Zanzibar Slot Machine from WMS
Zanzibar is an island off the coast of East Africa which was once a thriving (if dangerous!) trading port. It is best known from Arabic adventure tales. This casino slot from WMS takes many of the images associated with this period, and makes them into an enjoyable game. You’ll find a cutlass, distinctive monkey and a fierce looking assassin on the reels.
There are two notable features. First, a special wild symbol on reel 3 can trigger a replicating wild feature – leading to some bigger line hits. There is also a free spins bonus game, which can be retriggered.
Regular Setup of the Zanzibar Slot
While Zanzibar is a mysterious and exotic destination, there is nothing exotic about the game setup. This uses a very ordinary 5-reel video slot format, with 3 rows of symbols on each of the reels and 30 win lines. You will bet in multiples of 30c, and can’t adjust the number of win-lines.
Wilds are the highest paying symbols – as well as fulfilling their usual role of substituting for the regular symbols. This is the scene of a desert oasis, complete with palm trees and blue pool. 5 of these will get you 500 coins, though this will usually come with some additional wins on other lines too. The special ‘sunset palms’ wild on reel 3 counts as a normal wild when calculating wins.
A horse with a long flowing mane, that exotic looking monkey (who is holding what could be a pink jewel) and a complex looking piece of jewelry come next in the payouts – each of these are worth 200 coins for 5. Mid-level prizes come from lining up 3 or more swords, golden teapots, horns and pots. There are the gems which look like the playing card suits making up the smallest of the line wins.
Sunset Palms Wild – Replicating Symbols
The special wild on the 3rd reel can trigger an on-reel bonus game. This will only happen if a win can be created on a spin where it appears. When this triggers, the reels will shrink for a moment, a message saying ‘replicating wilds triggered’ will appear, and then the reels go back to full size. Sparks of light will then come from the special wild. These float around on the reels in arcs, hitting one of the spots on the reels each time. They will replicate one of the symbols, often helping to create more wins. This can be the wild symbols, though more usually is one of the others.
Assassins Trigger the Free Spins Bonus Game
Assassin symbols are hard to miss. These are oversized, and show a detailed picture of a black-clad character with a sword overhead ready to strike. Each time one hits, you’ll hear a loud sound effect too. If you get 3+ anywhere on the reels, you get 10 free spins.
There is nothing unusual about the free spins compared to the base game. The replicating wild symbol still appears, and so does the assassin, meaning that you can retrigger the bonus game.
Arabic Style Design
Considering how exotic the legends and potential images are for a game themed on Zanzibar, this slot is understated. Around the outside of the reels are some geometric designs in different colors, though the backing of the reels is a plain beige.
Some of the symbols are drawn with a lot of detail. The horse stands out, as does the monkey. Best of all is the oversized assassin symbol, which is a dramatic contrast to the rest. You will see a sparkle animation on the assassin’s sword, though that is about it for animations for the symbols.
When the replicating wild comes, the sparks flying around to add new symbols are nicely done. This is ‘borrowed’ from other WMS titles – adding to the impression that the Zanzibar slot was created on a tight budget! You will also see flame effects around the reels if you hit 2 of the scatter symbols, along with a sound effect.
There is no Arabic or Persian style soundtrack for this game – the bleeps come directly from the regular WMS slot sound library.
Should You Monkey Around with the Zanzibar Slot?
This game is solid and enjoyable – with years of experience from WMS going into the game-play. If you are looking for something interesting, or based on a fresh new theme, then Zanzibar might be a slot to skip. I can’t help feel there is so much more that could have been done with this theme – both from a design perspective and in terms of innovative playing options. Having said that, the replicating wilds adds some interest to the base game.