Vegas Lux

I don't think any city has been featured more in slot games over the years than Sin City itself, Las Vegas. It is not difficult to understand why; this neon lit Nevadan desert town has been a mecca for gambling for many years and it continues to be so today.

That is why companies like to use the city as the basis for a slot and that is precisely what Realtime Gaming have done with their latest May 2020 release, Vegas Lux slot. This game is an unusual one in that it features a diamond-shaped set up on the reels, plus 720 Ways to Win and, somewhat surprisingly, the chance to win both ways across the reels.

There's also the chance to win up to 240 Free Spins in the game, plus Wilds that can be stacked to help land some great value wins. On the face of it, it all sounds rather promising and exciting, but is that how the final game pans out?

We decided to book ourselves into the virtual Bellagio, grab some silver dollars and head down to the Virtual Casino to give the slot a try for ourselves. Here's what we found.

Overview

• Game: Vegas Lux
• Developer: Realtime Gaming
• Reels: 5 (3-4-5-4-3 symbol set up across the reels)
• Pay Lines: 720 Ways to Win (win both ways)
• Minimum Bet: 0.50
• Maximum Bet: 12.50
• Jackpot: 1,320x
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: No
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Medium

Where can I play the Vegas Lux slot?

If you want to try a few spins on the Vegas Lux slot, then you will need a casino with a proven reputation of offering high quality slots from Realtime Gaming, as well as a superb value starter bonus and if you are quick, then Slots LV Casino could well be the ideal choice for you. New players signing up can use a special introductory offer that will see them land bonus of up to $5,000.

Presentation

The backdrop to the Vegas Lux slots is one of the most famous parts of Las Vegas, the fountains at the Bellagio hotel (where Evil Knievel made one of his most famous daredevil motorcycle jumps). Superimposed over this are the 5 reels, which have an unusual, diamond shaped set up with the middle reel being 5 symbols high, the second and fourth reels being four symbols high and the first and fifth reels being three.

With this slot you can win any way across the reels, which gives 720 Ways to Win and best of all, you can also win from right to left on the reels in addition to left to right. This does sound like the slot would be paying out all the time, but in actual fact, there are enough symbols on the reels and the game plays in such a way that it is only a medium variance game.

What's on the reels?

There are eight standard symbols on the reels and these start with the Cherry and then move on to the four symbols associated with playing cards, Diamond, Club, Spade and then the Heart. Wins on these symbols range from 5 coins, up to 125 coins if you can land five of the hearts across the reels on a single spin.

The higher value symbols are the Vegas showgirl, the Vegas high roller and the Lucky 7s symbols. Wins on these range from 20 coins up to 1,000 coins across the reels.

In addition to these symbols, there are also three symbols linked to the main bonus features in the game, a Wild, a Scatter and a Free Spins symbol. We will explore how each of these symbols works in the game in the sections below.

Wild features

The famous diamond Vegas sign provides the Wild symbol, although the real life lettering has been replaced with a neon lit Wild written large across it. This symbol can land on the middle reels only, but it can be stacked and it can substitute for any of the standard symbols listed above, but not the Scatter and the Free Spins symbol.

The Wild only serves as a replacement symbol and doesn't offer any multiplier bonuses which is a little bit disappointing.

Free Spins features

The Free Games symbol can appear stacked on the reels and it appears on all five reels. If you can land five on the reels in any position then you win your bet money back for that spin.

To trigger the Free Spins bonus, you need to land five or more Free Games symbols across the reels, at least one on each reel. When you do, for every pay line you trigger of Free Games symbols, you will receive 8 Free Spins (with these symbols able to be stacked, it is possible to land up to 240 Free Spins with this bonus).

Once the number of winning lines is calculated, your Free Spins bonus will begin.

Other bonus features

The other bonus feature on the slot is the Diamond symbol. This is the Scatter and they trigger a prize when you land three or more anywhere across the reels. Wins start at 2x your bet for 3 Scatter symbols, going up to 10x your bet for four and lastly 50x your bet if you can land all five across the reels on a single spin.

