Neon Frames

Neon Frames: Slot Overview

As if there weren't enough fruity slots already crowding casino lobbies, Hacksaw Gaming partner Backseat Gaming has decided to add another one to the bowl. Surprisingly, this is the first time the studio has really gone down the funky, fruit slot route, having, till now, managed to resist the pull of this enduring theme. The team has chosen to do so in Neon Frames, a foot-tapping release that, while keeping the rules short and sharp, also manages to do potentially potent things with its limited features, which may appeal to players who prefer to keep overcomplexity out of their modern fruit gaming.

Aint a lot of thought and effort has been poured into Neon Frames' sensory effect. The background is made up of purpley, pinky colouration, the grid itself has had a few lights tacked on, and the music is a funky track that sounds like it could have been taken from a copyright-free audio library, which anyone can use at no cost. Not the most exciting slot Backseat Gaming has ever produced from an audio and visual standpoint, then. Not a lot changes during either bonus round, either. To be polite, let's say Neon Frames gets the job done, just, from an art and sound standpoint.

Neon Frames is a 6x5 cluster pays slot that creates wins when 5 matching symbols are connected in horizontal and/or vertical directions. The cascade system removes winning symbols from the grid, dropping new and existing symbols downwards to fill gaps. As long as new wins appear, the cascade mechanic keeps going. Stake selection ranges from $/€0.10 to $/€50 per spin, and will suit players who like high volatility, while the highest of the two possible RTP configurations is 96.26%.

Moving from bottom to top on the paytable are 10-A royals, apples, bananas, pineapples, and cherries. Clusters of 5 OAK in size pay 0.1x to 1x the bet, while the biggest clusters are 25+ in size and are worth 100x to 250x the bet. Wilds substitute all paying symbols, and award 500x if 30 of them form a win.

Neon Frames: Slot Features

The game's title is also the name of one of its features, and these Neon Frames are supported by Trigger symbols, two bonus rounds, and several feature buys.

Neon Frames

The wild symbol highlights the position it initially lands in and applies its multiplier there. If a wild lands on a position that is already highlighted, its multiplier is added to the existing total. Wild symbols can have multipliers of x2 to x100. When highlighted positions participate in a winning combination, their multipliers are added together and applied to the win.

Trigger Symbol

When a Trigger symbol lands, it activates at the end of the spin. It transforms every symbol in highlighted positions into wild symbols (unless they are already wild), and the Trigger symbol itself also becomes wild.

Free Spins

• Berry Wild Burst - 10 free spins are triggered by landing 3 scatters in the base game. This feature carries on the base game mechanics and builds on them by having highlighted squares remain on the grid until they are activated by a Trigger symbol.
• Strawberry Bonanza - 10 free spins are awarded when landing 4 scatters in the base game. This feature builds on the base game by making highlighted squares persistent for the full duration of the round.

Feature Buy

Opening up the feature buy is where players can activate BonusHunt FeatureSpins, making each spin 3 times more likely to trigger a bonus game for 2x the bet. The bonus rounds can be bought too; 100x for Berry Wild Burst or 250x for Strawberry Bonanza.

Neon Frames: Slot Verdict

Neon Frames is one of those games that is, in certain ways, so generic the studio didn't even add a clever line at the beginning of the game sheet to try and hook prospective players, choosing instead to leap directly into the nuts and bolts. It was a slight surprise to see a jazzy fruit game like this roll off Backseat Gaming's production online, since the studio has been busy producing more thematically developed stuff like Chicken Man, Hoot Shot the Sheriff, or Crystal Robot. But, the studio hasn't really made a funky fruit slot like this before, and since this style snares a lot of casino game makers, perhaps it was just a matter of time before Backseat Gaming had a turn.

So, here it is, and if extravagant fruit slot productions that ooze juice at the disco are what's needed to satiate gambling cravings, then Neon Frames might struggle. It just doesn't look, or sound, stupendously good. Never mind, gaming's where it counts, and Neon Frames' simple framing system is both easy to enjoy and fairly robust. There are minor links to other slots Backseat Gaming has made, such as the square highlighting antics found in Home of Thor or Pirate Bonanza and Pirate Bonanza 2. As mentioned, this is simple stuff - wilds highlight positions that benefit from multipliers, maxing out at x100 each. Straightforward and effective at producing payouts up to a 15,000x the bet win cap. Further kick is provided by the Trigger symbol, which, if the grid is bursting with frames during free spins, for example, might be quite dramatic.

Broadly speaking, fruit slot skins aren't often stretched over the most astounding games. This applies to Neon Frames, which barely moved the joy meter when first viewed on the screen. Its features follow a similarly simplistic path, but they are potentially potent, making Neon Frames an easy-to-digest game that might not embed itself deep in long-term memory, but is able to pop a thrill for players enticed by its clean functionality.