Space Invaders Slot
Space Invaders is a 5-reel, fixed 10-pay line online slots game from Playtech. So, where were you in 1978? If you were between eight and fourteen years old, you were in your local amusement arcade pumping ten pences or quarters into Space Invaders. This classic video game was released in 1978 by Taito in Japan and took the world by storm, it being the most sophisticated video game around at the time. The concept was simple – the invaders would stick neatly in formation and descend slowly down the screen while dancing to some minimalist techno. The player would man their sole turret, destroying the invaders before they reached the planet. You got three lives, and once all three were gone it was 'Game Over'.
Now the invaders have invaded the online slots world thanks to this game from Playtech. This slot has taken its inspiration from the classic Taito game – it's even presented in a video game cabinet. The original invaders are present, along with some slightly more sophisticated images. The gun turret is here too, as well as those all-important fortifications to hide behind. To complete the line up there's the UFO that used to make the odd ineffectual appearance across the top of the screen in the original game.
The ten lines are fixed but you can choose the size of your coin, from 0.01 to 20.00. Just multiply your coin size by ten to work out your wager per spin. Pay lines pay both left to right and right to left. When you're ready to tackle the invaders, hit the spin button.
Payout & bonus rounds
The lowest payout in this game is for three identical original invaders – this will win you double your coin size. The maximum win is one hundred and fifty coins which is achieved by landing five 'golden moon' symbols.
Upon each spin the gun turret will move to a random position. If it lands free of a fortification (i.e. on reels two or four) then it may fire at a low-paying symbol and turn it into a wild. You are guaranteed a win when this happens, and your win is doubled! The wild that is generated can substitute for any other symbol.
That pesky UFO will make the odd appearance too. If the gun turret is able to shoot the UFO then it will do so. The UFO will distribute extra wilds across the screen, and also trigger a free re-spin. You're almost guaranteed a big win when this happens!
Part of the appeal of the original Space Invaders game was its simplicity. This seems to have been echoed in Playtech's slots re-creation. It's certainly a fast-paced game (and you can even make it faster by using 'Turbo' mode) but sadly, also like the original, it soon becomes repetitive. It's still more than worth a few spins, but it won't be invading our list of the very best slots around.