There’s no shortage of online slots that feature animal themes. From the classic Mega Moolah progressive slot to the new Microgaming “Untamed” slot machines, animals continue to be one of the most popular ideas to build a slot machine around. That’s why we weren’t to surprised when we found out about Safari Sam, the latest game from the designers at Betsoft. This game features a safari theme, allowing you to explore the African plains and take a look at some of the world’s most fascinating animals. Still, there are a few surprises here that manage to take a popular theme and make this game unique and interesting.
For starters, Safari Sam is a five-reel, 30-line slot machine that is available at many casinos offering Betsoft games. Players have the ability to wager between one and five coins on each payline, up to a maximum of 150 coins in total. Coin sizes range from 0.02 to 1.00 credits (in the currency of your choice), allowing you to customize just how much you want to bet on each spin.
Your goal on each spin will be to create matches of three or more of the same symbol running left to right across the paylines you have in play. The more matches you make, the bigger you’ll win! Small wins are awarded for symbols like a tent or the sleeping hunter. You’ll win bigger by matching some of the machine’s featured animals, like zebras and lions. For the biggest wins, you’ll want to hit either the native girl or the portrait of Sam himself, the latter of which can be worth as much as 500 credits for each coin you wagered – if you can hit five of him in a row.
As we said earlier, there are a few special features in this game that manage to keep things interesting. First, you’ll sometimes find a random wild appear on the screen. This symbol can not only substitute for any other symbol to make a winning payline, but it will offer you a multiplier of between 2x and 10x on any winnings it takes part in! There’s also the classic scatter symbol, which will win you a nice prize if you can match three or more of them anywhere on the reels.
Safari Sam features a free spins game that is triggered only by hitting a special combination. If you land a gorilla, zebra and monkey on the first payline, you’ll earn access to the Wild Animal Free Spins game. You’ll not only be awarded a number of free spins, but you’ll get to pick one of those animals to serve as a wild symbol throughout the feature. That symbol will also act as a 2x multiplier as an added bonus!
One nice feature we’ve seen in a couple of Betsoft games now is back: the stacked collapsing wins feature. If you fill up an entire reel with one symbol, you’ll win the prize associated with hitting three of that symbol on a given payline. The symbols will then “collapse” to the bottom spot on the reel, allowing new symbols to fall into place and giving you another chance to score some wins. There’s also a second screen bonus round triggered by hitting three binoculars symbols in which you’ll choose where you want to travel on your safari, collecting bonus prizes along the way.
While you may have played other animal slots before, we’re pretty sure you’ve never tried anything quite like Safari Sam.
