Lock A Luck

Lock A Luck (All41Studios/Microgaming): Overview

Remember the Le Kaffee Bar slot? If you do, it's probably for the wrong reasons. The reality is, Le Kaffee Bar wasn't a very good slot. Those with less developed taste buds might have accepted its weak aroma, but we just couldn't get past it. The studio responsible for this roastfest is called All41Studios an ally of Microgaming. To be fair, they did better with their second slot, Magic of Sahara, although we decided to skip it due to its generic gameplay.

Lock A Luck is their third release and could be their worst or best, depending on how you look at it. Veteran gamers have probably already figured out what it's all about so we might as well say it right away. It's pretty much a clone of NetEnt's Twin Spin slot. There's really no other way to put it. Locked reels per se is not a NetEnt invention, but the overall look and feel of this game just makes it come across as a Chinese knockoff. In any case, Lock A Luck is a medium variance slot that is built using 5 reels, 3 rows and 243 ways to win. Just like Twin Spin, there are no free spins to trigger so it all comes down to locking those reels to land as many matching symbols as possible in one spin. Playable from 0.20 to €/$60 per spin, you can play it across all devices.

Visually, Lock A Luck is extremely basic and lacks the refined look and sophistication of Twin Spin. This is what you expect pirated software to look like at some rogue Curacao casino. We don't enjoy pointing it out and we hate to be mean, but it has to be said. The music too has got the same type of funky lounge beat going on. They did at least bother to change some of the symbols, albeit not the top ones. In order of value are the 9 to A royals, followed by charries, clovers, horseshoes, lucky sevens, and diamonds. The latter is, of course, the most rewarding, giving you 50 times your stake for a five of a kind combination.

Lock A Luck (All41Studios/Microgaming): Features

In terms of extras, there isn't a whole lot to it. In fact, it's all about one single feature - the Locked Reels feature. It's in play for every spin with two random adjacent reels locking in synchronization and displaying the same symbols.

Locked reels can expand and lock additional adjacent reels which is the key to winning big. In fact, you can lock all five of them which can lead to a total payout of 1,333 times your stake (you can't land a full screen of diamonds). And that, ladies and gentlemen, sums it all up.

Lock A Luck (All41Studios/Microgaming): Verdict

There really isn't a whole lot to say about Lock A Luck. NetEnt for sure is going to be uncomfortable seeing this, but there's probably not a whole lot they can do about it given the fact that it's built using a unique mathematical model and is carefully navigated its way around any infringement issues. But then again, we're no experts when it comes to that sort of stuff.

So is Lock A Luck worth playing then? Actually it is. If you enjoyed Twin Spin, chances are you will like this one too. Sure, it looks a bit bland and all, but technically it's not worse (or better) than Twin Spin. The best thing you can do is simply to give it a try and decide for yourself. If you ask us, however, we'll stick to the original as it so much better looking and significantly more appealing in every way possible. But then again, maybe we're just being shallow.