Giganimals Gigablox: Slot Overview

One advantage of teaming up with casino game developer Yggdrasil Gaming is tapping into its library of ready-made slot mechanics. Plenty of studios have tried them out, with mixed results. Here, the parent studio shows how it’s done by deploying its Gigablox mechanic in a quirky sci-fi release called Giganimals Gigablox. It’s a curious—some would say odd—blend of animals, aliens, Gigablox’s, batteries, and a few hints of outside inspiration.

Giganimals Gigablox takes place on the surface of a planet that’s clearly not Earth. The lighting, the vegetation on the right-hand side of the screen (or could that be a settlement?), and the strange creatures all suggest an exotic off-world expedition. That exploratory vibe is backed up by a mysterious, detective-style soundtrack. And why are four animals piloting UFOs beside the four collection meters? We couldn’t tell you either, but it’s sci-fi—best to roll with it and see where it leads.

The interplanetary trip kicks off by choosing a wager from 20 p/c per spin up to $/€100 a pop. It’s playable on any device, with the main action taking place on a 6-reel, 4-row layout featuring 40 fixed paylines for landing winning combinations. Rated highly volatile, Giganimals Gigablox comes with four RTP models, and the paytable will show whether you’re on the top setting of 96% or one of the three reduced versions.

Despite having six reels, in the base game and during free spins the reels can fuse to create larger symbols sized 2×2, 3×3, 4×4, 5×5, or 6×6. When calculating wins, these oversized symbols are treated as if they’re split into standard 1×1 symbols. For lower-value payouts, there are four battery icons with different charge levels, and each pays 2 times the stake for six of a kind. Next come four friendly alien symbols, paying 4-8x the bet for a six-symbol line. Completing the set is the wild, which can appear on all six reels. A full wild line pays up to 20 times the bet for six of a kind, and wilds can also be used to subsite any regular pay symbol.

Giganimals Gigablox: Slot Features

Low-pay symbols can also become wild. This can happen when the Wild Surge feature activates in the base game, turning one or more of the four low-pay symbols into wilds. In addition, whenever low-pay symbols form wins, they are added to their relevant collection meter beside the reels. The amounts added to the meters are multiplied by a random multiplier of x1 to x5. Once a meter is completed, Collection Free Spins are triggered.

Collection Free Spins

When this feature starts, players receive between 5 and 24 free spins. If the initial number doesn’t appeal, it’s possible to gamble for more on a wheel—though a failed gamble wipes out the entire award. The low-pay symbol that triggered the feature is wild throughout. Just like in the base game, low-pay wins are collected in their meter, and when a meter fills, that symbol becomes wild, plus 2 extra free spins are added.

Scatter Free Spins

The other route into the bonus is by landing at least 5 scatter symbols (counted in their 1×1 size). Each scatter that triggers the feature grants 1 free spin. As with the other entry method, players can gamble for additional spins if they wish, and the low-pay symbol collection remains in play. Complete a meter and the symbol turns wild, with +2 free spins awarded.

Buy A Bonus

Where available, players can use the bonus buy to jump straight into one of Giganimals Gigablox’s bonus rounds. Spending 75x the bet purchases 10-24 free spins, 150x the bet awards 24 free spins, while 250x the bet buys 24 free spins with one low pay turned wild.

Giganimals Gigablox: Slot Verdict

A hint of possible outside influence popped up while browsing the paytable and getting a feel for the overall presentation. It didn’t quite come across like a typical Yggdrasil Gaming slot—or at least not a fully Yggdrasil Gaming one. The UI and menus carried shades of something Reflex Gaming might produce (not a criticism, just an observation), a studio that has used the mechanic before—Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox being one example. Meanwhile, the low-pay win collection system in Giganimals Gigablox felt like it had roots in Vikings Go Berserk. Similar, but not identical. In Giganimals Gigablox, low-pay symbols don’t need to win battles; they’re simply either wild or not, and they’re never sticky.

Giganimals Gigablox also isn’t as packed with extras as its Norse-themed sibling slots. When symbols haven’t been converted to wilds, free spins are essentially just free spins, which can make them feel a bit flat. There was also a clear gap between free spins with a wild low symbol and those without—both in terms of entertainment and returns. For reference, the maximum win in Giganimals Gigablox is 5,120 times the bet.

If your response to that is “pah, numbers shnumbers” and you want a quirky sci-fi slot to get your Gigabloxing fix, then Giganimals Gigablox may be worth a look. It’s not among Yggdrasil Gaming’s strongest uses of the mechanic, though, and while it can deliver exciting moments, you may need to put in some serious playtime—or pay up—to have a real shot at finding them.