Jurassic World: Overview

Jurassic World is Microgaming’s second branded slot created in partnership with entertainment giant Universal Pictures. The first, in case you missed it, was the massively popular Jurassic Park inspired by the blockbuster written by author Michael Crichton. The story has moved from books to movies and now to slots, showing that the appeal of anything enormous, dangerous, and dino-themed is still going strong.

That leads us to the slot adaptation of the film Jurassic World, released in 2015. The big-budget movie split opinion sharply. Some enjoyed the breakneck tempo and over-the-top CGI, while others found it completely absurd. Either way, it pulled in huge box office takings, making it an obvious candidate for a slot version. So, does it deliver?

Early signs are encouraging, helped by polished visuals packed with familiar film imagery. Microgaming has gone with a cleanly presented 5×3 grid set inside the Isla Nubar theme park. High-security bars provide a sense of safety, keeping the dangerous beasts contained—at least for the moment. Alongside the genetically engineered reptiles that form the six low pay symbols, there are four character premiums—Vic Hoskins, Simon Masrani, Claire Dearing, and Owen Brady. Premium values range from 3.16 to 6.66 times the stake for five a kind.

In terms of wagering, Jurassic World isn’t really aimed at high rollers, as the maximum bet is capped at $/€18. Smaller-stake players will be happier with minimum spins starting at 30 p/c per spin, while everyone can still enjoy the strong overall potential. The maths, however, is a bit underwhelming, with an RTP of 95.45% paired with medium volatility. The hit rate helps keep things moving, thanks to a win rate of roughly 31%.

Wins are formed by landing three matching symbols consecutively on any row starting from the first reel, giving 243 ways to win. Much like the park’s anti-dino barriers, the logo wild is a handy tool, substituting for any regular pay symbol to complete more combinations. Wilds come stacked ten high and pay 8.33 times the stake for five across the grid.

Jurassic World: Features

Jurassic World’s bonus content feels like a classic Microgaming mix, combining familiar mechanics seen across several of their other titles. There’s plenty to look forward to, including scatter-to-wild transformations, three distinct free spins rounds, and the formidable Indominus Rex appearing in a feature of its own.

We’ll begin with the simplest—though still worthwhile—extra, the Scatter feature. In short, 2 scatters on screen won’t start free spins, but they do offer a small compensation by turning wild to help piece together the occasional win.

If 3 or more scatters land, however, free spins are activated. To start, players are sent to one of three random island locations, each providing a different style of bonus round. Once the feature has been triggered 15 times, free spins stop being random, allowing players to pick the one they prefer. The three options are:

• Gyrosphere Valley – awards players 10 free spins using an increasing multiplier trail. The trail begins at x2, and increases by +1 on each non-winning spinning up to a maximum of x7. The feature cannot end on a non-winning spin, so free spins will continue to roll until a win is finally hit.
• Creation Lab – again, players get 10 free spins, this time with a Rolling Reels feature. Each winning combination is removed from the reels to let new symbols take the empty positions, for chains of possible wins. The Creation Lab also uses new Cryo wilds which remain frozen in place for three wins.
• Raptor Den – comes with 10 free spins using wild scatters. During this feature, scatters act as wilds and collecting 3 of them awards 5 more free spins.

Finally, the encounter you definitely don’t want when the fences give way—the Indominus feature. This can trigger on any spin that produces a win worth 3x to 50x the bet. When it activates, the beast storms onto the screen and can raise the payout to as much as 1,000 times the total bet.

Jurassic World: Verdict

Jurassic World the film may have dominated the box office and become one of the highest-grossing movies ever, but it still attracted plenty of harsh criticism. It has no shortage of excitement, yet the biggest complaint was that it didn’t match the quality of Jurassic Park.

The slot gives off a comparable vibe. Microgaming has produced a capable game, but it doesn’t fully reach the heights of the original. Jurassic Park offers a slightly higher RTP and includes a few more features, so topping it is difficult when the first title set the benchmark so high.

That said, the Jurassic World slot is far from a lost cause. For starters, it’s visually impressive and loaded with atmosphere. Strong graphics, audio, and animations bring Isla Nubar thundering back to life (quite literally) on whatever device you’re playing on.

Jurassic World may show a touch of sequel fatigue, but it remains a solid slot experience. If you want dinosaur-heavy action with lots of features and serious potential, it’s well worth taking for a spin.