Sometimes, it can seem like every combination of animals doing human activities has been done to death. We’ve seen dogs playing basketball, pandas doing kung fu, and anteaters posing as lawyers. Alright, we may have made that last one up ourselves, but the point remains valid: everyone loves watching animals do people things!
That’s the idea behind Microgaming’s latest slot machine, Karate Pig. Slated for an early April release, Karate Pig tells the story of…well, a pig that does karate. It’s a 40-line, five-reel slot machine that allows players to wager up to five coins per line, meaning that you can wager anywhere between one and 200 coins on each spin.
The concept might seem a little goofy at first glance, but all early indications are that Karate Pig is going to be a high-quality and engaging slot machine. Early screenshots suggest that the game will have a very dynamic visual style, combining cartoonish graphics with plenty of traditional Japanese themes to create a colorful and enjoyable experience.
As usual, the goal is to match symbols across your active paylines. Most of the biggest prizes will be won by match Karate Pig himself along with some of the game’s other characters. Interesting, the game pushes its thematic elements strongly even in the use of symbols; while most games use aces and kings (among other card ranks) as lower-value symbols, Karate Pig instead focuses on using these slots to make the theme even stronger, with banzai trees and pagodas among other traditional Japanese cultural elements. Of course, a game logo is also included to act as a wild symbol.
The most exciting feature that has been announced for this game is definitely the multi-stage bonus round, which should keep players spinning the reels in an attempt to reach the highest levels of the game. There are actually two basic bonuses known as the Pork Chop Bonus and the Hammer Bonus. These rounds are relatively simple, and sound like basic “pick one” games; you’ll choose from six options on the screen, and in doing so, reveal a prize that will instantly be awarded to you.
Each time you finish one of these bonus rounds, you’ll watch Karate Pig move up the ranks, earning a more prestigious belt in his martial arts training. When you reach the seventh belt – the famous black belt – you’ll gain access to the Final Showdown bonus round. In this game, the Karate Pig will fight a formidable opponent in a three round bout. Depending on how well our hero fares in his fight (which you’ll get to enjoy watching, complete with colorful animations), the player will earn a variable number of bonus credits.
Karate Pig also features a free spins bonus round. In this game, players have the chance to enjoy 15 free spins, each of which comes complete with a 2x multiplier. There’s also the chance to retrigger the free spins, which can keep this game going indefinitely.
If you’re a fan of Japanese culture, or just want to see a hog do some incredible martial arts stunts, we expect you’ll find a lot to like about Karate Pig when it is released. You can expect to find the Karate Pig slot machine at Royal Vegas Casino sometime in the next few weeks.
