Golden Gate Slot Review

San Francisco’s iconic bridge is the setting for Merkur’s Golden Gate. The German software developer have created a touching tribute to the San Fran of old, complete with classic cars, old-fashioned street lights and the cable cars that ascend its famous hills.

Why dedicate a slot to a bridge? Well, why not? Weirder things than the Golden Gate Bridge have been the subject of video slots. The distinctive red bridge stands imperiously in the background, but the symbols themselves are largely devoted to inner city life. The graphical style Merkur have applied will appeal to some players, but others will find it too spartan for their tastes.

Depending on the web browser you’re using, you may encounter difficulties in getting Golden Gate to load. Persevere however, switching browsers if you have to, and you should get there eventually. When the game does deign to load, you’ll find a 5-reel slot with a whole lot of playing card symbols interspersed with a few San Francisco-themed symbols. The slot is available in English, but depending on the casino you’re playing at, you may find a version that’s in German. If you do, it shouldn’t impact upon your ability to play the game; slots are a largely visual medium after all.

Controls on the Bottom

The playing controls are positioned across the bottom of the screen, with the plus and minus buttons for adjusting the stake. The game has 10 fixed paylines and the stake per line can be set between 0.10 and 10.00. On first inspection, it appears that there’s no autospin; just a green spin button that sits centrally below the reels. Look a little closer however and you’ll an option at the very bottom left of the screen marked Autostart.

Alongside it is the option to set the number of spins from 10 to 100. At any time during autospin, you can press the button again to regain manual control. Also to the bottom left of the screen is a paytable button, but clicking on it doesn’t reveal much in terms of game strategy. The final button of note is a small gear wheel icon in the top right of the screen that allows you to control speaker, ambient and effect volume.

Gate to Riches

In the base game, the playing card symbols are worth between 100 and 150 for 5 in a row. Next up are the oranges and street lamps, followed by the blue car, which commands 500 for 5 and then the red truck which is worth 1,000. The Golden Gate Bridge serves as the game’s wild symbol and will substitute for any of the symbols except for scatter. In the process, wild will apply a 2x multiplier.

As for scatter, that symbol appears in the guise of a cable car. It’s possible to win between 1,000 and 2,000 with 3 cable cars. 2 cable cars are enough to secure a win, but when 3 cable cars surface on the reels, you’ll be entered into the max win lottery. Any time you win a sum of cash in Golden Gate, you’ll be given the chance of doubling your money by playing the ladder gamble or card gamble game. Lose and you will of course forfeit everything.

Animations

The game has a stated RTP of just over 96%. In action, it proves to be a solid if unspectacular slot. One nice touch is the animations that are applied every time you record a win; when the orange groves alight on the reels, for example, the boughs shake and leaves flutter down. The street lamps glow, meanwhile, and the red fire truck and blue car speed along the open road.

Other than that, there’s not much to Golden Gate; it’s pleasant enough, but ultimately an underwhelming slot that doesn’t live up to its potential.

Gold Doesn’t Sparkle

Golden Gate is an unusual slot from Merkur that is quirky but too basic to provide any lasting enjoyment. The base game is fine, but there’s not enough in terms of features to make this slot worth tracking down. Play it if you like; just don’t expect great things from a game that never really gets out of second gear.