Video games have been a fun indulgence for decades, allowing players to explore new realities and satisfy their needs for achievement and recognition. Video games’ stunning, diverse, and entertaining nature provides numerous narratives for software developers to milk and create remarkable online slot machines. The exciting autonomy of this entertainment form is captured in countless online pokies, and here are some slot games that do it best:
- Street Fighter II: Arcade-style gaming permeates every aspect of this slot, inspired by the 1991 coin-operator game Street Fighter II. NetEnt chuffs fans of the video game, allowing them to choose one of eight characters to fight with – an unusual feature in slot games. On top of this classic stunt, the characters have different modifiers, and their epic battles occur in various global locations.
- Resident Evil 6: This branded slot by SkyWind is based on the first-person shooter game of the same name from CapCom. The developer takes full advantage of the video game’s dramatic effects. It uses a split-screen display and includes four main characters to guide players in the war against the zombie horde.
- Space Invaders: Bell-Fruit Games evokes nostalgia for arcade gaming with this slot. It features an 8-bit design, similar to the Space Invaders video game from the 80s. The gameplay action unfolds on a distant planet covered in volcanoes, snow-capped mountains, and pixelated aliens.
- Sweet Bonanza: While not directly inspired by Candy Crush, Pragmatic Play’s Sweet Bonanza transports players to a similarly surreal world of sugary treats. The sugary bizarro land features a 6×5 grid with a cluster pays engine, similar to Candy Crush. 8+ icons of a kind anywhere on the reels trigger a payout before vanishing. The bonus features, like Lollipop Scatter, Red Heart, and Purple Candy, promise as much sugary delight as the visuals.
- Lara Croft Temples and Tombs: This Tomb Raider-inspired slot is the third of Microgaming’s Lara Croft Series. Graphically the best in the series, it packs a punch with high volatility and payout potential.
- Gonzo’s Quest: A slot game is based on the popular video game “Angry Birds.”
With legendary video games inspiring slots – some more than one – it begs the question, why hasn’t Destiny inspired a single one yet?
On paper, Destiny seems to have an ideal formula for software developers to draw from and create entertaining slot machines. From the onset, the world of Destiny is nothing short of grand. Its masterful craftsmanship blends picturesque static backdrops with vast open spaces, creating an incredible illusion of scale. The grand design is complemented by its exceptional caliber of moment-to-moment gameplay. The game excels in the art of war, engaging players in dynamic blistering firefights that blend organically with the open-area design.
However, Destiny falls short in one area most iconic video games that have gone on to inspire slots thrive in – storytelling. While Destiny pulls its threads from many popular genres, it fails to weave them into a coherent, interconnected tapestry properly. Its failure to commit to all these parts makes it, ironically, many different things, and none of them at all. Also, the narrative is tightly directed, limiting the story to vague exposition dumps and stripping the player of motivation to fight.
Closing Thoughts
Destiny is undeniably a complex, visually evocative, and mechanically excellent video game. However, the underdeveloped RPG framework hinders it from achieving the same lofty heights as legendary video games that inspire entertaining creations outside their respective niche. Unless Bungle releases an expansion pack that resolves these issues, it may be a while before we see a Destiny-inspired slot.
