As the Reels Turn is part of Rival Gaming's iSlots collection, which tell stories as you continue playing and unlocking features. This particular iSlot is a take on the long-running soap opera As The World Turns.
As the Reels Turn opens with an introduction that sets the story. A crooked casino owner named Matt G. has hatched a plot revolving around insurance policy money. And you must play the game to continue unlocking more portions of the story.
Is it worth doing so? We'll discuss the matter below by covering As the Reels Turn's atmosphere, betting options, special features, and return to player (RTP).
Watch This Soap Opera Unfold As You Play
As mentioned the introduction, this game starts off with the first piece of the story line. You then progress through tale by landing Advance to Next Scene icons on the reels.
The thing we like about this story aspect is that it gives you a goal to play towards. And you can view any unseen parts of the story in the Game Map. You still have to unlock each scene, but this at least shows how much you have to go until finishing the tale.
Another cool thing about As The Reels Turn is that it backs up story up with real characters. You'll see everything from a mob boss to a casino lounge singer. Each character plays a role in the story at some point.
Symbols and characters include a Bonus icon, Advance to Next Scene symbol, Tommy W (bonus), Ivan (free spins), El Paradiso Casino (Jackpot), chips & money, The Don, Matt G, Chrissy, a letter, lobster, and champagne.
Our only real problem with As the Reels Turn is that the graphics and atmosphere truly show this game's age. You can see a stark contrast between the well-designed story scenes, and the low-quality game graphics. It's a good thing that As The Reels Turn has the story aspect going for it, because some players will be turned off by the graphics.
Betting Options
This game's options include the ability to change coin size from $0.01 to $1.00, coins per line from 1-5, and paylines from 1-15. You can turn everything down to the lowest value and play for one cent per spin. Or you can crank everything up to the max and play for $75 per turn.
Other options include autoplay, game speed, and background volume. Autoplay is used to keep the reels spinning with your selected betting options. But keep in mind that this is only available when you're playing for real money. Game speed is also helpful, because you can turn up the speed when you want spins to finish as quickly as possible.
As the Reels Turn 1 Slots Special Features - Tommy W Bonus, Free Spins, and Mystery Bonus
As the Reels Turn offers three features, including the Tommy W bonus, free games, and a mystery bonus round. The mystery bonus is triggered whenever you land three or more Bonus icons anywhere on the reels.
The Tommy W bonus is unlocked when you get this lounge singer three times on the reels. You pick which musician you want Tommy W to imitate, and your bonus will be based on how well the crowd likes his performance.
Ivan the piranha offers 10 free spins whenever landing on the reels three times. You'll also get a 3x multiplier on any payout during free games.
As the Reels Turn RTP
This slot offers 95.2% RTP, which is average among online slots. The estimated volatility in this game is above average, because it offers three different bonus rounds.
Dive Into the Drama with As The Reels Turn
The biggest drawback to As The Reels Turn is definitely the main game graphics, because they look like they were made in the mid-2000s. This slot doesn't stack up well to modern slots with 3D graphics.
Nevertheless, most players will still enjoy this game due to the multiple bonus features and story line. You can trigger three different bonuses, with the Tommy W bonus being our favorite.
The story is the main reason to play this game, because you slowly unlock scenes as you continue playing and picking up Advance to Next Round symbols. If you're somebody who highly values slots with story lines, then this game is definitely up your alley.