Freeway 7

Freeway 7: Slot Overview

Join software provider ELK Studios as it heads out on the highway, once again, in an online slot titled Freeway 7. The last related one was Route 777, which took place on an enigmatic stretch of asphalt, and if anything, Freeway 7 is even more enigmatic. A quick Google turned up a Freeway 7 in Greece, Iran, and Taiwan, but it doesn't seem like any of these destinations are what the studio had in mind when making the game. Anyway, it's to the open road players are slung in Freeway 7, in a simply arranged slot, with Road Block Nudges, bonus games, super bonus games, and maybe an X-iter menu to keep you company as the miles roll by.

At the time of writing, it wasn't explicitly stated, but it's a safe-ish bet to assume Freeway 7 is another instalment in ELK Studios' burgeoning Classic Series of slots. This is a line of fruit slots that blends new elements with old-school bits for players who might not happen to be in the mood for something overblown, like, say, Nitropolis 2 with its mind-boggling number of possible ways to win. Instead, Freeway 7 is held on a 3x3 game grid with 17 connecting paylines. Like its cousin Route 77, Freeway 7 finds itself on a straight stretch of road, blazing its way through a mountainous part of the world. Somewhere like Arizona? Players can choose with their imaginations. Accompanying the blurred highway graphics is a blazing rock track that encourages easing into a higher gear while putting your foot on the gas - respecting the speed limit, of course.

Freeway 7 has been designed to play on any device, taking bets of 20 p/c to $/€100 per spin. When banging away on the play button or switching to Bonus mode via the X-iter menu, the return to player value remains constant at 94%, while volatility is high. Only three-of-a-kind winning lines are possible, and there are eight normal pays. Each one is a throwback from the classic era of slots, where from low to high, we find cherries, oranges, watermelons, BARs, gold 7s, red 7s, blue 7s, then Stars and Stripes 7s. Winning combos of these symbols pay 0.5 to 7.5 times the stake. Should wild symbols hit, they substitute for any pay symbol.

Freeway 7: Slot Features

The first extra to cover is the Road Block Nudge which is similar to Route 777's respins feature. When identical symbol combinations appear on reels 1 and 3, they trigger the Road Block Nudge with respins. Reels 1 and 3 step down 1 position on each respin, while the middle reel spins. If during respins, the two outer reels hold bonus symbols, they are nudged towards the centre where they are locked.

Bonus Game

Landing 3 bonus symbols triggers free spins. Alternatively, landing 2 bonus symbols and a super bonus symbol on the middle reel triggers the super bonus game. If this happens during Road Block Nudges, free spins immediately trigger. The remaining respins are played when the bonus round has ended. During the bonus game, all wins award additional free spins. A counter above the reels tracks how many you have left. At the start, all symbols are active. When they form a win, they increase the win multiplier and become deactivated, meaning they cannot increase the multiplier in that state. However, landing 3 bonus symbols retriggers the bonus game (or super bonus game) and reactivates all symbols, so they can be used again to increase the multiplier when they win next. The rules of the super bonus game are the same, except that the win multiplier starts on a higher level and each win always increases its value – symbols are always active. The amount it increments by is higher, too.

It is possible to trigger the Road Block Nudge during Bonus mode. When this happens, free spins are not consumed, but wins during the Road Block Nudge award extra free spins, and wins with active symbols increase the multiplier. The final point is if the bonus or super bonus game triggers at the same time as the Road Block Nudge, then the Road Block Nudge will be played when the bonus or super bonus game is finished.

X-iter

Clicking the X-iter feature buy button activates bonus mode, where these five options may be selected:

• Bonus Hunt – 2x the bet to double the chance of triggering the bonus game.
• Chili Spins – 10x the bet for a spin where only sevens, cherries, wilds, bonus or super bonus symbols land.
• Road Block Nudge – 25x the bet to trigger the Road Block Nudge.
• Bonus - 100x the bet to enter the bonus game.
• Super Bonus – 500x the bet to enter the super bonus game.

Freeway 7: Slot Verdict

Freeway 7 is a textbook Classic Series slot type experience. If you do get caught up in the flow in the rapid three-reel pace of the thing, it can be quite fun. Symbols slam away on the reduced gaming matrix to the thrumming soundtrack and the fiery outdoor scenery. Of course, it'll help to be interested in this format, as these retro-ish games are pitched to a certain audience. If you liked what ELK Studios has done in the past with them, especially the Route 777 one, there's a good chance Freeway 7 will blow your hair back as well.

The features are when Freeway 7 gets the chance to hit the accelerator and open things up. Road Block Nudges are good for a few respins, no complaints there, but it's not till the win multiplier enters the picture that Freeway 7 really showed its stuff. Decent multiplier values were achieved during testing, both in super and regular bonus games, though the super version benefits from symbols never being deactivated. How often the super triggers naturally is an interesting question because it costs substantially more to buy from the X-iter menu, though that's a common occurrence in many ELK Studio games. Also quite common and less desirable is the noticeably low RTP value, made more obvious when compared to Route 777's value. It seemed like ELK Studios had bucked the downward trend in Propaganda, but no, it appears the downward race is back on. Ah well, for the record, Freeway 7 comes with a win cap of 5,000x the stake.

If percentage differences are neither here nor there, and you're looking to let rip along a virtual highway with some classic gaming with a modern twist, Freeway 7 might well fit the bill. On the other side of the coin, if previous games in the Classic Series have failed to impress till now, it's unlikely Freeway 7 will break the trend.