Best feature of the Vegas Lux slot

Although the Free Spins bonus is potentially lucrative and the Stacked Wilds can lead to some good pays in the base game, I actually feel the star of the show for the Vegas Lux slot is the fact that you can win both ways across the reels. This is rare, especially on a Ways to Win slot, and it does make you feel that you stand a much better chance of winning on each spin, even if that is not necessarily the case when compared to other slots. There's no denying though that this feature does make the end of each spin more exciting.

What does the Vegas Lux slot lack?

I have to be honest and say that I was a little disappointed with the bonuses that were available in the Vegas Lux slot. The Free Spins bonus is hard to trigger hitting five of the Free Spins symbols across the reels is not easy and you will have many near misses before you do eventually hit the bonus. Also, when you do hit the bonus it is usually for 8 or 16 Free Spins, it is not too often that you hit more Free Spins than this. Also there's no multipliers in the game and I feel their omission, especially during Free Spins or on Wild wins, does make the game feel slightly underwhelming.

Conclusion

There are some nice touches on the Vegas Lux slot from Realtime Gaming. I like the 720 Ways to Win and win both ways set up and the diamond set up of the reels works well. The backdrop is nice and the base game is actually decent fun to play. The only problem I have is the bonuses are almost all completely underwhelming and don't really get you that excited to trigger them. It does appear as if those big wins are incredibly difficult to hit and with no multipliers to spice you wins up, there is a point where playing the game just does feel like an exercise in going through the motions.

Ratings

• Presentation: 14 / 20 - The backdrop to the slot is very nicely done and the fountains at the Bellagio are an instantly recognizable landmark for anyone that has been to Vegas. The slots are animated nicely and the reels and symbols are also well done. It has just the right amount of glitz and glam to represent Vegas well without being too garish and in your face. However, I would have liked to have seen the backdrop animated a little, or a little more fizz added to the game when the bonuses do trigger.
• Game-play: 12 / 20 - The base game is good fun to play in the main but there is one thing that does hold it back a little and that is the lack of multipliers to increase the value of those lower value wins on occasion. Also, after a while so many near misses with the Free Spins symbol does tend to grate a little on your nerves. Where the game does let you down is with the bonuses as there is nothing truly exciting to get the blood pumping in the game. It all seems a little too understated for Vegas when it comes to the bonus features.
• Bonus Features: 10 / 20 - Yes there is a Wild, a Scatter and the Free Spins bonus but each of the bonuses is underwhelming. The Wilds land relatively rarely and don't offer any multiplier bonuses when they land, plus they are only on the middle three reels. The Scatter symbol only pays rarely and is usually just the 3 Scatter wins. The Free Spins land very often but seldom land five across the reels to trigger the bonus and as such, generally just act as a block to stop you landing with other wins, which tends to make the game very frustrating at times.
• Entertainment Factor: 11 / 20 - This is a pity as I feel there is a really good game and idea at the heart of Vegas Lux but I just feel the different parts of the slot, especially the bonuses, don't come together well enough to make you want to keep playing. The game has some nice touches and you can see that had a bit more thought gone into the bonus features, that the game could have been a belter, but unfortunately, the bonus features just detract a little from the game itself, which is never a positive.
• Play Value: 12 / 20 - This is a medium variance slot and in truth, if you play this at the lowest spin value of 0.50, then you should find, provided you have a sensible balance to bet with that amount, that this is a game that doesn't take too big a chunk out of your bankroll. However, there are times when you can go several spins without a win or with only small wins and that is when the slot does tend to bite you a little.
• Overall 59 / 100 - I think the Vegas Lux slot is very much a case of a great idea that when executed just doesn't quite come off as planned. The majority of the issues with that lie in the bonuses which are not very exciting, not very rewarding and in the case of the Free Spins symbol actually detract from enjoying the base game as they just tend to block wins frequently on the reels. That's a shame as with its set up and idea, Vegas Lux could have been spectacular, but it falls short of that in the final reckoning.

Good Luck!

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