In Hero Clash, a collaborative online slot game between Stakelogic and Hurricane Games, players accompany four heroes as they journey across separate kingdoms in search of four distinct bonus rounds. The devs went back to the drawing board to design four new characters who you have likely never heard of before: Charger, Slade, Hot Shots, and Sonic Boom. A fairly interesting and novel collection mechanism activates a bonus round for each character, bringing in a new set of abilities (modifiers).
If you play for a long enough period of time, you’ll get to visit each of four locations. The journey begins in the woods and takes you to a rocky wasteland, then a lava-filled area, and finally the coast. One of the characters stands guard next to the 5×3 game grid with 243 ways to win, and while they are all new, there is a Zelda, Daphne, Nickelodeon vibe going on, which is nice since it reminds me of some enjoyable games.
When it comes to the cold, hard figures, Hero Clash has you covered with many Return to Player (RTP) options, the industry norm being 96.10%. The developer rates the level of unpredictability over all scenarios as a solid 5. Bet sizes vary from 10 pence up to £/€50 or £/€100, depending on the establishment. Super Stake from Stakelogic is included in Hero Clash as usual. When activated, the stake is increased by a factor of two, as are the game’s chances of receiving Hero Power scatter symbols, which might trigger further bonus rounds.
There are 243 possible winning combinations, and they are formed when three or more identical symbols appear in a row, left to right, beginning with the first reel. There are a total of 9 pay symbols: 5 low-paying 9-A card royals and 4 premium hero symbols. Five matching heroes result in a payment of 8–14 times the initial wager. The highest payout is for a line of five wilds, and wilds can stand in for any other pay symbol.
Features of the Hero Clash Slot
When bonus rounds are activated, players in Hero Clash will be transported to other realms, much as in Play’n GO’s slot Gemix 2. When the Hero Meter in front of the reels reads 150, the bonus is activated. When 2, 3, 4, or 5 of the non-paying Hero Power scatters appear anywhere on the reels, the player receives 1, 50, 70, or 100 Hero Points, respectively. If a spin results in no wins or no Hero Power scatters, the player still receives 1 hero point. Additionally, the bonus meter is filled at any level when 3 or more bonus symbols are landed.
Gain 12 spins with a multiplier of x2 when the meter is full. During the bonus rounds, each hero character has a special ability that may be employed as a multiplier. Four distinct phases must be completed in order:
The middle reel symbol in Stage 1 (Charger) is a sticky wild. Charger’s arrows can increase the effect by a factor of 1–5.
In the second phase (Slade), a 2×2 wild block will appear at random in any location on any spin.
In the third and final stage, called “Hot Shots,” one or more wild symbols can be added to the reels in any position.
Stage 4 (Sonic Boom): On any given spin, Sonic Boom can cover up to the middle three reels completely in wild symbols.
After completing a bonus round, the game transitions back to the main menu. Last but not least, Stakelogic and its affiliates prioritize a gamble option. Pick the color or suit of a hidden card to double or quadruple your payout in Hero Clash. Players have the option to cash out their gains, risk them, or disable the function entirely.
Slot Machine Battle: Heroes’ Fate
When Stakelogic/Hurricane Games puts their minds to making slot machines, the results may be rather satisfying. Candyways Bonanza Megaways, the most recent title to be reviewed, presented a novel spin on BTG’s gaming engine, giving Megaways fans a taste of something a little out of the ordinary. Hero Clash is also not a terrible option. There’s a lot to appreciate about it, including the several worlds that you can travel through to unlock different additional features. Developing a cast of unfamiliar heroes carries some risk, but this lovable, somewhat kooky crew more than makes up for it in endearing quirks. Hero Clash is very much in the vein of Microgaming’s Dragonz slot machine.
The features aren’t really innovative, centered mostly around scattering wilds throughout the board and throwing in the occasional multiplier for good measure. The pay ways method makes effective use of the wild cards that do make it into play. When you factor in the ways in which features are activated, you’ve got a game that is always moving and full of surprises.
Worth mentioning is the Hero Meter. Landing three bonus symbols triggers the free spins bonus round, but the whole collecting mechanism is also quite well thought out. The ability to predict when the next bonus game will activate is an added motivation to keep spinning. When the Super Stake feature was used, it happened frequently. It didn’t take long at all to complete all four bonus rounds when playing in standard mode. Last but not least, potential is important, and Hero Clash does not let you down by producing winnings worth up to 5,000x the stake.
With Hero Clash, Hurricane Games has created a slot that is pure entertainment. They’ve done an excellent job of keeping the game’s many moving parts clear and distinct; there’s enough complexity to keep things interesting without overwhelming players. It’s not the best in the world, but it’s a lot of fun, there’s much to explore, and it has a lot of personality.