KENDOO
KATE ROMANENKO Head of Commercial Kendoo
Kendoo's 3 Hungry Pandas shows how even simple, playful characters can carry a game, stealing the spotlight with charm, personality, and smart integration into core mechanics. Kate Romanenko says its the little touches, combined with thoughtful design, that elevate storytelling beyond the reels.
What’s your take on the relationship between symbolic elements and background art?
Every slot game we create carries a story, even if that narrative plays a supporting role to the main gameplay elements, such as reels, symbol interactions, and win animations. Still, the symbolic elements and background art are far from ornamental. Tey work together to create a cohesive atmosphere that enhances the player’s emotional engagement.
Te contrast between what’s happening in the background and the activity on the reels helps emphasise moments of tension, surprise, and especially winning. Tat visual storytelling often takes a meaningful turn in the bonus game, which acts as the next chapter in the experience. It’s a natural evolution—both visually and psychologically—that builds anticipation and raises expectations for bigger wins or more excitement.
So yes, the relationship between symbolic elements, background art, and animation plays a crucial role in guiding the player journey. It’s more than just aesthetics, it’s about setting the stage for memorable, emotionally resonant gameplay.
In what ways do animated effects such as cascading reels, win particles and symbol transformations help narrate progress or plot without traditional cutscenes?
It’s a natural evolution of video graphics. In the past, storytelling in media—whether in animation, film, or even early games—relied heavily on cut-and-glue scene transitions. But as technology has advanced, so has iGaming. At Kendoo, we follow market trends and emerging technologies closely, and that’s reflected in how we approach animation. For years,
126
we’ve invested in creating seamless, dynamic visual effects that keep players fully immersed, without distracting scene breaks or unnecessary transitions.
Animation is absolutely central to our game development process. It plays a key role in making the player journey feel smooth, exciting, and emotionally rewarding. Even without traditional cutscenes, we’re still able to tell a story through gameplay itself. Features such as cascading reels, symbol transformations, win particles, and bonus triggers are not just visually appealing, they serve a narrative function. Tey build anticipation, create a sense of momentum, and help players feel like they’re progressing through something meaningful.
Tat’s why when we talk about offering engaging and lucrative content to our partners, it’s not just a claim, it’s backed by years of experience and thoughtful design that puts both the player and the story at the heart of every spin.
In transforming a slot-game narrative into visual style, what balance do you strike between decorative flair and clarity of gameplay UX?
Te key is always balance. In slot game development, visual flair plays an important role in setting the tone and atmosphere, but it should never come at the expense of gameplay clarity. At Kendoo, we’re very intentional about where and how we add detail. If an element doesn’t serve a purpose or if players are unlikely to notice it, we leave it out. Our focus is on creating visuals that enhance, not distract.
Clarity of UX is the top priority. All game values must be easy to read, and players should intuitively understand what's happening on the screen. Tat’s where the visual hierarchy
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174
