About Assassin Moon
Microgaming have been producing slots in partnership with smaller studio for some time now. It allows them to out-source creative work and harness the talents of alternative teams whist still adding to the collection of games released on their own platform. Studios like Just For The Win and Assassin Moon’s creators, Triple Edge, have raised their own profiles in this arrangement too. And out of all that has come some pretty tasty slots. In this instance we are presented with a highly volatile game that makes use of a classic slot developers trick, the HyperHold – it plays out a bit like StreakRespis – but more on that in a moment.
Espionage games are yet another slots niche that has thrown up some classics over the years. It allows a developer to paint some pretty stunning backdrops and build some tense narratives – NetEnt’s Cash Noire from summer 2020 is one great example. Here we are taken to the beautiful old town of Monte Carlo in Southern France, where are heroine, Lola, is on a mission to seek out and kill her target. The backdrop is a view of the Mediterranean and the soundtrack is like something from a James Bond movie, creating a stunning atmosphere.
There are 5 reels, 4 rows and 25 fixed paylines in play at all times, and the action in Assassin Moons starts from 10p per spin.
RTP, Variance and Top Payout
Remember, this is super-high variance slot, so the win distribution will be very uneven. Expect lots of slow periods with little of no wins before a succession of big payouts. It means you’ll need a decent bankroll if you want to take this slot on. The RTP is set at a good-enough 96.08%, rising to 96.33% in the Win Booster mode. The top payout of Assassin Moon is 12,500x stake, which is achieved when all cells are filled with Lola Wilds. There are also FOUR  fixed jackpots on the offer, with the biggest at 5,000x.
Symbols and PaytableÂ
After the opening scenes that establish your mission you will be presented with the reel set and stunning scenery. The reel set in the foreground includes low value playing card symbols and premium icons from the high roller lifestyle – dice, champagne, sports cars and the guy carrying a Target on his face who is the top-paying icon of the lot with a 25x bet for five of a kind.
Look out as well of course for Lola who is the Wild, substituting for all regular symbols, and delivering 500x your stake; and the casino chip which is the scatter, required to unlock the free spins round.Â
Gameplay and Features
Assassin’s Moon comes with several classic slots features, including stacked wilds and the brilliant Hyper Hold. But the best action is reserved for the free spins round. Here’s how it all works:
Stacked Wilds Feature
Apart from being the highest-paying icon of the game, Lola will also appear in stacks. Stacks of Wilds can cover every reel, so it is possible for all five reels turn Wild!
Hyper Hold Feature
The Hyper Hold feature is triggered when six or more Moons appear on the reels. The triggering icons will be locked on their positions, and 3 re-spins ensue. Every time a new Moon appears on the reels, the number of re-spins resets to 3, so this keeps re triggering if you get lucky.
Every Moon has a cash value as well, from 15x to 20x. And on top of that there are also Mini, Minor, Major or Mega Jackpots (from 50x to 5,000x). If all cells are filled with Moons, the Mega Jackpot of 5,000x pays out. If not, all values from the Moons present on the reels are added up and paid out.
Win Booster Feature
To increase chances of triggering the Hyper Hold feature, you can activate the Win Booster feature. Here, the price of your bet is bigger, but more Moons are available on the reels for each spin.
Free Spins Feature
Casino chips represent Scatters that trigger the Free Spins feature. Land three of them on reels 2, 3, and 4, and you will be rewarded with 10 free spins. The reels where the Scatters appeared will turn into one giant reel, where 3×3 jumbo blocks will appear, equal to 9 identical symbols. Of course bigger symbols greatly increases your chances of forming lines of identical symbols on each spin and triggering a win.
It is also possible to retrigger the free spins by landing a jumbo chip Scatter on the central reel.
Our Verdict
This is an excellent little high variance number from Triple Edge. The graphics and soundtrack are stunning and whilst it doesn’t blow you away with its features, the HyperHold is a nice variation on the locked reels features used in many slots. Despite the high volatility there are enough regular events going on to keep things interesting. The best stuff happens in the free spins round where those colossal symbols can really help kick off some big wins. Remember as well that wild stacks are a great way to create winning lines in the base game.
