The Slingo game mechanic offers a great blend of slot play features alongside the traditional bingo game format that has remained popular for many years! This game format has become a popular addition to many online and physical casino game portals due to the unique yet simple gameplay it offers across a variety of game themes.
The basic premise of Slingo gameplay is not difficult to understand; much like the classic bingo game format, it requires the matching of numbers in the hope of crossing lines from the grid. Players looking to try out slingo slots gameplay may find this explanation of the mechanics and features included in many titles helpful.
A History of Slingo
The Slingo game mechanic was invented by Sal Falciglia, a New Jersey-based real estate developer, in 1994. The simple slot-bingo mechanic was distributed by AOL at first, where it began to establish a reputation before Falciglia contacted IGT about developing a Slingo slot machine. The Slingo Original game developer was also founded in 1994; this developer has gone on to release a range of titles using this simple, enjoyable mechanic. The merger of the gameplay found in bingo titles and online slots has proved to be immensely popular with players, with a wide variety of franchises now having their own Slingo spin-offs.
An Overview of Slingo Gameplay
The majority of Slingo titles feature a 25-space playgrid filled with 5 rows of 5 numbers and a further row of 5 spinning reels across the bottom of the grid. There is often a prize ladder displayed on screen showing the various prizes that players could trigger from creating lines of crossed numbers or ‘Slingos’ from the grid. The background of Slingo games varies depending on each specific game title and theme that Slingo Originals have chosen.
The base gameplay of Slingo titles provides the player with a predetermined number of spins that will automatically play out to provide randomly selected numbers across the 5-space reel. The aim of play is to match these numbers with those in the grid above, thus crossing that particular number from the grid.
Players could climb the prize ladder of Slingo tiles by crossing lines of 5 numbers vertically, horizontally or diagonally across the playgrid; these are known as ‘Slingos’. The numbers included in the 5×5 playgrid of Slingo tiles are determined at random before gameplay begins, and the numbers that appear across the bottom reel are also totally random.
Along with the base gameplay of landing matching numbers on the bottom reel, there are bonus symbols included in many Slingo titles. These often include different joker wilds that could substitute for any number in the reels above which it lands or the playgrid as a whole. There is also a +1 symbol, which could reward an additional spin of the reels after the base game spins have been played. The devil symbol in Slingo titles often plays as a blocker that brings no feature into play if it lands; its only role is to waste space on the bottom reels by landing. Many games can include their own individual bonus symbols that can land in play and bring their own features.
The prizes on offer from Slingo titles can vary from game to game, with these collected by making up to a full house of 12 Slingos in play. Some games could offer prize values, and other titles may provide the chance for players to unlock bonus rounds!
The Best Slingo Games Online
Here are some of the most popular Slingo game titles that are currently out there.
Slingo Starburst
Based on the popular Starburst slot game released by NetEnt in 2013, the Slingo Starburst game features a deep space theme and a prize ladder filled with bonus games! Along with trying to make Slingos across the playtable, there is plenty more great gameplay available here.
The Slingo Starburst title features wilds, free spins, blockers, Starburst wilds that reward respins and cash-value purple gemstones. At the end of play, an Extra Spin wheel is spun, and landing on the red segment of the wheel awards an additional spin of the reels.
The purple gem symbols are valued at 0.5x, 1x or 2.5x the stake if 3, 4 or 5 land in a single spin. The various ‘Win Spin’ features included on the prize ladder could provide a spin of the classic Starburst slot setup.
Slingo Lucky Joker
This Irish-based slot game features all of the popular visuals that have made this slot genre so popular. The classic wild, super wild and free spin symbols make an appearance in this title, though other symbols like the ‘Bonus Wheel’ and ‘Bonus Slot’ could trigger more features in play!
The prize ladder in Slingo Lucky Joker features multiplier values worth between 0.1x and 10x the bet alongside ‘Bonus Wheel’ or ‘Bonus Slot’ minigames. Throughout play, a leprechaun could travel across spaces around the grid in accordance with a die that is rolled in the top-left of the screen. This leprechaun can land on spaces showing values between .01x and 1x the bet stake, with this being another nuance in this title!
There is a huge variety of other Slingo games available and even free demo versions for anyone looking to learn more about this unique genre of games. However, should you wish to check any of these out, it is always vital to remember the importance of responsible gambling.
