John Wayne, the Legendary American Cowboy
Playtech have an interesting tendency to model their slot machines on well-known and recognisable figures. Other examples include Rocky, Elektra and Superman slots games. In this case it is the legendary movie star John Wayne, and all the western style association that people have remembering this movie star. The slot machine itself is a 5 reels and 25 paylines machine and is, as discussed, a Playtech software generation. The game is thematically adroit, and has a memory generating western movie soundtrack, cowboy imagery and a sheriffs badge sports John Waynes’ famous moniker The Duke. The graphics are suitably adjusted and aged to provide the correct retro-movie effect.
A Versatile and Notable Slot Machine
The wagering levels in John Wayne slots are widely adjustable, both in terms of coin denominations available and the amount able to be staked on each payline. The minimum bet per spin on John Wayne slots is therefore merely 0.25 coins, whereas the maximum stake can be as high as 125 coins per spin.
One of the stand-out symbols on the reels is the Duke’s Badge. Landing three of these symbols on an activated payline triggers the Duke’s badge feature. During this feature, players are rewarded with a payout that is several times their betting stake. This ranges from a reward 4 times the stake up to 120 times the stake by landing five of these Duke badges on an active payline.
The Objectives of the Game
The primary financial gain objective in John Wayne slots game is the John Wayne’s Ranch Bonus feature. This feature can be activated by landing the Ranch Bonus symbols that are available on reels 1, 3 and 5. Players landing these symbols immediately receive 3 free spins and a basic multiplier. Taken immediately to a second screen game where the aim is to shoot up to six cans as targets. Hitting any of the cans reveals a number of bonuses that make the game rather lucrative indeed. These bonuses could be an increase in the winnings multiplier effect, additional free spins, additional cans to shoot, the re-triggering of the free spins feature as well as an additional, and random Wild or Scatter symbol. All of these are clearly going to enhance the winnings quite dramatically.
Maintaining the Legend
John Wayne slots game emphasises this ranch Bonus feature, and during the feature runs a ‘can meter’ indicator that shows the player the number of cans still available to be shot. The maximum benefit that players can achieve during this outstanding feature are 40 free games and a 5x multiplier. This will inevitably lead to major winning totals and hence the attraction of this game.
John Wayne was a truly iconic cowboy actor and a true founder of Hollywood as we know it today. Despite his passing on, John Wayne will always be revered due to his huge volume of Western movies, and the tough guy image he projected. This slot machine pays due homage to this film star, and the graphics, soundtrack and high game volatility all contribute positively in propagating this legendary character. Playtech’s version may not be the only John Wayne slot machine, but it is certainly the most popular and has the highest win rate.