Jumpasaurs!

Jumpasaurs!: Slot Overview

After holding back the zombie horde with a trusty six-shooter in its debut Dead Headz, Hacksaw Gaming partner Jinx Gaming is back with its second release. This one is titled Jumpasaurs!, and it reinforces the impression that Jinx Gaming are made up, at least in part, by a bunch of avid video gamers. However, instead of shootin' stuff, first-person, it's a trip back to a blockier era of graphics, when platform games were the pinnacle of entertainment, and guys like Mario and Luigi were kings. Instead of plumbers, though, Jumpasaurs is populated by a quintet of cool dude dinosaurs, hanging out, enjoying a Mesozoic Era balanced precariously on the brink of extinction.

Jumpasaurs is a slot that takes players back to the video gaming days of yore. It's a blocky, 8-bit paradise, depicting a pristine world of pastoral bliss, trees, mountains, a waterfall, and so on. The bonus round is less tranquil, as play moves to a landscape of dead trees, volcanoes, and oceans of lava. Jumpasaurs tells the tale of one day dinosaurs living an existence of peace, well, apart from the hunting and eating of each other, the next, a catastrophic event occurs, and it's the end of life as they knew it. Could that happen to us? Could a rogue asteroid avoid detection, or some other unforeseen black swan event, put an end to the naive thinking that we're the masters of the universe? Hope not.

Taking up a teeny wee portion of the screen is Jumpasaurs' 5x5 grid. Beneath each reel is a pipe, and maybe a dinosaur to indicate whether the reel is activated or not. For evaluating wins, 19 paylines are provided, and winning combinations land left to right from the leftmost reel. Rated 4 out of 5 for volatility, Jumpasaurs has two RTP models to be aware of, where 96.29% is the preferred option. As for bet selection, the lowest stake possible is $/€0.10 while the highest is $/€100.

Classic, blocky symbols make up the pay table, including grapes, cherries, lemons, oranges, and apples as the lower pays, awarding 2x to 5x the stake for 5-of-a-kind, then clovers, horseshoes, bells, and sevens. Hitting a 5 OAK winning line of higher pay symbols awards 25x to 100x the stake.

Jumpasaurs!: Slot Features

As well as the aforementioned activated reels, Jumpasaurs has mystery symbols, wild multipliers, a free spins bonus round, and a feature buy.

Activated Reels & Mystery Symbols

On each base game spin, 1 to 3 reels will be activated. Activated reels are highlighted by a dinosaur at the bottom of the reel. Now, when a mystery symbol lands on an activated reel, it reveals up to 10 Coins, a wild, a wild multiplier, or a scatter. Bronze coins are worth 1x-8x, silver coins 10x-50x, and gold coins 100x. When coins are revealed, they pay out their displayed bet multiplier value. Only one mystery symbol may land per reel.

Wilds & Wild Multipliers

An unlocked mystery symbol can reveal a wild symbol or a wild multiplier. Wilds and wild multipliers substitute for all symbols except mystery symbols, coins or scatters. Wilds can have a multiplier of x2 to x20. When more than one wild multiplier is part of the same win, the multiplier values are added together before being applied to the win. If 5 wilds create a win, the payout is 150x the stake.

Extinction Spins

When a single scatter is revealed in the base game, 8 free spins are awarded. Extinction Spins keep the base game mechanics, but all reels are activated, so every mystery symbol will be collected. If a mystery symbol reveals a scatter, +2 free spins are granted.

Feature Buy

A single option is in the feature buy section. It is an Extinction Spins trigger costing 100x the bet.

Jumpasaurs!: Slot Verdict

We're only two slots in, but impressions of Jinx Gaming's personality are already starting to solidify. As mentioned, at a guess, the studio includes video gamers with a penchant for the good old days. One clue is the 8-bit presentation, which isn't just a gimmick, but the heart and soul of the Jumpasaurs experience. The magnet, if you will, to draw curious gamblers in for a look. The execution of this audiovisual technique is well done, giving Jumpasaurs a real Super Mario feel (though not as extreme as Super Waldo), what with all the pipes, mushrooms, Yoshi-like dinosaurs, and the jumping to activate symbols effect, which combine to create an inviting 8-bit mini-world.

Are the features strong enough to hold attention long term? There's a slight question mark in that area, but the gameplay could be amusing. The base game is kept on a leash, to an extent, since only 1-3 reels may be activated on each spin, limiting the chance for triggering mystery symbols. The mystery symbol idea is a good one, too, as it links directly to the platformer theme. Punch a mystery symbol, and get… could be anything, from coins to scatters, to wilds/wild multipliers, though the dinos did have a knack for avoiding reels with mystery symbols in the base game. Extinction Spins improve the situation since every reel is activated at all times, giving Jumpasaurs a chance to possibly open up.

Unsurprisingly, the 10,000x max win is only achievable during Extinction Spins, so that's the phase to be in. Jumpasaurs may lean more into charm than brute-force power, but for players nostalgic about 8-bit platformers, it's an easy game to warm to. In other words, it's not a monster hit-maker - it's a personality slot. And that might be enough.