The Final Countdown is a video slot that blends sci-fi and 80’s rock music to resounding success. When Europe was singing about ‘heading to Venus’, we don’t think they quite envisioned it like this. Still, there’s no denying it looks quite attractive.

As a spiritual successor to Danger! High Voltage released a few years prior; this game has big shoes to fill. To help it on its journey are some extra goodies! Cloned reels, expanding cloned Wilds and two types of free spins.

The Final Countdown introduction, including RTP and variance

Big Time Gaming’s release is played on a 6×4 board with 4096 ways to win, forgoing traditional paylines. To land a win, you need to connect three or more identical symbols in adjacent positions from left to right. Since there are no fixed paylines, you do not have to worry about following some imaginary lines on the screen.

The theoretical payout (RTP) for this slot ranges between 96.56% and 96.65%. In either case, both sit above the current industry average, so we’re quite happy.

The game is not shy about letting you know it is very volatile. If you plan to play it, you should play for the long haul. It may be a bit tedious now, but wait until the jackpot hits!

Gameplay and Pay Table

The Final Countdown’s paytable is designed for small wins that get multiplied to high hell and back. Playing card icons can rarely go above 1x your total stake, and the gemstones are no better. The only exception is the purple gemstone, which can award 25x your total bet for a six-of-a-kind win. It seems quite bad at first glance, but that’s only if you do not account for the bonuses!

Special symbols include two different Wilds – a man and a woman. They will usually occupy multiple tiles thanks to how Wilds are structured in this slot. You can also find golden coins lying around – those are Scatters, and are used to trigger free spins.

The Final Countdown Bonus Features

On each spin, the Reel Clone feature is activated. It can highlight between two to four reels, and make them display the same icons. Only reels two to five can be cloned, so there is no such thing as a guaranteed win. That said, your chances of a big win are a whole lot better!

When Wilds are cloned, they expand horizontally and vertically, depending on the number of reels being cloned. Wilds ‘growing’ like this also occurs during both free spins bonuses.

And since we mentioned them, we might as well talk about them some more! Three or more Scatters in any position rewards the free spins bonus feature. Well, one of two, and you get to pick! We’re suckers for player choice, so this was a massive plus in our book. It also helps that both extra turns bonuses are so good!

The Countdown:

Eight free spins are played, with a large number counting down from 10. Each time the countdown reaches 0, the free spins retrigger. Now, if you’re pointing you the countdown needs ten spins, and you only have eight, you would be right. That’s why any additional Scatters you pick up to reduce the Countdown by three, making it possible. Roaming Wilds accompany this bonus – instead of sticking in place, they ‘roam’ the reels. Each retriggers increases their size, capping at four reels.

Heading for Venus:

Fifteen free spins are played, with a guaranteed reel clone on every spin. Landing three or more Scatters retriggers free spins. When a reel clone fires, it has a chance to create a Velocity Wild. This Wild can take up any size, and can be any value from 4x to a massive 888x! This is far beyond what regular Wilds can accomplish, which is what makes this free spins feature so lucrative.

CasinoWizard’s verdict: 4 out of 5 stars

Honestly, we’re not going to waste your time with a massive summary. We loved every aspect of The Final Countdown. The visuals, the audio design, special features, and gameplay. Big Time Gaming nailed this release. It has an above-average RTP, and a high enough volatility to make this interesting!

Our verdict is simple: play it. Right now. No excuses.

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