Minimalism is quite fashionable these days, and almost all of us know someone who is raving about the joy of downsizing, decluttering and generally embracing a "less is more" lifestyle. We mention this because it looks like the minimalist ideal is also beginning to make itself known in the online slot world. Anyone who would like an example of that need only look to Master Joker, which is the latest game to be released by Pragmatic Play.
Minimalist Format, Maximum Entertainment
What makes Master Joker a great example of a minimalist approach to online gaming is the fact that it has five reels but just one row. That single row occupies almost all of the lower half of the screen, which gives you a great close-up view of the symbols no matter whether you are playing on desktop, mobile or tablet. The symbols used in this game include a strawberry, a lemon, cherries, a plum, a watermelon, a stack of gold bars, a shiny pink 7 and the Master Joker herself, who serves as a wild.
Sitting behind the single row of symbols is a Multiplier Wheel of variously coloured segments, only the upper half of which is visible at any given time. The Master Joker character is a female wearing a skin-tight court jester costume, and she stands to the left of the wheel throughout the game. The Master Joker is animated, so you will see her breathing even when she isn’t doing anything, but she really comes into her own when she spins the wheel, as we will explain a little later.
Master Joker is visually superb, and the highly detailed symbols are even more impressive given their large size. Audio is also very good, but we should warn you that this game is somewhat louder than many, and delivers plenty of noisy sound effects over an upbeat soundtrack. Just bear that in mind if you decide to sneak in a few games on your phone when you’re out and about, especially if you don’t have headphones plugged in.
Winning Made Easy
Although Master Joker only has one row and one pay line, you don’t need symbols to appear adjacent to each other in order to win with them. Instead, you will win a prize for getting three or more of the same symbols on the reels in any position, so if you were to land a lemon in the first, third and fifth reel, you would win the prize for three of a kind. Each symbol pays for a combination of three, four or five, and the most valuable symbol of all is the 7, which pays 100 times your bet.
Multiplier Wheel Feature
The Master Joker wild symbol only appears on the middle reel, but when she shows up it can make all the difference between landing a good prize and a great prize. When the Master Joker wild helps you to complete a winning combination, the Multiplier Wheel feature will be triggered. The character at the top of the screen will then spring to life and spin the wheel with a considerable amount of enthusiasm.
Each segment of the Multiplier Wheel displays a different multiplier value. When the Multiplier Wheel comes to rest, your win will automatically be multiplied by the value indicated. You can multiply your win by 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 25, 50 or as much as 100 times, so the potential to win big is impressive – just compare winning 100 times your bet for a straightforward combination of five 7s, and winning up to 100 times that sum for a combination of four 7s and the Master Joker!
A Minimalist Masterpiece
Master Joker is a very simple game, but it is beautifully done, and is well worth taking for a spin or two. Because it is a highly volatile slot, you may need to wait a while to land a big win, but when you do get particularly lucky you are sure to know about it. Head over to your preferred purveyor of Pragmatic Play titles to give it a go, and we think you’ll be surprised at how much fun a single row can be!
CasinoFever.ca is a independent review portal for online casinos. The information on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes. The legal age for gambling in Canada is 19, except Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec where it is 18+. Listed casinos reserve the right to change or terminate bonuses and modify the terms and conditions at any given moment. Read the terms and conditions before opening an account or accepting a bonus. Play responsible.