The Good the Bad and the Ugly Slot Machine
There are many generic Wild West type slots around. This one stands out by being based on the 1960’s classic, ‘The Good the Bad and the Ugly’. There are two different break-out features for this game, both have animated introductions. The theme is emphasized by 3 progressive prizes, which increment every time you hit a good / bad / ugly symbol on the reels. When you play the ‘Graveyard Shootout’ bonus you will win two of these pots. For me the classic movie tunes gave this slot an edge over Wild West competitors.
The first impression of this game looks quite blocky and a little retro. This is deliberate, and the animations give away the fact that it is a modern game. To the left of the reels a cowboy stands, and above the reels to the right are the 3 progressive pots. Symbols are mixed and include both a confederate and US flag, cannon, grave of someone ‘unknown’, silhouette of a horse, wanted poster and a drinking canteen. The sounds are sparse during regular game play (just the occasional twang of a guitar). During the bonus feature, you get a fuller tune and shooting effects. There are some animations on the reels. These range from a shooting gun to a hangman’s noose appearing for Blondie.
While there are 2 very good bonus rounds, I should note that there is no free spins game for this particular slot.
Setup and Play for The Good the Bad and the Ugly
You can choose to play up to 20 lines for this game, with a spin amount from 1p to £25 per line. That is a huge £500 per spin at the maximum setting. Auto spin lets you select up to 25 spins, and can be stopped at any point.
Regular symbol prizes are topped by the bag of gold coins (only the wild horses have a bigger prize). 5 coin bags wins you 2000 coins, with 400 for 4 and 25 for just 3. Next some the flags, with the US flag worth 1000 coins max, and the confederate flag worth 750 for 5. The wanted poster (250) gun (100) and grave (75) come next with the cannon and flask making up the smaller wins.
There are several special symbols. The wild horse will substitute for all of the regular symbols covered above to make wins. This also pays out the biggest prize, with 10000 coins for the full set of 5. There are some crossed guns with ‘Tuco’s Target Range’ on them, which appear on reels 1 and 5 to trigger the target range bonus. There are also good, bad and ugly symbols, which appear on reels 3, 4 and 5. Individually, these add money to the 3 pots tracked above the reels, which pay out in the Graveyard bonus game. To trigger that bonus game, you need to hit all 3 of them in the same spin.
The Good the Bad and the Ugly Bonus Games
Tuco’s Target Range starts off with an animation blacking out the screen and then takes you to a shooting gallery with a stack of sandbags behind some pop-up targets. Your job is to shoot 3 of these, and each time you do you will get a multiplier of your total spin amount (for example 4x) added to your total. When you complete your 3 shots, the multipliers from the targets you did not choose are revealed.
The Graveyard bonus has a more intensive animated introduction. When this clears you will see the iconic graveyard scene. The guys can not been seen clearly (they are too far away), so you’ll need to pick 2 coloured segments of the graveyard and shoot. You will hit either the good, the bad or the ugly and be awarded the progressive bonus pot associated with that character. The one you did not shoot remains in play (the ‘last man standing’) which makes it more valuable next time you trigger the bonus.
The Good the Bad and the Ugly Slot – Conclusion
Fremantle has done a great job of bringing this popular theme to life. For me this slot has all the ingredients of a classic game. There is the chance of a big (10,000 coin) win from regular play. Different bonus games to stop things getting to boring, and tie-ins with an iconic movie. I did not miss the free spins round too much, and will certainly be back to give this slot another spin. Make sure that you check it out for yourself soon.
