The Ante Engine Introduction
Steampunk is an unusual theme for a game (although it's not the only one on site), which makes The Ante Engine - an online pokie from AppleJack Gaming available to play on browsers and mobile or tablet devices - all the more unique. Set in what appears to be a vast machine, this is very much a traditional pokie-type game but with a fresh, novel style and a big focus on multipliers.
There are a wide range of these multipliers available, giving you numerous chances to rack up some potentially massive winnings. Alongside a number of prizes are additional bonus features such as free spins and a wild modifier.
Novel
As previously mentioned, the steampunk theme is something of a rarity when it comes to online games such as free pokies. For those who are unaware, steampunk as a genre trope generally refers to a setting that combines parts of science fiction with anachronistic industrial revolution-era technologies and concepts such as zeppelins, gothic-indebted design and - of course - steam power.
The machine itself is massive but surprisingly intricate, filled with cogs of varying sizes and other components that whir into life when you hit the spin button. This is all accompanied by a looping cinematic soundtrack and industrial sound effects, such as the clanking that follow a spin. The professional sound design combined with the overall quality of the graphics and animations help to create a game that really stands out from the pack.
Multiplier madness
This game has five reels and there a total of 15 active paylines with which to win, although this can increase during the free spins round. Unlike some other games, this pokie is always drawn by all available lines, meaning the only betting parameter you need to worry about is credit size per line. This will vary greatly depending on your time and/or budget.
Normal prizes are awarded to the player for successful three-, four- or five-of-a-kind matches and there are ten regular game symbols that appear on the reels. Most of the regular symbols are derived from cards and should be immediately familiar to any pokie player. The highest value symbols are the Ante Engine logo and triple sevens, both of which yield a maximum prize of 125 credits for finding five in a winning configuration.
Bulbs are the name of the game and here they have the ability to affect your game experience in all manner of wonderful ways. Every time you spin, there is a random chance you will win up to three modifier bulbs. These are situated left of reel one and award bonuses based on the reel they occupy. These bonus bulbs last for three spins and their use is indicated by dimming and a buzzing sound.
The wild bulb will change any adjacent symbol into a wild, meaning that it can be used to substitute other symbols as part of a winning combination. Multiplier bulbs come in values of two x, three x, five x and 10 x, with multiple instances available. Finding three bulbs together triggers the free spins round. In this special round you are awarded a number of free spins depending on the brightness of your bulbs, with the number of active paylines doubling from 15 to 30!
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