Lightning Link isn’t an individual Poker machine, but is instead a series of 4 games all linked together by some common features including progressive jackpots that build up as a small part of each wager gets put aside until a lucky player lands the right combinations to scoop one of them. Free Pokies Lightning Link Initially, the Lightning Link online pokies was an ordinary slot machine, but due to its high popularity, Aristocrat moved it online. This one has a variety of bonus features, including the wild symbols, scatters, free spins, and a high progressive jackpot payout. The graphic component is also made at the highest level.
It is a well-known fact that Aristocrat is one of the biggest brand names in the slot and gaming machines manufacturing industry. Their offline slots are among the most popular gaming machines in the business, but the success of their Lightning Link slots is amazing, since they are designed for spinners who love their slot machines with frequent wins, superb visual effects and progressive jackpots.
Visually impressive, the Lightning Links currently offer 8 different games, called Tiki Fire, Happy Lantern, High Stakes, Heart Throb and others. and Sahara Gold. Unfortunally, you can play them only at brick and mortar casinos. Nevertheless, you have plenty Aristocrat online slots to play for free or for real money.
Quick Facts
Software: Aristocrat Reels: 5
Paylines: 25-50 Coin value: $0.01 – $0.10
Wild: Yes Scatter: Yes
Free Spins: Yes Bonus Game: Yes
Multiplier: No Gamble: No
Gameplay
All four themes are visually impressive. Happy Lantern is themed after traditional China, while Sahara Gold will take you to the ever-hot Sahara desert. If you decide to cool down from all that heat, then we recommend the Magic Pearl, set deep under the sea. As for High Stakes Las Vegas, it will bring a proper atmosphere from the Gambling Capital of the World.
The original 4 Lightning Link slots have one thing exactly the same, since they all feature a 5×3 layout. The coin denomination depends on the number of paylines punters decide to play with. It is possible to play with 50 paylines if you decide to use the $0.01 or $0.02 coin denomination, while 25 paylines are available for gamers who play with the $0.05 and $0.10 coin denomination. The maximum possible wager is 500 coins in 50-payline themes, while 250 coins is the max bet when you play with 25 paylines.
Winning combinations are formed from left to right, starting from the left reel, and players will need at least three matching symbols on an active payline to land a payout. Needless to say that Lightning Link is available to US slots players.
Lightning Link Slots Bonus Features
The Lightning Link offers two exciting additional features, in the form of Free Spins and Progressive Jackpot Bonus. Depending on the theme you decide to play, gold coins or pearls may appear during base game, revealing different coin values or one of three possible progressive jackpots: Mini, Minor or Major.
Three or more gold coins/pearls will reward you with the amount displayed on them, while giving you three free spins. The coins that triggered the feature will remain locked on the position, while the reels start spinning again. If one or more gold coins are landed during these three free spins, you will get additional three freebies and repeat the action. This will happen every time punters land a gold coin, and the goal is to fill all the cells with gold coins, because then you will get the Grand Jackpot.
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Of course, if you don’t manage to fill all the cells, do not worry, because you will win big due to the fact that all the values displayed on the coins will pour down to your balance, and you might even end up winning one of three offered progressive jackpots.
The Free Spins feature is triggered once players land three Scatter symbols on the reels. Spinners will get 6 freebies from this, but the best thing is that three central reels will turn into a colossal 3×3 reel, carrying only one colossal symbol. So, if you land a symbol on the first reel that matches the colossal symbol on the central reel, you are guaranteed 25-50 four-of-a-kinds, depending on the system you have chosen, which will definitely result with insane payouts.
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New Lightning Link slots such as the Raging Bull also offer the superb Hold & Spin feature. It’s part of the overall movement towards skill based games which give player more control. Basically, it allows you to control the risk/reward level of the game which is really fun. Does it increase your winning odds? Not necessarily but it for sure increases the fun.
