Reviewing the Blood Suckers Online Slot!
Blood Suckers delivers a hefty dose of slot machine action from veteran game maker NetEnt with an Anne Rice-esque streak of horror and gore over the top. First released in 2013, the game has proven a mainstay on virtual casino floors thanks to its mix of fun, accessible gameplay, its horror-themed design and the fan favorite Vampire Slayer bonus round. It’s a steady one, with a very favorable return to play rate of 98 per cent and low gaming volatility, making it a goodie for players who like a more reliable payout rather than those hanging in there hoping for a great big win all at once (though it is notable for a very solid jackpot of 75,000 coins).
First, the headlines: first released way back in 2009, Blood Suckers has some five reels, three rows and 25 paylines, from there players have 4 bet levels. Whatever device you’re playing on. Beyond that, it offers a Vampire Slaying Bonus mode in which you choose from a selection of coffins to win bonus prizes. It also has a Free Spins feature which comes with a 3x multiplier, making the game one of the most popular NJ online slots.
How to Get Started
Anyone who has played a NetEnt game before will feel right at home with the format of Blood Suckers. This is not one where the developers have attempted to reinvent the wheel.
Prior to your first spin, you’ll need to select your level from between one and four. Coupled with your bet value, that serves to multiply your bet amount. To work out the stake per bet, times your coin value by the number of paylines (that’s 25, if you’ve been paying attention) and then multiply that again, this time by your level.
Once you’re good to go, it’s just a case of pressing the big green button right in the middle of the game’s control panel. If even that seems like too much effort, just select auto play and set the amount of spins you’d like to go for up to a maximum of a thousand. That will just keep doing the work for you until you run out of either spins or cash. Simple.
Winning combos are what you’d expect – three, four or five matching icons across the paylines running from left to right. Wagers start at 25 pence but go as high as £50 per spin.
So far, so familiar. It’s the fun extras that get many players coming back.
Bonus Features
There are two bonus features offered in Blood Suckers – the Vampire Slaying Bonus mode is a straightforward matter of picking coffins to win cash. The meatier Free Spins feature, meanwhile, offers free spins with a multiplier that can treble your cash.
For the Vampire Slayer feature, keep an eye out for the stake and hammer icon. Picking up three (or more) of them on consecutive reels will trigger the feature. From there, you venture into a coffin strewn ancient tomb. Open a coffin to find and destroy a vampire (an old fashion stake through the heart does the trick) and win a cash bonus. If you open a coffin only to find bats flying out of it, your bonus is over. You can win up to 203.2 times your total stake this way.
Free Spins, however, is where it’s really at.
The vampire bride scatter symbol is the thing to look out for. Even getting just two of them will net you a cash prize of two times your stake. Get three or more and you’re in to free spin territory. Three gets you a prize of four times your stake plus 10 free spins; four scatters wins you a 25 x stake prize and 10 spins and five scatters gets you a generous 100 x stake prize alongside those 10 free spins.
Variance, payout and return to player
Variance is pretty low in Blood Suckers, with frequent wins that keep coming throughout your session. The win frequency is 44.9 per cent. That means, of course, that they’re typically lower, but the Free Spins feature provides an opportunity to win much bigger thanks to its treble multiplier. That will take your maximum win up to 1,014.6 x stake on a free spin.
As we’ve already mentioned, however, what makes this one stand out for many players is its rather incredible return to player rate. Blood Suckers offers a massive 98 per cent RTP. To translate, that means that on average for every £100 you bet, you will get £98 back – the online casino only has a very slim two per cent house edge. That does mean, however, that many casinos won’t count it towards their betting requirements on their bonuses. C’est la vie.
Art style
The theme of Blood Suckers is very much in the gothic romantic style adopted by the likes of author Anne Rice in the likes of Interview With the Vampire and seen on Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in their film version of the same. Think long flowing hair, frilly shirt cuffs etched in thick lines and gaudy covers. It’s not short of a bat or two nor, indeed, is it shy about the odd heaving bosom.
It’s all good, chintzy fun. The real star of the show, however, is undeniably that excellent RTP rate and the opportunities afforded by the Free Spin feature.
