Lucky Apocalypse

Lucky Apocalypse: Slot Overview

He might not be as big a name a star as others in the gambling world, John Hunter, Rich Wilde, Gonzo, and so on, but Yggdrasil Gaming's happy-go-lucky leprechaun Ryan has appeared in a couple of Rainbow Ryan slots by now. Looking to make a bigger name for himself, Ryan, this time, is not entertaining music goers with his guitar skills or even bounding across the green, green grass of Ireland. No, no, Ryan's packing heat this time in order to hold back a zombie invasion in the online slot Lucky Apocalypse.

As such, Ryan's not so happy-go-lucky in this game as he has been in the past. He actually looks meaner than ever, which makes sense since the leprechaun is trying to live out a zombie apocalypse and all. He presides over the base game, trading in his guitar for a pistol that he twirls around his finger on a misty street outside Ryan's Pub, then later on moving inside for free spins. Thanks to the moody atmosphere and music, the game is all a bit enjoyably eerie, and it was nice to see Ryan putting himself out there, trying new things.

Lucky Apocalypse's scatter pays action is held on a 6x5 matrix, topped by a progress bar. When betting 20 c to $/€100 on base game spins, the max RTP is a pleasant 96%. Lower configurations are also floating around, however, while the volatility of the game's math model is high. To win in Lucky Apocalypse, you need at least 8 matching symbols to land anywhere on the grid. After a win, the winning symbols are removed, and new symbols fill the spaces on an Avalanche, providing another chance to win.

The pay symbols are an unusual collection of med kits, syringes, knives, pill bottles, and liquor bottles for the low pays, and 4 zombie characters as the highs. Scatter wins of 8 OAK are worth 0.1x to 5x, while a 16+ combination pays 1.5x to 25x the bet. The wild symbol substitutes all paying symbols.

Lucky Apocalypse: Slot Features

Further features in Lucky Apocalypse are its Gigablox and Progress Bar, available in the base game as well as in free spins, plus a bonus buy.

Gigablox

A Gigablox symbol is a big symbol that is a cluster of 1x1 symbols. It appears as a 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4 symbol. The Gigablox symbol splits into 1x1 symbols of the same kind upon being part of a win. A Gigablox can also split if irregular empty gaps appear under it during an Avalanche, meaning some of its 1x1 segments fall.

Progress Bar

Each consecutive Avalanche adds +1 point to the Progress Bar above the reels. After 4 consecutive Avalanches, a random Gigablox symbol of 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4 spawns on the reels. After 6 consecutive Avalanche wins, 1-4 wild symbols fall in before another Avalanche. After 9 consecutive Avalanche wins, free spins are triggered. It is possible to get all 3 features on one spin. The bonus features can be triggered once per wager. When an Avalanche session ends, the progress bar resets.

Free Spins

Completing the progress bar or landing 4+ scatters in the base game triggers 8 free spins. During free spins, there is a guaranteed random Gigablox symbol on each spin. The progress bar changes to display multipliers of x2 to x50 and 8 free spins. Each Avalanche win adds +1 point to the progress bar, awarding higher multipliers. At the end of an Avalanche session, the highest reached multiplier is applied to the win, then the progress resets. Landing 3+ scatters or racing 9+ Avalanche wins awards +8 free spins on top of the cash reward.

Feature Buy

Costing 100x, players can buy entrance to the bonus round from the feature buy.

Lucky Apocalypse: Slot Verdict

It was a refreshing change to see a leprechaun like Ryan pulled out of the jolly environment they usually inhabit to get plonked in in a life-or-death scenario as dangerous as a zombie apocalypse. Getting a double dose of scatter pay mechanics and Gigablox in one place isn't a typical scenario, either. However, for a lot of the time, Gigablox symbols did not play as prominent a role in Lucky Apocalypse as they have in other Gigablox slots. That's understandable. Since winning symbols in a scatter pays game literally pay from any position, covering a gaming grid with big symbols might have made it too easy. Maybe not, though, and having more Gigablox on screen, perhaps at lower frequencies, might have been interesting.

Never mind, Lucky Apocalypse has other tools it can deploy to get the blood flowing. Consecutive Avalanche wins are important here. Land enough in the base game, and a Gigablox symbol will invade the screen. Later, wild symbols drop, and later still, free spins will be awarded. When transitioning to free spins, consecutive wins trigger win multipliers with a chunky max value of x50. This system is good for payouts up to a cap of 6,260x, so it is potentially fairly forceful.

What held Lucky Apocalypse back a bit in the review was an oddly slow-paced lack of energy in the base game. Heavy metal free spins did punch harder, admittedly. The zombie invasion theme and Ryan's new character shift are interesting ideas that have translated to Lucky Apocalypse quite well, though there was a nagging feeling it could have been more engaging. Then again, this is a slot, not a video game, and the theme and mechanics match-up works just fine. However, Lucky Apocalypse may not have players hanging on the edge of their seats or biting their fingernails as much as they were hoping for.