I, Zombie

The Zombie genre is one that has enjoyed something of a revival, if you will pardon the pun, in recent times. The popularity of TV shows such as The Walking Dead and films such as World War Z and, in a more humorous vein, Shaun of the Dead has seen a real up swell in interest in these somewhat infamous creatures.

That leads us neatly onto a relatively recent release from Realtime Gaming, I, Zombie. The game however is not your typical Zombie action. Instead, what you have is a slot that has a zombie element, but also elements from the far east and even a bit of a space age vibe going on.

The 5x3 reel set up is nicely done and there is a decent sized jackpot of 2,500 coins to be won in the base game across a single line, with up to 50,000x your line bet possible as the highest theoretical win in the game. So with that in mind, let's take a closer look at what the I, Zombie slot has to offer.

Overview

• Game: I, Zombie
• Developer: Realtime Gaming
• Reels: 5x3
• Pay Lines: 25 (selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.25
• Maximum Bet: 2.50
• Jackpot: 2,500 coins
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: No
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Medium

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Presentation

I have to be honest and say that I am not entirely sure what the designers of the I, Zombie slot were hoping for when they first started to plot this game on the drawing board. It is a zombie game, with elements of eastern mysticism and also a bit of a space-age look going on with it too. It's a real fusion of different elements and although it sounds somewhat disparate, it actually works very well indeed. The soundtrack is an unusual mix of styles, which suits the game perfectly, combining elements of all three types of game.

What's on the reels?

There are ten standard symbols on the reels and they start with the playing card symbols. The three lowest value are the 9, 10, Jack and Queen which offer wins from 5 coins up to 100 coins. Next are the King and Ace which offer wins from 5 coins up to 150 coins.

The higher value symbols all offer small wins of 5 coins for landing 2 symbols on a reel but the value of their wins increases up to 1,250 coins. The symbols include a bell, a zombie, a rather feisty looking lady and what appears to be an Oriental mystical man, presumably who are here to battle off the zombies. These latter two symbols are the two highest paying standard symbols in the game.

Other than these symbols, there are just two others on the reels, the I,Zombie Wild and the Mirror Scatter, both of which are linked to the main bonus features of the slot.

Wild features

The I, Zombie Wild is the main Wild feature on the slot. This can land on any reel and when it does it replaces any of the other standard symbols to try and create winning lines. However, it also performs another key task and that is it can also generate other I, Zombie Wilds which will then populate either one or both of the remaining spots on that reel, potentially turning that entire reel Wild.

You can land five of the I,Zombie symbols across the reels and if you do you will trigger the highest value win in the base game, which is a 2,500 coin prize.

Free Spins features

The Free Spins bonus round is landed when you trigger three, four or five of the Mirror Scatter symbols on the reels. Land three and you also win 2x your bet, four will see a prize of 10x your bet while land all five to hit the maximum 200x your bet.

It is worth knowing that if you land a Scatter in the base game, this can produce extra I,Zombie Wilds on the reels, in addition to the Wild symbol, which is a very nice touch.

When you land your Free Spins bonus, you receive 2 Free Spins for every I, Zombie Wild or Scatter symbol landed on the reels during the triggering spin. During Free Spins, any I, Zombie Wild or Mirror landed on the reels will also reveal additional I, Zombie Wild symbols to help populate the reels with these bigger value symbols.

If you trigger the game with four Scatters, then you will also get a 2x multiplier applied to your wins in the Free Spins round, while five Scatters triggering the game will see you land a 3x Multiplier on all your wins.

You can also re-trigger the bonus feature in the game by landing three or more Scatters on the reels, with the additional spins simply added to those that you have remaining in the current game.

Other bonus features

Other than the Free Spins bonus feature and the Wild feature listed above, there are no additional features on the I, Zombie slot.

Best feature of the I, Zombie slot

I think there is a lot to like about the I,Zombie slot. Although unusual, the presentation of the slot is very nicely done, with the music a particular highlight. The game itself is also fun to play and the Free Spins bonus game, where some big money can be won, is the most appealing aspect of the slot, but I think in terms of value and with the frequency that they land, those Expanding Wild symbols are the best aspect of the slot and are a real benefit to the player.

What does the I, Zombie slot lack?

The only thing I probably would have liked to have seen added to the I, Zombie slot would have been the introduction of another base game bonus, one that is randomly triggered. I think that, combined with some form of multiplier payout either in the bonus, or perhaps on any of the wins landed with the help of one of the Expanding Wilds, I think would have given the game an added edge.

Conclusion

I really like what Realtime Gaming have done with the I, Zombie slot. They have not been overly-ambitious with the game and introduced lots of new features, but instead they have produced a slot with what I would deem are the basics of a 5-reel slot, Free Spins and a Wild symbol and produced a game that is balanced very nicely and offers the player a real challenge when you play. You are rewarded in the right way and with a balance of wins that makes the slot enjoyable, a key factor in any game. It is an unusual theme, but one I think makes the game even more appealing as a result.

Ratings

• Presentation: 14 / 20 - The presentation of the I, Zombie slot is nicely done, even if I am not quite sure what effect the designers of the game were looking for. This is not your typical Zombie game to say the least as it has a somewhat eastern, mystical feel and also looks a little space age. The soundtrack that accompanies the game is a fusion of styles too, which reflects the make-up of the slot very nicely.
• Game-play: 15 / 20 - Although it may look like a very space-age, strange theme, the actual game play on the slot is very simple. You have a Free Spins bonus and a Wild which can expand across reels at times and that is essentially it. The base game does offer a good mix of wins, some of which can be pretty high value, especially when those Wilds are involved, and as such, it is a game that is enjoyable enough to play in the base game. However, the better value wins, and up to 50,000x your base line bet is available to be won, tend to come in the Free Spins bonus round.
• Bonus Features: 13 / 20 - The bonus features on the slot are pretty bog standard to be honest. You have a Wild symbol which can appear on the reels and expand to cover one or two extra symbols on that reel. This can unlock more winning lines on a spin, especially if you can get a couple of reels with additional Wilds on. The Free Spins bonus is the best paying aspect of the slot in general, but can be difficult to land and it does require a bit of patience to trigger.
• Entertainment Factor: 15 / 20 - I, Zombie is a great example of a slot which doesn't really pack any hugely innovative features into the game, but which instead puts the features it has together nicely to produce a pleasing slot. Sometimes Realtime Gaming don't quite get the balance of this right on their slots and it can produce a less than satisfactory outcome, but on this slot, the balance is just about perfect and the net result is a game which is good fun to play.
• Play Value: 13 / 20 - As a medium variance slot, the game is never going to pay out plenty of lower value wins on almost every spin but what I have found with the I, Zombie slot is that you do get a decent amount of wins in the game and the value of these is a nice spread between better value wins and those that are less than your bet. I think the balance of pays on this slot is better than on other Realtime Gaming offerings and I think that makes for a decent game to play.
• Overall 70 / 100 - I, Zombie is a very enjoyable slot and one of the better Realtime Gaming releases of recent times. It is not a complicated slot and its bonus features are pretty standard but what makes the game is its unusual theme that has been executed perfectly and the fact that the balance of the slot in terms of wins, bonus features and those non-winning spins, is about right. The Free Spins bonus can be tough to trigger, which keeps the score down a little, but despite this, it is a really fun slot to play.

Good Luck!

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