels, if matching symbols land on those portals, they are transformed into wilds, as are any other matching symbols that are visible on the reels.In other slots like Demolition Wild, symbols will become wild if they land between two wild symbols, they become Demolition Wilds in this title, and can only appear on the third reel of the reel set.
Expanding Wilds
Starburst is arguably the most popular and evergreen slot in the NetEnt collection, enjoying a huge level of popularity even now, some years after its release.One of the big selling points that keeps bringing players back to this slot is the existence of Expanding Wilds, a feature that sees a wild that lands on the second or fourth reel expand to cover the whole reel.Not only that, but that full reel wild will then stick in place for a respin, and up to three respins can be triggered, with the third benefitting from three entirely wild reels, which can lead to some huge wins.
Sticky Wilds
Many NetEnt slots use a Sticky Wilds feature, which sees a wild lock in place for a certain number of spins after landing on the reels. This can be for a free respin as above (but without the Expanding Wild in most cases) or the wild can still for a few paid spins.
Moving Wilds
Again, there’s a few ways this feature is used, but there is one that it most frequent. A wild will land on the reel and will then proceed a space to the left or right with each spin of the reels, this can be for free respins or paid spins.This feature will end when all wilds on the reels have reached the last reel and essentially ‘fallen off’ the reels.NetEnt’s South park slot uses Sticky and Moving Wilds in various ways, including the Cartman Beefcake wild, which is a 3×3 block of wilds that can cover the middle three reels, essentially combining most of NetEnt’s Wild features into one epic feature.
Avalanche Feature
If you were to ask the majority of online casino players what the feature they most associate with NetEnt is, the chances are they’ll respond with the Avalanche Feature.This is a feature that got its big break, as it were, with the epic Gonzo’s Quest slot, NetEnt’s first platinum slot, and soon to be the first slot that the developer converts into a VR format.Since Gonzo’s Quest, the Avalanche Feature has been used in numerous NetEnt slots, most recently in Asgardian Stones, which, while having a different theme and concept, takes a very similar approach to Gonzo’s Quest in terms of the Avalanche Feature.How the Avalanche Feature works is simple, when a winning combination lands on the reels, the symbols that make it up will disappear to be replaced by those above them. In Gonzo’s Quest and Asgardian Stones, which both have giant stone blocks playing the part of symbols, the winning symbols will be crushed by those above them, but other NetEnt slots take a subtler approach.The reason this feature is so popular, is once the symbols have disappeared and been replaced by those above them, if another winning combination has formed, that win will also be counted, and those symbols will then disappear to be replaced by those above them. This will keep happening until no more winning combinations are formed, meaning that you can pick up multiple wins from one spin.To add an even bigger perk to the feature, in most cases, a multiplier will increase which each consecutive win, so if the reels full in your favour, this can lead to some serious wins.These slots are known by many as “Tetris Slots” due to the Avalanche Feature gameplay mechanic being similar to the disappearing symbols in Tetris when a row is formed, or the mechanics in most symbol match mobile games.
Thousands of Paylines
NetEnt’s Reel Rush is another slot that has become incredibly popular thanks to its exciting features, mainly the fact that there are up to 3,125 paylines possible with this slot.The game starts with not all reel positions active on a 5×5 grid, if you land a winning combination, a respin occurs and two new reel positions are unlocked, if you land five consecutive wins, you will be playing with 3,125 paylines, so these consecutive wins can add up in a hurry!
Double Symbols Feature
Present in the NetEnt slot Flowers, the Double Symbols feature is an intriguing one because it feels so different to most features.The high paying symbols here, represented by the likes of Venus fly traps (the game is called Flowers, after all) can appear as a single or double symbol, if they land as a double symbol, they are counted as two symbols.As a result, it is possible to match between three and 10 symbols on the reels of this slot, if you manage to make it all the way up to 10 on a high value symbols, there will be some hefty payouts to follow!
What’s Next?
The most exciting thing about NetEnt is that we all know that somewhere, the next exciting and unique feature is already being developed, ready to be launched and to blow the minds of players all over again in the near future.With a host of exciting games on the horizon, including the recent announcement that slots based on popular television shows Vikings and Narcos will be added to the collection before the end of the year, we’ll have many chances in 2018 to try out new NetEnt gameplay mechanics.However, if you are someone who is new to the world of slot games, and you have not yet experienced the games above and the myriad of other top-class slots that NetEnt have brought to the online (and land-based) casino world, then we envy you, because4 there are many treats in your future.The slots and features mentioned above are an excellent place to start when you’re learning your way around NetEnt slots and features, but there are many more to discover, and they all have their own charm!