Verdict
Bearing everything in mind, it is quite easy to conclude why the Lightning Link slots are such a big success. First of all, they house exceptional graphics and matching soundtracks, offer four different themes, all of them very exciting, and reward players quite often, since the winning combinations can be landed on a pretty regular basis.
As for the additional features, they offer more than enough reasons for players to devote their time and money, because they can be generously rewarded for their trouble, thanks to the Progressive Jackpot Bonus and the Free Spins feature.
Lightning Link isn’t an individual Poker machine, but is instead a series of 4 games all linked together by some common features including progressive jackpots that build up as a small part of each wager gets put aside until a lucky player lands the right combinations to scoop one of them.
Each of the games follows a proven theme, so players will be able to choose from the Asian styled Happy Lantern, the undersea adventures of Magic Pearl, the desert themed Sahara Gold or play at the home of gambling in High Stakes Las Vegas.
While the themes and styles may be different, the gameplay is almost identical, with wild substitutions, expanding symbols, scatter wins, free spins and the shared jackpots featuring across the whole range. It’s just up to the players to decide what their favourite theme is, and how much they want to stake per spin.
These can be played from just 0.50, and while most winnings are proportional to the amount staked, the progressive jackpots are the same at any bet level.
The Australian games developer Aristocrat is behind Lightning Link and presents them in their popular Helix cabinets, which sees the controls angled towards players, a wide game screen above them and details of the progressive jackpot levels on an upper screen, all topped off with a bright game sign that stands out on the casino floor.
Playing Lightning Link
Each game comes in a 5 reel format with symbols in 3 rows and either 25 or 50 paylines, with 3 or more matching symbols stopping in an unbroken line across the reels being enough to get a win. Bet options should attract players at most levels, but the maximum stake is 5.00, so high-rollers may steer clear of them.
The standard playing card symbols 9, 10, J, Q, K and A are present on most Aristocrat pokies and these games are no different, but at least they are colourful enough and players know that when these line up they will receive a small payout.
The picture symbols are unique to each pokie, as are the elaborate background images that help to set the themes, so players could for example, see lots of red and gold highlights across Happy Lantern, or the blues and greens of the deep when playing Magic Pearl.
Lightning Link
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Bonus Bits
Any time 3 or more scatter symbols appear in any positions on the reels, players will be awarded with 6 free spins. While this may not sound like many spins there’s the potential for some big payouts during them, as the middle 3 reels will be transformed into a single giant symbol. Any time that symbol appears on reel 1 they will get the equivalent of a 4 in a line win, and should it also stop on reel 5 at the same time, they get a big 5 of a kind payout.
But everyone will be wanting to get their hands on a progressive jackpot when they play these games and the path to the biggest prizes starts when 3 or more coins, or pearls, depending on what is being played, land in any positions.
Some coins will have win values attached to them, while others will be marked Mini, Minor or Major, to show which progressive prize they can win. Any wins, whether jackpots or not are then paid out but then the coins stay locked in place while any remaining symbol positions spin again, 3 times. If more coins land, the process repeats until a series of 3 spins occurs where no more coins appear.
This can lead to screens packed with coin symbols, and anyone who manages to see all 15 spots on the reels filled by them will automatically win the Grand jackpot which can be a substantial amount.
Even without a jackpot payout, there will be some nice wins from the bonus coins.
The Verdict
Available to play at casinos worldwide, Lightning Links games have a broad appeal and it sees a number of well-designed pokies coming together to bring some nice progressive jackpots to players. Housed in attractive cabinets, the 4 different games will appeal to different audiences, but the main features should certainly appeal to everyone.
Perhaps Aristocrat could have done more to improve the ratio of winning spins, as these are games with a fairly high volatility, where players could be spinning the reels for a while before getting symbols to line up favourably, but the trade-off is that the value of those wins will tend to be higher.
Bonus rounds are certainly interesting, with the giant symbols making the free spins game potentially very rewarding, while the jackpot games are guaranteed to reward players with something, even if it’s not the main progressive prizes.