Is Zombie Hunter a sinister slot and what are some of its stand out features?
Zombie Hunter was developed when the zombie theme was really popular in Asia. Tere were some blockbuster Asian zombie movies. Our Product Team came up with the idea of merging the zombie theme and Hot Model Slots, one of our special game genres.
One of the stand out features is that there is a bonus feature which is a journey of seeking anti-virus. Players can choose one of the three hunters to complete the journey. With only three shots, they have to survive eight turns in order to find the anti-virus. Tis is something out of the slot reels. Whether a zombie appears at each turn gives a real thrill to the players.
Are there any other sinister slots that you would like to highlight and tell us about?
“Candy Witch” is our major release this year. It features a little girl trying to confront the evil Candy Witch. As a featured game for Halloween, there are spooky festive elements like pumpkins and candies.
Our game designers adopted the idea of collecting candies on Halloween into this game. Instead of entering the free game whenever a certain number of scatters appear on the reels, players have to collect dozens of scatter symbols in order to trigger free game feature. And there are two types of scatters – one for the heroine, and one for the Candy Witch.
Both scatters lead to a duel between the two ladies, with different bonuses. Candy Witch scatter allows wild symbols, while Heroine scatter allows multipliers stacked up every spin. And both scenes are opened by a glamorous transformation process of either the Candy Witch or the heroine. Te theme is a bit dark, but the game generally gives a relaxing experience to players.
Why do you think slots with a dark theme are so popular?
It is the uncertainty that gives a sense of attractiveness to slots with a dark theme. Our game designers associate the chance of winning to the uncertainty of horror in these slots. Te
“To achieve player
engagement using sinister themes, our game designers made use the common
element between horror and gaming: the uncertainty. In Bonus Games of “Zombie
Hunter”, when a zombie pops up and the hunter kills it with a bullet, a multiplier is awarded. If the hunter has run out of
bullets, the Bonus Game ends. It is the uncertainty that draws players to these games. These themes are
characterised by a touch of mystery, and players would
like to reveal the truth behind the mystery – make all uncertainties certain!” SimplePlay
volatility gives excitement to the players. Te availability of choices also retains players for another go. Like in the Bonus Games of “Zombie Hunter”, players can choose to turn left or right at every “spin”. Tey may be able to secure the anti-virus, or they may suffer from a defeat when they run out of ammo. As most players at slots enjoy that rush of adrenaline, the thrill they can get from dark themes is perhaps why they come for these games.
Do you think that you will develop more sinister themed slots in the future?
We are open to all themes of slots, and sinister themed slots are no exceptions. If the market responds positively to this theme, we certainly will give priority to it when we draw our product plan. In fact, we have been working on this theme as there are related titles released
regularly. We have “Creepy Cuddlers”, then “Zombie Hunter”, and the recently released “Candy Witch”.
How are dark themes incorporated into slot design? How can sinister themes help drive player engagement?
Dark themes are favoured by our artists. When the background applies a darker colour, any colour, light, or effect would look spectacular due to the huge colour contrast. It naturally gives a sense of mystery to the players, of which some of them are attracted by this sense.
To achieve player engagement using sinister themes, our game designers made use the common element between horror and gaming: the uncertainty.
In bonus games of “Zombie Hunter”, when a zombie pops up and the hunter kills it with a bullet, a multiplier is awarded. If the hunter has run out of bullets, the bonus game ends. It is the uncertainty that draws players to these games.
Tese themes are characterised by a touch of mystery, and players would like to reveal the truth behind the mystery – make all uncertainties certain!
How do you get the balance right between fun and horror?
Our theme may be dark, as there are dark elements like skeletons, zombies. But if we take a closer look, our main characters are always lovely. Te heroine and Candy Witch in “Candy Witch” are certainly characters you would love to meet in real life. Te same is true for “Zombie Hunter.” As suggested by our sub-genre, Hot Model Slots, we think that the key to getting the balance right is to apply lovely main characters, accompanied by elements of horror as background and supporting characters.
Te second approach is to associate horror to fun directly. Take the bonus game in “Zombie Hunter” as an example. Zombies do appear randomly and suddenly, perhaps in a quite scary way. However, when it appears, the hunter can kill it and this means more payout. Te appearance of a zombie means a prize.
In this way, players will focus more on winning instead of the horror itself.
WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P75
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