Sweet Party Slot Review

Dude, that party was sweet. What party? Why Sweet Party, that maddeningly addictive slot from Playtech. Why is this game so moreish? Because it’s Candy Crush, that’s why.

Theme

The game that spawned a slew of imitators across all channels, devices and domains, Candy Crush has got a lot to answer for. The Tetris of the Facebook generation, Candy Crush has inspired games developers across all industries, including the i-Gaming sector. Sweet Party isn’t the first slot to draw heavily upon the fruit-popping formula first popularised by Candy Crush and it certainly won’t be the last.

This progressive jackpot game also borrows from Playtech’s Funky Fruits (or is it the other way around?) thanks to a 5×5 layout, with wins awarded for horizontal and vertical matches of 5 or more matching symbols. The symbols themselves are housed inside a jelly bean dispenser, or rather a gumball machine to be precise, the sort you’d insert a coin into and twist the handle to land a toy or tasty treat.

Controls

Sweet Party is a 20 payline game with the option to set a stake of between 1 and 10 per spin. The number of paylines remains fixed and the value of the jackpot is clearly displayed to the right of the reels. Give them a spin and a series of popping sounds will herald the arrival of the sweets on the paylines. Playtech haven’t just stolen Candy Crush’s graphics: they’ve also pinched its sound effects.

The symbols themselves are cutesy and colourful, just as you’d expect. Notable highlights include a green gummy bear, yellow doughnut and red jelly bean. A series of subtle animations causes the symbols to twinkle and for light to reflect off them, lending the game added depth and realism – or at least as much realism as can be infused into a game that involves splatting sweets together inside a giant gumball machine.

Gameplay

Every time you press play, the reels don’t exactly spin. Instead the entire 5×5 grid of candies drops off the bottom of the screen and – following a swift exhortation of “Good Luck!” – a fresh batch of sweets appears. If any of these combos comprise 5 or more of a kind, a win will be awarded and the symbols in question will “pop”, to be replaced by new symbols. This Candy Crush format makes it possible to score multiple wins based off of a single spin.

While 5 is the minimum number of symbols required for a win, it’s possible to match 16 or more of a kind. The doughnut is the lowest value symbol, but it’ll still treat you to a 50x multiplier if you land 16 or more on the grid. Green gummy bears, meanwhile, are worth a 5,000x multiplier for 16 or more. Even 10 gummy bears will grant you a win of 125x your stake.

Features

There are no scatters or wilds in Sweet Party – it’s not that kind of a game. Instead, there’s just one prime symbol to collect – the jackpot symbol. It isn’t marked as such, but you’ll have no trouble recognising it: it’s the red and white boiled sweet, the sort that will be familiar to anyone who was ever kid, which is everyone.

You’ll need 8 or more jackpot symbols to win a share of the pot, but don’t get too excited should 8 suddenly plop into view: you’ll only win a tiny share of the pot for 8 symbols. Suffice to say that the more you match in a single spin, the more you’ll make. The value of the jackpot is also dictated by the value of the stake. Bet 1 credit and you’ll potentially win 10% of the jackpot, whereas bet the full 10 credits and you’ll eligible to scoop every last cent out of the pot.

Similar Games

The game that Sweet Party bears the most similarity to – aside from Candy Crush – is Funky Fruits. Also developed by Playtech, this slot deploys the same features and format including a 5×5 grid and a similar fruit-popping method of notching up wins.

Conclusion

Sweet Party is an extremely enjoyable. You should have no trouble playing this game for hours without tiring of it, thanks to the Candy Crush format that’s irresistibly good.