The Great Gambini’s Night Magic (Novomatic): Review

If you search for “Gambini” online, you’ll likely run into a Wikipedia entry about Pier Gambini, described as an Italian writer and journalist. Here, though, Gambini is clearly a nod to Houdini, the legendary illusionist and stunt performer. Since that name is trademark protected, Novomatic has opted for a close variation instead. Magic-themed slots are everywhere, and almost every provider has at least one title built around this concept.

In any case, with 5 reels, 3 rows and 20 paylines, the layout is very much in line with what Novomatic uses across much of its portfolio. You can play from 0.20 to 100 Eur per spin on all devices, including iOS and Android. The game includes a set of randomly triggered base game reel modifiers, plus a free spins bonus in which players get access to a magic reel and fully stacked symbols.

Visually, it’s arguably among the company’s strongest presentations so far. Backed by an atmospheric soundtrack, the action takes place on a cobblestoned street at night, with the great Gambini himself positioned beside the reels. As expected for a magic slot, the reels include A, K, Q and J card suit symbols, alongside magician-themed items like elixir bottles, pocket watches, magician books, crystal balls and chests. The top hat acts as the wild and is also the highest-paying symbol, awarding 25x for 5 on a payline.

The Great Gambini’s Night Magic (Novomatic): Features

If you’ve played the classic Novo slots, you’ll know they tend to be fairly volatile and heavily centered around the free spins. That’s true here as well, though this is a slightly more modern, more even-handed release thanks to 4 randomly triggered reel modifiers in the base game. These can activate at any time after a losing spin – here’s what may happen:

• Guillotine modifier – A guillotine drops to reveal a winning combination or even trigger the free spins.
• Levitation modifier – Defying gravity, symbols will levitate off the reels as Gambini add new ones to help you land wins.
• Reel Magic modifier – In this feature, the reels swap positions to form winning combinations.
• Quick Change modifier – The symbols change position to award you a guaranteed win.

Ultimately, the free spins feature is where Great Gambini really comes together. To activate it, you must land 3, 4 or 5 scatter symbols anywhere on the reels, which awards 5, 10 or 15 spins respectively. In classic Novomatic style, you’ll be given a special symbol. Unlike titles such as Book of Ra, where the same special symbol stays with you for the entire bonus, this game assigns a new one on every spin.

The heart of the free spins is the magical third reel. When your assigned symbol lands there, it expands to fill the entire reel and also spreads to reels 1 and 2. Adding to the impact, the magic reel can also be copied to reels 4 and 5, where it stays locked in place for the remainder of the free spin session. This makes it possible to hit a full-screen of wilds worth 500 times your stake per spin. The bonus can also retrigger, with Gambini showing up to award extra spins.

The Great Gambini’s Night Magic (Novomatic): Conclusion

With Novomatic, it often feels like the older classics still set the benchmark, especially Book of Ra, Lucky Lady’s Charm, Dolphin’s Pearl and similar titles. The Great Gambini has plenty in common with those games, but it’s presented as a more modern version, with extra emphasis on entertainment thanks to the reel modifiers. It’s also less volatile, seemingly landing somewhere around the medium range. While it may not deliver the same extreme swings as the classics, it still offers solid win potential if you manage to connect a few full-screen top-symbol hits.