EmotiCoins Slot Review

You’ve heard of emoticons, now say hello to EmotiCoins by Microgaming. It’s a simple yet clever play on words that neatly combines the best of both worlds: the emojis that have permeated our chat apps and the coins that are a staple of our online casino games, slots especially. There’s a whole lotta coins to be claimed as you delve into the free EmotiCoins slot, a medium variance game with a respectable RTP of 96.5%. Emojis are something which provoke strong emotions in many people, which is more than a touch ironic.

Whether you love those smirking and grimacing little critters or absolutely loathe them, there’s no avoiding them, not in the current year and not with the Emoji Movie to contend with. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em as the saying goes, so why not fire up Microgaming’s EmotiCoins and get involved with the action? It’s a 5-reel slot with 30 paylines and a coin size that can be set between 0.01 and 10. The paylines might not be adjustable but the line bet is, allowing you to set a max bet of 300 coins per spin.

An Emotional Rollercoaster

The EmotiCoins video slot takes place on a 5×3 board with a nondescript backdrop that doesn’t really add anything in terms of atmosphere. The playing card symbols don’t add anything either – in fact they take away from this game. They really don’t look good at all, and it’s a mystery why Microgaming keep rolling them out in their slots. Use playing card values if you must, but at least tie them in with your slots somehow. Aside from the much maligned playing cards, you’ve got the usual suspects when it comes to emojis. This means kissing emoji, sunglasses emoji, crying with laughter emoji and winking emoji.

While the graphics leave a lot to be desired (the emojis look fine; it’s just the rest that sucks), the gameplay is much better. Microgaming have included a few features to keep things interesting and lucrative, starting with the provision of Wild Blast. This sees as many as five wilds at a time appear on the board. These can be triggered at any point in the game, and provide a welcome respite from staring at playing cards and emojis. Microgaming haven’t exactly stretched themselves when it comes to designing the wild symbol: it’s green and says WILD, but hey, at least it’s easily recognisable.

Spin When You’re Grinning

The animations that accompany wins in the base game, while not spectacular, are neatly executed nonetheless. When your emojis match up with three or more of a kind on a payline, they’ll swell in size and you’ll be treated to such flourishes as the winking emoji winking and the sunglasses emoji smirking. This pokie also comes with free spins incidentally, which are administered with the aid of three or more scatters on the board. These appear as a speech bubble that reads LOL. You’ll be awarded 10 free spins together with Wild Stickers. This is essentially sticky wilds which stay locked in place for the duration of your spins. You might start out with zero wilds on the board but by the time you’re done, it will be plastered with them.

Sweet Emojis is Similar

Gamblers who’ve taken a shine to EmotiCoins and are hankering for something similar should try Sweet Emojis. It’s a Booming Games release with medium variance and a board that measures 4×4. Up to 10 free spins can be won from this game. There are quite a few other emoji or emoticon-based slots available on the web including Olympic Emojis and Halloween Emojis. These pair are the product of Mobilots and use a drop effect rather than spinning reels, one that’s reminiscent of playing Candy Crush.

Good Idea, Microgaming!

EmotiCoins certainly isn’t the best game Microgaming have ever released but it’s a neat concept at least. It’s a shame they haven’t done more, because this mobile-compatible game is very playable. Visually though it could use some work starting with the drab playing card symbols which could do with being banished. There’s not a whole lot of bonus features either, leaving it to wilds to anchor the action. As emoji-themed slots go, EmotiCoins isn’t the worst, but there are certainly better titles on the market. It’s back to the drawing board for Microgaming who are capable of so much better.