The online casino industry offers numerous opportunities for profit, so new iGaming providers appear frequently. Not all of them withstand the fierce competition, but those that do enjoy the interest of avid gamblers from around the world. SimplePlay is one such developer, a relatively new company with sharp business acumen.
Almost on the eve of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the brand released a slot called World Cup Night, which comes with 30 fixed paylines, three progressive jackpots, and bets of between $6 and $1,500. The game has an RTP of 96.13% and is described by SimplePlay as having very high volatility.
| World Cup Night Slot Summary | |
|---|---|
| Provider | SimplePlay |
| Payline number | 30 |
| RTP | 96.13% |
| Minimum Bet | $6.00 |
| Maximum Bet | $1,500.00 |
| Wild Symbols | Ball |
| Scatter Symbols | Soccer player |
| Bonus Features | Free Spins, Mysterious Wild Feature |
| Jackpot | Three levels of progressive jackpots |
Symbols and Winning Combinations of World Cup Night Slot
As World Cup Night is a soccer-themed slot, one might expect its soundtrack to feature the roar of crowds in a large European stadium. Instead, the designers have opted for a less literal approach, and the background resembles a concert hall with its distinctive sounds. Perhaps this is how SimplePlay envisions the venue where the World Cup trophy and the players’ individual awards will be presented.
Soccer players make up most of the symbols you will encounter as you spin the reels. All are stars on the field, but they have been depicted so “artistically” that we would not risk naming them all. However, the most valuable regular symbol is clearly Cristiano Ronaldo. Landing two of his images on any of the 30 fixed paylines doubles your stake, while a five-of-a-kind combination pays 500x the wager. All the other five footballers pay for combos of 3 to 5 matching symbols. The lowest multiplier is 20x and the highest is 250x.
As in many other online slots, the lower-tier symbols represent the values of playing cards from 9 to A. Their payouts, as well as all other payouts, are displayed in numbers that look like a stadium scoreboard. The bet multipliers for five-of-a-kind combinations vary between 50x and 100x. If you hit three identical icons from this category, you will collect your stake multiplied by either 5 or 10.
In World Cup Night, the scatter symbol is a soccer player who appears to be Harry Kane. Besides his special function, which we will cover in the next paragraph, he also offers a regular payout. If 3, 4, or 5 of them land anywhere on the reels, the total bet will be multiplied 3, 10, and 50 times, respectively. The Wild comes in the form of a ball that can substitute for any other symbol except for the Scatter. It pays from 2x to 1,000x the stake for combinations of 2 to 5 identical icons.
Bonus Features of World Cup Night Slot
World Cup Night is an engaging and rewarding slot game, and its bonus features reflect that. In the previous paragraph we promised to tell you more about the special function of the Scatter, so let’s get started. With this symbol, its position does not matter, provided that three, four, or five scatters appear after a spin. Apart from giving the payout already mentioned, the Scatter triggers a Free Spins Feature. The number of free spins is 10, 20, or 30, depending on the number of Scatter symbols that appear in the base game. The feature can be retriggered; if enough Scatters appear during a free spins round, another 10, 20, or 30 free spins will be awarded.
The World Cup Night slot also includes a one-of-a-kind Mysterious Wild Feature that can be activated at random on any base game or free spins round. When this happens, players are awarded one of the three additional wild types: Extra Wild, Extra Reel Wild, and Bomb Wild. The first type brings between 2 and 9 additional wild symbols (soccer balls) to the grid. These symbols can land on any of the fifteen positions indicated in the game’s paytable.
The Extra Reel Wild has no positional restrictions, but it is limited by the number of reels it affects. If it appears during the base game, three reels will be filled with Wilds. When it occurs during the Free Spins Feature, all five reels become wild. Once a Bomb Symbol lands on any of the 15 positions, it will explode and transform all the surrounding icons into Wilds. The Bomb will also become a wild symbol.
According to the game rules, the Free Spins Feature can be activated within the Mysterious Wild Feature, but the latter cannot be retriggered. The line bet and the number of lines during the two bonus modes remain the same as in the game that has triggered them.
Verdict
World Cup Night is a high-volatility online slot that gives players the chance to pocket significant payouts. In addition to the Wilds, the Mini, Minor, and Major progressive jackpots can be randomly won at the end of any game. These perks involve considerable risk, but this is gambling after all, so that is to be expected.