The visuals in the Space Invaders game will be familiar to anyone who has ever played the cult video game - the reels are set within an arcade machine and include a trio of pixelated aliens alongside spaceships, flying saucers, monsters and the surface of a planet. Symbols can appear as stacked and fill all 3 rows, making large winning clusters a possibility. Land 5 of the planet for a 150 coin payout.
Underneath the reels you'll notice a cannon - it slides along the planet surface, stopping below a different reel on each spin. If the cannon stops under reels 2 or 4, it can trigger the Invaders Turn Wild feature. If there are any lower value pixelated aliens on the reel, they will be blasted away by the cannon and replaced by wilds.
A new payout consideration is then made with the new wilds in place. It's possible to turn multiple lower value symbols wild here. Winning combinations that feature 2 or more wilds will be boosted by a 2x multiplier and doubled.
Keep an eye out for the red UFO which can fly onto the screen above the reels - if the alien craft and the cannon below the reels align, you'll trigger the UFO Wild feature. A normal payout will be made and you'll then be awarded a re-spin. The cannon will blast a volley of fire, destroy the UFO and in the process adding a selection of wilds to the reels. Another payout will then be made with the multiple extra wilds in position.
Just like the original, the slot version of Space Invaders is a simple, yet hypnotic affair - visually, it's terrific and had us harking back to the arcade classic. The synth soundtrack certainly adds to the retro feel too.
The features on offer are pretty good as well, hitting at regular intervals. It's unlikely that you'll break the bank playing this game but you can expect plenty of smaller level wins though. A few free spins wouldn't have gone amiss though.
The lack of free spins aside, there's plenty to enjoy in this Space Invaders reboot. The design is superb and the wild extras are a nice addition. Fans of the original can enjoy a warm glow of nostalgia. New players can get a history lesson while they're playing too!