One of the most influential and well-known pokie developers goes by the name of NetEnt. This developer has created some of the internet’s favourite pokie titles, and while you may not be aware one of your favourite games was made by NetEnt, you can find out easily. They have a global fanbase of pokie lovers that follow their every move and jump at every new release.
Whether you are a newcomer in the iGaming world, or you have been around for a while, games by NetEnt are easy to understand and the rules are simple to get the hang of. The entire catalogue of NetEnt is beautiful, with plenty of variation in themes and jackpot prizes. The NetEnt portfolio is extensive, and in this piece, we will look at the best titles.
Aloha! Cluster Pays
The Aloha! Cluster Pays pokie is one of the top slots in the NetEnt catalogue, and there is plenty to look forward to within this title. Taking you away to a desert island, looking like a holiday destination from your dreams, Aloha! Cluster Pays presents you with bright blue skies and a beaming sun that covers the entire reels in a warm aesthetic. It hit the market in 2016, and the Cluster Pays feature turned it up a notch. The cluster pays feature adds a great bonus to the game, meaning there are no paylines in the actual game, and instead the payouts are calculated by how many symbols are matched while connected to each other.
This pleasantly-designed pokie release by NetEnt is an incredible introduction to their skills in graphic design and their potential to include great bonus features in their titles. The Tiki Island you are placed on in this game gives you lots to look at while playing the game, but does not distract you from gameplay. The graphics are well-defined, with high quality aspects throughout. This comes as no shock because NetEnt is known for these factors.
Aloha! Cluster Pays’ grids are laid out with 6 reels and 5 rows, which is larger than most pokie machine layouts. The main reason behind NetEnt using this layout is to introduce more symbols to the reels on each spin. As the game uses cluster pays over paylines, it is important to have more symbols on the reels. The symbols can also come in varying sizes – known as jumbo symbols – which are much larger than the regular symbols and count for a cluster on their own.
Piggy Riches
Released back in 2010, another great NetEnt slot comes in the form of Piggy Riches. This game has a long life behind it, and we assume the same for the future, as the popularity does not seem to be waning at all. The game nods towards the common phrase that “rich people are pigs”, edging towards insulting the filthy rich agenda. The main character in Piggy Riches is a monocle-sporting Pig, also wearing a hat to add to the aesthetic. While the design is simplistic, it still looks modern enough to not seem like a 2010 pokie. The game features a 5-by-3 layout with 15 paylines in total.
You may not be shocked to find out that the lower-paying symbols in Piggy Riches are the regular card symbols of 10, J, Q, K and A. These symbols are common in pokies, no matter the developer or theme of the game, so it comes as no surprise that they are in this game. The main thing that makes these lower-paying symbols look different to other games is the way in which they have been designed. They look regal in Piggy Riches, with the A symbol displaying some flashy diamonds around its border. The other symbols are very money-oriented, which matches the theme of the game perfectly. These symbols include some money bags, a purse overflowing with cash, some penthouse keys, a golden bank card and the piggy bank that we assume belongs to our main character. This main character also acts as the Wild symbol during gameplay of Piggy Riches, meaning he can substitute for any other symbol on the reels.
Mrs Piggy acts as the game’s Scatter symbol, and is used to trigger the bonus free spins round, which allows you to spin the reels for free a set number of times.
Starburst
If you ask an avid pokie game player to list 3 of the most well-known titles, they would more than likely include Starburst slot in their list. The fact that NetEnt has a game of this high rating shows that they deserve the popularity they have gained over the years. The game is incredible all around, with different design features, simple rules, and easy-to-learn gameplay. Released back in 2013, Starburst quickly gained popularity and continues to be played by many worldwide fans. The game is based in outer space, and you can see many aspects of the galaxy background creeping their way into the screen. There are some glistening crystals and other symbols on the reels that we will dive further into now.
Starting at the bottom-end of the paytable, you will find Purple, Orange, Blue, Yellow and Green gems, all with varying payouts and shapes that make them stand out from one another on the reels. The higher-paying symbols are made up of a Number 7 and a BAR symbol, both of which are nods towards classic fruit machines. There is a Wild symbol, a rainbow-coloured crystal, which can take the place of any other symbol on the reels and make combinations slightly easier to create.
Summary
The influence that NetEnt has had on the iGaming and online casino industry is incredible. With many games being released on a daily basis, it can be hard for developers to stay afloat and produce games that get noticed – this is not the case for NetEnt! They manage to release games even at peak release times, such as near a holiday event, and can still receive plenty of feedback for the game through their avid fans.
