Will you pass GO! and collect £200? You’ll certainly be hoping so as you look to line up the reels in this slot version of the famous board game. Monopoly Utility Trails from SG Digital/WMS offers a fresh new way to potentially make money from playing Monopoly – and this time, it’s the real thing! Although there’s a demo game available, this slot plays for real cash, so if you’re a winner, you won’t be collecting those pink and yellow banknotes but real money instead! With a top prize of 250,000.00, there’s plenty of reasons to line up and see whether you can walk away with a big payday.
Monopoly Utility Trails has been created by WMS, one of the studios under the SG Digital umbrella. The latest title adds to an impressive collective of Monopoly-themed slot games, reinventing the board game in a new arena. All of their Monopoly slots offer something slightly different, with Monopoly: Big Money Reel bringing in the iconic Monopoly banknotes while Monopoly: Mega Movers gives players the chance to spot their favourite playing piece. Monopoly Electric Wins is a contemporary neon version, while Monopoly Grand Hotel offers the opportunity of four jackpots. The popularity of the Monopoly board game means there’s always room for another slot! And Utility Trails is genuinely original, offering a completely different approach than you might have seen before.
The grid on Utility Trails looks very different to slots you may have played before as the board is 8×7. However, rather than sprawling across the screen, it’s surprisingly small and crowded into the centre of the screen. This is because there are lots to cram in – but more about that below. The min bet makes it accessible for those who want to bet low, with just 0.2 to get started. This can climb up to 50.00 for high rollers chasing the bigger wins. The RTP is impressive at 96.61%, higher than average. Does it sound exciting? It’s not out until 16 March 2021, but you can get yourself ready for the release with lots of other exciting online slot titles available at our casino site PartyCasino until then!
At first glance, this slot doesn’t look much like the Monopoly board but look closer, and you’ll start to see things that appear familiar. It’s not set out on the regular Monopoly board, but that’s because this interpretation is about the Utility companies that appear in the game.
The low pays in this game are the coloured gems, while the high pays are some of the playing pieces you’ll know and love. The top hat, dog, racing car and ship are all on the reels, and you’ll need to match these to win.
However, this isn’t a slot where you’re trying to get matches along a payline. Instead, you’ll need a cluster of at least five symbols to win. To form a cluster, the symbols have to be touching each other either horizontally or vertically. The more symbols in a cluster, the bigger the prize. After each winning turn, the matching symbols will disappear, and new symbols will cascade onto the board. This cycle will repeat until there are no more clusters that can be formed.
As an extra helping hand, there are also wilds to make it easier to form a cluster. Wilds can’t substitute for either the Water Works Tap or the Electric Company Bulb. If a wild is used in a cluster, it will disappear when the tiles cascade. If it’s not used, it will remain on the board for the next cascade, just like the other symbols.
OK, buckle up and settle in for a whole stream of extra features coming your way! This slot is absolutely loaded with additional ways to win, which really spice up the gameplay.
There are Golden Wilds available, and when two of them land on the same row or column, they connect to trigger Wild Tracks. This creates Carriage Wilds which line up between the two Golden Wilds and replace all the other symbols in the row or column. If there are four Golden Wilds that form a square, Carriage Wilds will cover the entire square and not just the outline. If any Carriage Wilds are not used and remain for a new cascade, they will transform into a Golden Wild.
During any spin, you may see a 3×3 Community Chest card appear. When this happens, the chest will open to award a cash prize of between x5-1000. The symbol will then disappear from the grid instantly.
Water Works Taps may land during play; these add to the Water Meter on the right of the board. Once added, the Water Works Tap is removed. Once you’ve collected 15 Water Works Taps, your gauge will be full, and the bonus will open. During the bonus, the reels will spin to create clusters and cascade as usual. The taps above the grid may open and pour water at any point; if they do, a modifier will appear to upgrade payouts.
There are also Electric Bulb Company symbols in the base game, which are collected in the same way as the taps. There is a separate meter for the bulbs. Fifteen bulbs activate the bonus round where symbols are replaced by property cards, coloured tiles and Chance cards which award a hotel or house. Like the real-life game, this bonus round aims to collect properties and add houses or hotels wherever possible.
Finally, in the base game, the Off the Rails jackpot is awarded if you fill the board with wilds. This can be achieved in various ways, such as landing a Golden Wild in all four corners. This jackpot is worth 20,000.00.
This newest addition to the family of Monopoly game is nothing short of blistering. Packed full of exciting features and looking very different to a standard slot, this isn’t a game for newbies. However, for those who are familiar with slot listings and looking for something new, Monopoly: Utility Trails is one of the most exciting titles to come along for some time.