There are always a number of games that resonate with different players for different reasons. Some games will help to take fans back to a certain time in their lives where they may have spent hours and hours on it. Others may have provided users with the passions that they encompass today and may have perhaps shaped their lives into what they currently are.
NetEnt look to have tapped into those memories that certain players may have with certain games, though, as they have released a brand new slot game called ‘Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot™’ and look to add to the growing NetEnt Casino list.
The hit arcade game was released in 1991 and became hugely popular with gamers across the world during its original run and has continued to be one of the games many rank highly when talking about games in the fighting category.
The Street Fighter franchise is thought to be one of the highest-grossing all-time video games. It is also one of the flagship series by Capcom with its sales reaching a total of 44 million units in the entire world by December 31, 2019.
“In developing Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot™ we felt a huge responsibility to ensure our slot game lived up to the iconic 90s original – a video game which has continued to entertain fans for almost 30 years,” says Bryan Upton, NetEnt Director of Games.
“Authenticity was the critical factor to the design of this game, from the arcade-inspired art and sounds to the game mechanics, as well as the Beat the Bosses and Car Smashing bonus rounds. We designed the game to fuel players’ nostalgic competitiveness throughout the gameplay. We are immensely proud of the end product and we hope players all over the world appreciate it.”
NetEnt have kept everything that a player will have remembered from the original release almost 30 years ago as well, with the same eight characters from the start being playable, whilst retaining the format whereby you follow the storyline of the character and play to beat your opponent - all while being in the form of an online slot game. These iconic characters are: Dhalsim; Honda; Ryu; Guile; Zangief; Chun Li; Blanka and Ken.
Even more so, the same graphics from the arcade classic have been retained, therefore providing players with some nostalgia as they look to win.
Regarding the game itself, the game works as a Cluster Pays Slot on a grid that has 5 reels and 5 rows. The aim of the game is to match as many symbols as possible when they are touching each other, which is slightly different to the usual slot games that are normally found.
The aim of the game is to advance through the levels, just like the original arcade hit. Winning combinations on the grid determine how much damage is dealt to the characters, with each battle continuing until one fighter is defeated.
Should a player be defeated, they will have the opportunity to redeem themselves with the chance to win some cash in a special feature round called Car Smash Bonus Game. Those who win, though, get the chance to trigger a multi-level Beat the Bosses Free Spins and take on four recognisable bosses for the chance to earn multipliers at each level.
Should a player be able to defeat all the bosses available in the game, they will be crowned the World Champion and earn an additional prize to the ones that have already been collected along the journey.
Street Fighter II has an RTP of 96.06% with medium to high variance, therefore giving players the ability to win big and an expectation to win something the more they play the game. However, with the variety of different characters to choose from, the RTP can be slightly different - here is how they stack up:
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Dhalsim – Puts 3 or 4 wilds randomly on the reels (RTP 96.04%)
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Honda – Puts 3 wilds on the identical reel (RTP 96.05%)
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Ryu – Puts 3 wild symbols on the identical reel (RTP 96.02%)
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Guile – Puts 2 stacks vertically of 2 wild symbols (RTP 96.04%)
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Zangief – Puts 2 stacks horizontally of 2 wilds (RTP 96.08%)
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Chun Li – Puts 2 or 7 wild symbols randomly (RTP 96.08%)
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Blanka – Puts 1 or 5 wild symbols on the identical reel (RTP 96.08%)
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Ken – Puts 1 or 5 wild symbols on the identical row (RTP 96.06%)
NetEnt have an excellent reputation amongst those that are accustomed to their games, with slot machine style games arguably their forte when it comes down to the games they develop. However, the Scandanavian company have diversified over the years, as they bring table games to the party as they build an impressive portfolio.
The Swedish company are also considered industry-leaders for their ability to produce a number of mobile-friendly games that are available to players who want to spend real money or are just looking to get involved with the free games. These games are developed using HTML coding, rather than the traditional and old method of Flash, which allows for players on smartphones and tablets to play the game through web browsers, eliminating the need to download another application and potentially taking up valuable space for other apps.
The casino games they produce are not just of the highest quality, though, as they also offer one of the most favourable Return to Player Rates (RTP) compared to many of their rivals in the industry. It has been revealed their slots have an average payout percentage that sits higher than 94% which is above the industry average and is significantly better than the physical machines that can be found in arcades and bars/pubs.
NetEnt also have the USP (Unique Selling Point) of providing their players with the transparency that their games have not been rigged in their favour. The Swedish company use independent auditors to test their games before they are made available to the public, therefore eliminating any accusations they might face regarding any potential cheating of their players.
With those aspects considered, it is rather easy to understand why NetEnt is one of the more popular game developers in the industry.