Jet Strike Slot Machine
Whether it’s from watching Top Gun one too many times, or playing flight simulators that have us completing missions deep in enemy territory, most people have had the dream of flying a fighter jet and whisking around the sky at unbelievable speeds. While it’s something that most of us will never actually experience, it’s also something that’s been illustrated in television, movies, and games so often that it almost feels like we already know what it’s like to be in the cockpit.
That’s the feel that’s at the center of Jet Strike by Aristocrat. While the number of paylines is low, there’s still plenty of action to be found on this machine, with special features that offer up not only progressive jackpots but also alternative ways in which to take home some unforgettable payouts.
Wheels Up
The Jet Strike video slot is a five reel, five payline slot machine. This is a relatively low number of paylines compared to most slot machines that feature five reels, but this was a conscious design decision by the developers. The idea here is to allow this to be a high limit game without entirely pricing out gamblers who are on a bit of a budget.
The basic gameplay is simple: players want to make matches from left to right across their reels to score wins. The lowest paying symbols include the range of card ranks we’re used to, from nines and tens up through aces. More thematic symbols are used for high-paying symbols, including hats, medals, altimeters, and the fighter jets themselves.
Even in the base game, one of the most important features of this machine is the reel re-spin. If you should score a win on any payline, you’ll earn yourself a free re-spin. The reels that took part in the initial win will stay in place, while the remainder spin again, guaranteeing you’ll at least win the same prize a second time even if nothing more valuable falls into place.
Locked on Target
In this game, you’ll find that the pilot icon does double duty. These are wild symbols, filling in for anything else in order to complete winning paylines. However, they are also scatter symbols in a way, as they can help earn you entry into the free spins bonus. The way this works is that you’ll earn five free spins for each line in which at least one pilot takes part in a winning line – meaning even just a single wild could potentially earn you 10 or more spins.
Once you are in this special feature, you can retrigger additional spins in the same way. But these retriggers are even more important than usual, as they could potentially earn you larger rewards in another way. At the top of the screen, you’ll see a “repeat win” icon, along with a number. This number is the number of coins you will win for each targeted plane that appears on the reels. This is an automatic prize on top of anything else you’ve won on a given spin. In addition, each free spins retrigger will increase the repeat win amount, making these targets even more valuable. We’ve seen these rise as high as 250 coins, turning them into virtual jackpots in their own right.
Speaking of jackpots, this game also comes with three progressives, the size of which can be seen on a video board above the main screen. This can be triggered be hitting jackpot symbols on the first and last reels, potentially earning you the minor, major, or grand jackpot, the latter of which can be worth over $5,000.
Flying High
The Jet Strike video slot is not a game that’s designed for everyone to enjoy. It’s also not really for action junkies who love seeing lots of paylines: you’re stuck with just five here, making it a bit of a throwback to an earlier era of casino gaming.
The small number of paylines can make this game pretty volatile, so there could be better slots out there to play.
