Daredevil Slot Machine Game
Daredevil slot machines are designed and released by Playtech, one of the leading names in the online slots industry. As part of their deal with Marvel Comics, the company has the rights tocreate a number of superhero-themed games, often loosely adapted from big screen versions of the various characters.
This game centers on Daredevil, a crimefighter based in the Manhattan neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen. The big twist is that he’s blind, and his violent methods are often at odds with his secretidentity as upright lawyer Matt Murdoch.
If you’ve never played this game, or Playtech products in general, this article is meant to serve as a comprehensive look at what you can expect to find. In addition to listing all the availableicons, we’ll examine the various payouts, the quality of the graphics, and the four mystery progressives.
A Closer Look at Daredevil
This long-running Marvel character debuted in Daredevil #1 in April of 1964, and he was the brainchild of Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett. As a child, Matt Murdoch was blinded by aradioactive canister while shoving a man to safety from an oncoming truck, and he found that all his other senses were heightened to superhuman levels. After the murder of his prizefighterfather, he vowed to use his abilities to take on the crime that was rampant in his Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.
The best-known period of the comic came in the 1980s, when Frank Miller took over writing duties. This is when the Kingpin was introduced as Daredevil’s main nemesis, and important individualssuch as Stick and Elektra also made their debuts.
2003 saw Daredevil brought to the silver screen in a movie of the same name. The critics didn’t exactly shower the work with praise, but it still managed to earn $179.2 million against a budgetof $78 million. Elektra got her own film as a result, but that entry into Marvel cinematic history was far less successful.
In 2015, the vigilante with the horned costume got his own show on Netflix. Charlie Cox filled the title role, and Vincent D’Onofrio delighted critics and audiences alike with his multi-layeredportrayal of the Kingpin. The series was a major success, and another season was released the following year. More seasons are planned, as well as Daredevil starring in an eventual crossoverminiseries known as The Defenders.
If you’re a fan of video games, you might also look for ‘ol hornhead in the following titles:
- Marvel: Avengers Alliance (Facebook game)
- Marvel: Contest of Champions (mobile fighting game)
- Marvel: Future Fight (mobile fighting game)
- Lego Marvel’s Avengers (PlayStation, Nintendo, Wii, Xbox, etc.)
Game Symbols and Payouts
This section looks at all the symbols available in the Daredevil slot machine from Playtech. For those who want to know about the special features and bonus rounds, those are covered in the nextsection.
All winnings are multiplied by the line bet. This means a 200 credit win is then multiplied by your wager to determine the overall payout. For example, a 200 credit win on a $5 bet would yield$1,000.
Please note that the characters in the game are inspired by the 2003 Daredevil movie.
However, their looks have been modified enough so that no money had to be shelled out to the performers.
- Daredevil
The hero of the story, Daredevil was played by longtime comic book fan Ben Affleck (after Guy Pearce and Matt Damon declined the part). Although he wasn’t particularly praised by critics, hisexperience in the genre later allowed him to snag the role of Batman. In addition to being the game’s wild symbol (and substituting for all icons except the scatter), winning linecombinations pay the following: 25 credits for two matches, 250 for three, 1000 for four, and 5000 for five.
- Elektra
A lethal assassin of Greek origin, this character is portrayed by Jennifer Garner in Daredevil and its spin-off, Elektra. She and Matt Murdoch develop a romance in theirsecret identities, which makes things all the more confusing when they’re pitted against one another in their alter egos. The symbol pays 15 credits for two matches, 150 for three, 300 forfour, and 1000 for five.
- Kingpin
Also known as Wilson Fisk, this imposing crime boss runs most of the criminal activity in New York City. Played by the late Michael Clarke Duncan, he becomes obsessed with taking down thered-clad vigilante who dares to stand in his way. This icon pays 10 credits for two matches, 75 for three, 200 for four, and 750 for five.
- Bullseye
In the big screen version, Bullseye is an Irish assassin with perfect aim who’s played by Colin Farrell. He’s hired by the Kingpin to kill a business partner who’s getting cold feet, and heframes our hero for the murder in the process. When part of a winning combination, this icon pays five credits for two matches, 50 for three, 150 for four, and 500 for five.
- Daredevil Logo
The “DD” symbol is the game’s scatter icon, and it pays the following amounts: one credit for two matches, three for three, 20 for four, and 100 for five.
- Dardevil’s Baton and Electra’s Sai
The signature weapons of Daredevil and Elektra, the baton and sai pay identical amounts when part of a winning combination. If you’re lucky enough to win, you can expect the followingpayouts: two credits for two matches, 25 for three, 50 for four, and 250 for five.
- Ace & King
These playing card symbols act as filler for most slot machines. In this case, getting three aces or three kings pays the following: 20 credits for three, 30 for four, and 120 for five.
