Space Zoo: Slot Overview

Online sources say that from 1947 to 1969, the United States Air Force’s Project Blue Book logged over 12,000 Unidentified Flying Object reports. Supposedly, 701 cases are still classed as “unidentified”. Now imagine that at least 1 of those sightings was actually a galaxy-roaming big game hunter, cruising the universe to collect creatures from far-off worlds for a cosmic zoo. That kind of story fits Hacksaw Gaming pals Backseat Gaming and their slot Space Zoo, where players can “share the vacuum with some kooky animal astronaut friends” while chasing wins out in deep space.

Kooky really does sum up Space Zoo. Backseat Gaming hasn’t delivered the most breathtaking vision of the cosmos ever put into an online slot—there’s none of the ethereal vibe you might get from an Euphoria game, for instance—but it does lean into the weird in a way that’s reminiscent of Blue Guru Games’ Octopus Armada. In the base game, various objects drift across the sky while odd spacey sounds crackle in the background, before you eventually hop aboard a starship bound for who-knows-where in the free spins bonus round.

Space Zoo’s play area sits inside a sleek, futuristic metal frame. The grid uses 5 reels and 4 rows of symbols, with 14 paylines set in place to judge winning combinations. Its volatility is right down the middle, carrying a 3 out of 5 medium rating, and the default RTP is 96.22%. There are three bonus buy options available, and the betting range runs from 10 c to $/€100.

On the paytable, the lower-value symbols are the 10 to A card ranks, paying 1 times the bet for a 5 OAK win. Above them are giraffes, lions, elephants, and zebras, which return 10-12.5 times the bet for a 5 symbol winning line. Wilds assist by substituting for all standard pay symbols and can land on every reel. A 5-wild winning line awards 20 times the stake.

Space Zoo: Slot Features

You’ll be hoping to see the Wheel of Fortune symbol land as often as it can, since it’s the entry point to several of Space Zoo’s extra features. It can show up in the base game and also during free spins, where its impact is boosted.

Wheel of Fortune

Hitting a Wheel of Fortune symbol sets off the Wheel of Fortune for 1 to 3 spins. Each spin grants different modifiers that are then applied to the board. Once the modifier has finished, the Wheel of Fortune symbol turns into a wild symbol. In the base game, the Wheel of Fortune can:

• Randomly spawns 2 to 10 wilds.
• Upgrade low pay symbols to a high pay symbol for the current spin.
• Award a Global Multiplier of x2, x3, or x5 for the current spin. If multiple Global Multipliers are awarded, they are combined. In the bonus game, the Global Multiplier remains till the end of the round.
• Add Cash Prizes ranging from 2x to 1,000x. These are added behind symbols and are collected when a winning combination occurs in the positions that hold Cash Prizes. Cash Prizes are sticky in free spins till the end of the round. Cash Prizes are applied to unoccupied spots so they do not overlap or replace existing prizes.
• In the free spins bonus game, 2 to 5 extra free spins may be awarded.

Bonus Game

The 10, 12, or 14 free spins bonus is awarded when players land 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols simultaneously in the base game, respectively. In free spins, the Wheel of Fortune feature triggers more frequently. Any Global Multiplier and Cash Prizes persist through the bonus game. Cash Prizes disappear once collected. Scatter symbols do not appear during free spins.

Bonus Buy

This is where players can directly trigger the bonus options. Each one is highly volatile:

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins – 2x the bet. Each spin is 3 times more likely to trigger a bonus game. RTP 96.27%.
• Wheel of Fortune FeatureSpins – 50x the bet. Each spin guarantees the Wheel of Fortune feature activates. RTP 96.29%.
• Bonus Game – 100x the bet for 10, 12, or 14 free spins. RTP 96.3%.

Space Zoo: Slot Verdict

Space Zoo landed somewhere between decent and genuinely enjoyable—snappy in places, a touch sluggish in others. In the base game, you’ll likely find yourself focused on two main targets. First, collecting enough scatters to beam into the bonus round. Second, spotting the Wheel of Fortune symbol, which can then fire features onto the grid and, with a bit of luck, produce a neat return that keeps the journey through the vacuum funded. As mentioned earlier, Space Zoo isn’t the most captivating trip through the cosmos, but it does feature animals in space suits—hardly an everyday sight—so it definitely has a bit of character.

That said, players shouldn’t expect to reach Space Zoo’s 10,000x the bet max win from the base game. The paytable spells out that the top payout is only possible through Wheel of Fortune FeatureSpins and within the bonus game. Considering partner studio Hacksaw Gaming often allows the max win in every stage of play, this felt a little disappointing—especially when Wheel of Fortune FeatureSpins cost 50x each, which is far from pocket change. It’s also clear that the free spins bonus round is where things really heat up, since any Global Multiplier and/or uncollected Cash Prizes carry on until the round finishes.

A grandpa snoozing on the farm, venomous snakes, formidable underwater beings, a Donkey Kong nod, and now animals in space—Backseat Gaming’s themes are anything but predictable. Their slots are generally well put together, even if they haven’t truly set the scene alight yet, but each release shows Backseat Gaming is prepared to take players across the universe through its still relatively small (for now) yet varied slot portfolio.