Punk Rocker: A Slot Full of Anarchic Vim
Title: Punk Rocker
Developer: Nolimit City
Reels: 5-6
Rows: 4
Paylines: 243-46,656
RTP: 96.11%
Max Win: 15,000x
Volatility: High
Min/Max Bet: 0.25/50
Release Date: February 12, 2020
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Slot Overview
If you're a fan of punk rock music, then you'll definitely love the new slot game called Punk Rocker from NoLimit City. This loud and lively game aims to capture the spirit of the punk rock movement that originated in the UK two decades ago. Unlike the watered-down pop-punk of the 90s and naughties, this game brings back the real punk scene where fans spat on their heroes while they performed and the artists lived the lives they sang about. The game also showcases the punk movement's influence on fashion, art, and attitude.
Punk Rocker slot game is packed with features and starts with a default 5-reel, 3-row setup with 243 win ways that can be expanded. The background is set in London and features iconic landmarks such as Big Ben, a tagged Underground sign, and a red phone box. You can hear a throbbing 4/4 track playing in the background as if a band is playing at an underground club, which is a great touch. It costs 25c to $50 per spin to join in the rule-breaking fun. The game packs quite a bit of grunt mathematically, with an RTP of 96.11% without the buy feature and very high volatility.
The design team did a great job creating all new symbols that convey the game's punk rock spirit. The low-paying symbols include kicker boots, knuckle dusters, Molotov cocktails, distortion pedals, and an anarchy symbol. The premiums are irreverent takes on mostly famous people in Warhol/Banksy style. These include Kim Jong Un, Einstein, a monkey flipping the middle finger, Mona Lisa, and Winston Churchill. Winston Churchill leads the paytable with six times the stake for five of a kind or 20 times the stake for six of a kind when the bonus reel is active.
Punk Rocker slot game features two wilds. The standard variety is the Molotov Wild that can land during the main game and Riot Respins. The wild substitutes for any symbol except scatters and can also change several symbols next to them wild as well. They might stack a reel with wilds or make one symbol next to the wild. It’s total luck of the draw, which makes the game even more exciting.
Slot Features
Punk Rocker slot game is not just about the punk rock theme and the high volatility. It also boasts a long list of exciting features that will keep you engaged and entertained. One of these features is the xWays Mystery Symbol, which we previously saw in Dragon Tribe but is bigger and better than before. The mystery symbol usually holds 2-4 of the same pay symbols and expands when it lands, also expanding the size of the reel. This feature can appear during the base and bonus games, boosting win ways to 46,656 if all six reels are active with six rows each. Additionally, the premium symbols can super-expand to 20 high.
The scatter symbol in the game looks like a London Underground sign with the word 'Bonus' on it. When two of them land, they award a Riot Respin. During this respin, the scatters become Molotov Wilds that can transform other nearby symbols into Wilds. The Bonus Reel is also activated, increasing minimum win ways up to 729. Any reels that contain wilds are locked while the others are respun, making it easier for you to score a win.
If you manage to land three or four scatters, you can unlock Anarchy Free Spins or Civil War Free Spin, respectively. Both rounds award eight free spins, and one exception is that Anarchy Free Spins come with three jumping wilds, while Civil War Free Spins has four. The bonus sixth reel is activated for both rounds, and so is a modifier train that runs along the top of the reels. Each carriage of the train has a different modifier in it. While the reels spin, the Jumping Wilds leap from position to position at random. When the spin stops, the carriage above a reel containing a jumping wild symbol has its modifier applied. The modifiers include xWays that add mystery symbols to the reels, Free Spins that add 1-3 more free spins to the round, Jumping Wild that adds an additional jumping wild, Multiplier that gives jumping wilds a multiplier, and 6x6 that converts the game to a 6x6 format with those 46,656 win ways.
If you want to skip the base game and head straight to the bonus round, you can use the Bonus Buy option if your local regulator allows it. The cost for Anarchy Free Spins is 80x the stake, while Civil War Free Spins cost 243x the stake. This feature also increases the RTP rate to 96.62%-96.64%.
Slot Verdict
Punk Rocker slot game may seem overwhelming at first with its numerous features, but it quickly starts to make sense. However, players should beware of the game's high volatility. Triggering the bonus feature can be challenging, and you cannot depend on the base game to keep you afloat for too long. During our first run, we gave up chasing the bonus after about an hour and a 400x loss and just bought the bonus instead to evaluate its functionality.
Although the base game has a lot going on, much of the RTP is likely allocated to the bonuses. However, this is the nature of the beast when it comes to playing volatile slots, so players have to be prepared for the high risk, high reward premise of it. For those considering the feature buy, the 243x cost for the Civil War Free Spins may seem steep, but the returns are often quite good.
Punk Rocker is one of those slots where the combination of features and modifiers can have a significant effect on the outcome of a spin and a session. Expanded 6x6 reels with juicy multipliers, for example, can be outstanding when they happen. It's also nice to see the xWays feature return, not to mention the excellent potential of over 15,000 times your stake as a big cherry on top. All in all, Punk Rocker is a well-designed game and undoubtedly one of NoLimit City's best so far.
Chips Stack Rating: 8 out of 10 Chips.
"Get ready to rock out with Punk Rocker - it's a wild ride full of punk spirit and exciting features!"