Bet365 Game Review: Rocky Video Slot

Sylvester Stallone earned an Oscar for his writing in the first of his series of Boxing films. That story, of a club boxer who mixes it with the World Heavyweight Champion and almost beats him, was named Rocky and spawned a legacy of films, some great, some not quite so good over the next 30 years or so.

When it comes to the boxing genre, Rocky is very much the benchmark for films to do with the topic and given its place in popular culture, it isn’t surprising that Playtech decided to use the franchise as the inspiration for their Rocky Video Slot.

Featuring a host of characters taken from the film series, including many of Rocky’s fearsome opponents, this slot, playable now at Bet365 Games, offers players the chance to become a part of the enduring Rocky legend all from as little as $0.01 per spin. Let’s take a closer look to see if the Rocky slot punches above its weight.

Key Information

As you would expect from any slot that takes its cue from a famous film series, characters and elements from the story play a key role in the design and look of the Rocky Video Slot and that extends beyond the different types of symbols used on the reel.

The game is a 25-payline 5×3 slot where players can select between 1 and 25 paylines to be in operation on each spin (though it is preferable to have the maximum number in play to maximise your chances of a win). You can bet between $0.01 and $1 per payline which means that you can bet from as little as $0.01 up to a maximum of $25 to get the reels spinning.

If you are at all familiar with the Rocky films, then the symbols on the reels will be immediately recognisable to you. The lower value symbols are five letters R, O, C, K and Y all decorated in the livery of the Stars and Stripes flag. These pay out both when you land three or more of one symbol on a payline, or when you land ROCKY on a payline in which case you will win a nice five times your total bet.

The higher value symbols are all famous characters from the Rocky film series including Rocky’s wife Adrienne, her volatile brother Paulie, plus three of Rocky’s most legendary opponents, Ivan Drago (Rocky IV), Clubber Lang (Rocky III) and Apollo Creed (Rocky and Rocky II).

The eponymous hero of the film and the slot is also on the reels and Rocky acts as the in game Wild which can substitute for the high and low value symbols on the reels to create winning paylines as well as offering punters the chance to win the big jackpot available in the base game, which is 10,000 coins for landing all five Rocky Wilds across a single payline.

There are also two other key bonus features on the slot that are important to understand when you play. The first of these is the Rocky Scatter symbol, notified by the Italian Stallion moniker. When you land two or more of these you win a cash prize of either 1, 5, 10 or 100 coins depending on the number of scatters landed. In addition, three or more of these scatters will trigger a free spins round.

Three scatters lands you 15 free spins, four scatters lands you 20 and five lands you the maximum 25 free spins and you are automatically in receipt of a 2x multiplier on all wins during the free spins game.  Furthermore, you can retrigger free spins by landing three or more scatters on the reels indefinitely and you also have additional Wild symbols on the reels to help you win bigger amounts.

The final feature to take notice of is the Bonus feature, which is signified by the boxing glove symbols on reel 1 and 5. Land both these symbols on the reels on a spin and you launch the exciting Knockout Bonus feature game.

In this game, you can select an opponent for Rocky from Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang or Ivan Drago. Rocky and his opponent will then fight over a maximum of 10 rounds and every time Rocky wins a round, you win 3x your stake. Better still, if Rocky knocks his opponent out at any stage that round and all subsequent rounds are automatically Rocky Winning rounds and you’ll be awarded a bonus for them too.

With its Rocky-inspired soundtrack, the Rocky Video slot may be one of the older movie-themed games but it still packs a formidable punch in the modern age of slot gaming.

How to win playing the Rocky Video Slot

Obviously, having a sensible strategy when approaching the Rocky slot is, as with any other slot game, key to enjoying a lengthy and potentially profitable session. That means ensuring your bankroll is adequate enough to last you enough time at the price you want to play for to give you the maximum chance of triggering the bonus features.

While you can trigger the jackpot from the base game, the more consistent bigger wins come from each of the two features. The Knockout Bonus can produce some good wins, especially if Rocky manages to knock out his opponent in the early stages of a fight.

The Free Spins bonus however is where the bigger and more consistently bigger wins can be found, although it should be noted that this is a medium variance slot and there is absolutely no guarantee that if you hit the free spins round, you’ll automatically earn a decent sized win. The amount won can be very different but pound for pound, you’ll win more in free spins than during the base game or the knockout bonus most times.

The key to winning big is triggering the bonuses as often as possible during the base game and the fact you can win 5x your stake landing the R-O-C-K-Y symbols across a payline is another way to earn some additional funds in the base game.

Rocky is a clever video slot that combines slick gaming with film clips from the series of films in a fast, fun and enjoyable slot with some excellent bonus features.