King Kong Cash Slot Review

Going ape is the name of the game when you play King Kong Cash from Blueprint Gaming, based on the beast that is King Kong, this slot takes a surprisingly fun approach to the story. We’ve seen my adaptations of the tale, with Peter Jackson’s 2005 film still vivid in everyone’s minds, but we leave behind that dank aesthetic for colour and joy.

What we’re basically getting is a cartoon version of the king that looks more like a Nintendo character than a monster. And if you don’t know which character we’re talking about, try looking up Donkey Kong online. As diehard Nintendo fans, seeing such a blatant copy of a familiar character didn’t sit well with us, but then we starting playing and gave the reels a chance.

Sleeping Giant

After the funny image of Kong swinging from the top of the Empire State building leaves the screen, you’re placed on a bright looking Skull Island, where he’s sat on his throne fast asleep. How he can sleep through the constant tinkle of coins we don’t know, but he’s managing to do so nonetheless.

We had been waiting for him to start dancing and swinging about when we started to play, but still he slept on… until he came to life and tampered with the grid. This is a random event, but when it triggers you get given one of several outcomes: Banana Cannon Wilds, Golden Barrel Super Spin, Bonus Boost, Kong Respin, and King Kong Streak. So instead of trying to avoid waking him, you’ll be begging for his eyes to pop open. Funny how things work out when money is involved, eh?

A Gigantic Gamble

In addition to the modifiers briefly mentioned above, you have the King Kong scatter, the bonus symbol of the matrix. As is the norm, you need to get three or more of these for the accompanying round to occur, but when you do you’re in for a risky gamble. You’ll be shown a ladder, which you must progress up to get your bonus selection; you can stick with what you’re given or gamble it for a chance at another round.

No matter which you choose, you’ll be entering a bonus level of some sorts, and so in that respect this section is mightily generous. That being said, the fact that there’s so much variety means that you’ll probably never activate all the bonuses. Even though that’s better than having no variance at all, too much can be frustrating for players when they can’t access it.

Cartoons into Realism

As we’ve already made a point of making, most King Kong slots don’t take the aesthetic approach of this one, as shown by Playtech’s version, simply named King Kong. They go for an ultra photorealistic approach, with the mood as bleak looking at the misty establishing shot in Jackson’s Skull Island scene. This is a much more adult and raw experience, and while just as good a game, it’s a lot more depressing than it is fun. Nevertheless, if you want to see how the other labels out there recreate a slot like this one, you’ll know exactly where to look.

Cashing in Kong’s Money

How we managed to get all of Kong’s cash no one truly knows, but we’re alive and we have the coins to prove it. That counts for quite a lot, but that doesn’t tell us whether this is a superior gaming experience or not; we’d be inclined to say no. Don’t misunderstand, as far as innovation with design goes, Blueprint wins this round forever and always, but the gameplay isn’t that fresh. A truth that is even more evident when you look at the paytables from their other games: they repeat the features a lot.

King Kong Cash is better than your average real cash slot, but it still won’t make the top spot when it comes to that five star rating. In fact, it’s only worth about four stars. However, there’s potential for Blueprint to build on this slot and perhaps improve on it later in time, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed for that happening.