Novomatic Casino Slots and Games
Novomatic are one of the greats of casino gaming. They have an enormous offline casino presence and are among the most popular when it comes to online slots.
They were founded in 1980 and they have around 250,000 offline slots in casinos in more than 50 countries and 2000 casinos.
Graphics for show mechanics for dough.
Novomatic are not known for their graphical excellence, in fact they are known for their lack of graphical polish and style.
It doesn’t matter one bit though, these slots are aimed at players not watchers and the bland amateur graphics almost always hide a beautifully crafted game mechanic.
It’s not surprise that Novomatic are the most copied slot provider in the world.
Book of Ra is the obvious example of this. It has spawned literally hundreds of copy cats to the point that there is an entire genre now known as ‘book games’. The common denominator is the bonus round mechanic which offers the possibility of full screen stacked symbols and massive payouts.
The stake options for Novomatic online are from a minimum of €0.1 and up to about €500 if you happen to be a real risk-taker. They do tend to have a lot of volatility though so unless you are absolutely loaded you may want to stay low for a time until you know what you’re in for.
Novomatic Gaming Slots And Games
With such a huge portfolio it’s tricky selecting a few games but the following are the games that players think of when they think Novomatic.
Book of Ra is of course the big one, not just for Novomatic either, it has so many copies both online and offline.
The game is fairly simple (although there are at least 20 something clones of the game within Novomatic’s own portfolio so once you have played the original format you’ll find plenty more to keep you occupied.
Lord of the Ocean is probably the game which is next in terms of recognition.
It’s a variation on Book of Ra but it has enough difference to stand alone. The ‘reveal’ in the bonus round is the key differentiator. Once you’ve played these you’ll appreciate the importance of this seemingly innocuous feature. Lucky Lady’s Charm is another with a different reveal, another game that always comes up when Novomatic is mentioned but another that is so similar to the Book of games it needs no independent review.
Fairy Queen 2 This one is my personal favourite and it offers a different experience to the preceding slots. The kicker in this is the bonus round (it generally is with Novomatic) where there is a win on every spin and the chance of retriggers. It’s a charming game which also has its imitators but not nearly to the extent of the others.
It’s also volatile so don’t go in their with pennies expecting a session. Bet low and you’ll be longer on these.
The monochrome masterpiece that is Chicago is a real standout in terms of play and design. The game’s use of sepia tones along with flashes of colour to highlight scatters and bonus symbols is excellent. It’s not only about the clever graphics and superb sound though this is a true slot players slot. The bonus round is innovative, after each win you get to shoot some whiskey bottles to decide on a multiplier between 2 and 10x.
Novomatic are here to stay and they are continue to focus on mechanics above all else so they’ll always have fans. We’ll always be among them.