- Queen & Jack
More playing card values. This time around, a three-of-a-kind combo pays 10 credits for three matches, 25 for four, and 100 for five.
- Ten & Nine
If you get three-of-a-kind of either of these playing card values, you’ll win the following: 5 credits for three matches, 20 credits for four, and 75 for five.
The game has a few other ways to win in addition to the regular paylines. This section examines each of them in detail.
- Free Games – If three or more Daredevil icons show up on the main screen, the Free Games round is triggered. The player wins 10 free games, and symbols are randomly turned wild after eachspin (from zero to three). There’s no limit to the number of free games that can be won.
- Bullseye Feature – When you’re on the game’s main screen, you’ll notice a bullseye symbol. Before your spin, use your cursor to move the bullseye onto one of the 15 reel positions and clickit into place. If the Bullseye icon winds up in the space you’ve selected, you’ll find your total bet multiplied by three. The bullseye then stays where you put it, at least until you choose tomove it elsewhere.
If you’re wondering about the various animations as they apply to the heroes and villains, here’s what you can expect to find when the symbols are part of a winning combo:
- Daredevil – We zoom into the dark eyeball of the hero, where we’re presented with the words “Wild.”
- Kingpin – The initial image shows Wilson Fisk smoking a cigar. When part of a winning combination, the image changes to show the immense crime lord standing in the rain, with the skyline ofthe city illuminated behind him by lightning flashes.
- Bullseye – The bullseye symbol carved into the assassin’s forehead suddenly lights up and flies off the reel to overlap the similar symbol that’s already in the center of the screen.
- Elektra – The female assassin and love interest of Daredevil holds up her sai in a menacing fashion.
As you might have noticed, there’s not a lot going on when it comes to animation. I suppose any movement is better than none, but you would think that a respected designer like Playtech couldcome up with something more visually interesting. Then again, they may have calculated that such extras wouldn’t draw in additional customers, so it wasn’t worth the expenditure of time ormoney.
The audio part of the game is even worse. While the pages describing the pay table and special features include some generic music, the basic game screen can’t even be bothered to provide thatmuch. Instead, you get nothing more than a low hum. The last time I checked, Daredevil was blind, not deaf.
Both of these components are a major disappointment in the game. Of course, they also have nothing to do with payouts, so most players aren’t going to care that much, especially if they’re fansof the superhero genre. Admittedly, I would rather become a millionaire on a drab game than go home empty-handed on a more visually stimulating machine.
Multi-Level Mystery Progressive Jackpot
The symbols and features discussed above already offer a number of ways to win, but players should be delighted to learn that the Daredevil slot also provides gamblers with a chance to pick upone of four progressive jackpots. These are known as “mystery progressive jackpots,” although I’m not exactly certain why the word “mystery” is used to describe them. I suppose it sounds moreexciting for marketing purposes, or maybe it’s because the player doesn’t initially know which jackpot they’ll win.
With most slot machines, the customer is required to hit a specific sequence of symbols in order to win the progressive jackpot. At the very least, they need to get certain icons in order toactivate a bonus round that contains the possibility of a progressive win. The Daredevil slot, however, works a bit differently.
Larger bets increase your chances, but even a losing spin can still provide a huge payday for the player.
Once the progressive round is triggered, the player is taken to a separate screen with a 4×5 grid and 20 covered squares. The various jackpots are hidden under these squares, and the playermust click them in order to reveal what’s underneath. Once you’re found three of a certain type of jackpot, you’ll be awarded the amount currently associated with that progressive.
In case you’re wondering, the four progressives are called Power, Extra Power, Super Power, and Ultimate Power. Power is the least of the bunch, with the progressive jackpot usually payingsomewhere in the hundreds of dollars. The biggest is Ultimate Power, and it’s not unusual for winning players to walk away with hundreds of thousands from this jackpot. Like all progressives,any jackpot that’s won resets to a base amount and begins to grow again with each spin.
Here’s another piece of good news: once you’ve reached the progressive bonus screen, you’re guaranteed to walk away with one of the prizes. That’s reassuring, especially if you’ve ever had themisfortune of falling just short of a big payout on a slot machine.
Conclusion
The Daredevil slot machines from Playtech are ideal for fans of the Marvel Comics character or superheroes in general. It offers some solid payouts, a wide range of betting options, and fourprogressive jackpots that can put your kids through college (or buy you that yacht you’ve always wanted).
However, if you insist on eye-popping graphics and dynamic sound effects or music, then you’re likely to be disappointed by this release. Playtech didn’t put a lot of effort into this area, andthe same can be said of all their Marvel-related titles.
This criticism shouldn’t stop you from giving it a try, however. While the game may not impress the eyes and ears, it can still work wonders for your bank account. And in the end, that’susually the deciding factor for any self-respecting slot machine fanatic.