Sharknado Slot
By the time that Sharknado was released in 2013, the Syfy network was no stranger to having strange, low-budget mash-ups as a big part of their programming lineup. But somehow, this one stood out from the moment it was announced. The fact that the film was meant to be self-aware – and therefore at least somewhat comical – definitely helped, as did the absolute absurdity of the premise (waterspouts grab sharks out of the ocean, bring them onto land and into Los Angeles, where they proceed to eat people left and right).
But whatever the reason, the movie was an instant hit. Since then, it has spawned several sequels, each of which has continued to draw audiences who love the absurdity of it all. And while not everyone is still into the idea, there’s definitely a lot of love for the franchise as a whole – more than enough to support a brick-and-mortar slot machine. It was almost inevitable that one would come, and the license eventually fell to Aristocrat, who first shared their shark-infested creation with the world at G2E 2016.
We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Slot
Sharknado is a five-reel slot machine that uses an expanded 5x4 format for its gameplay area. The machine is decked out with a cool blue ocean look, with plenty of images of stars like Tara Reed and John Heard shown above the main screen. You’ll even hear some of the more infamous lines from the film, including gems like “we can’t just wait here and wait for sharks to rain down on us!” and “sharks: I never saw that coming.”
In basic terms, gameplay is just like any other machine. You’ll match a variety of symbols from left to right across your reels in order to earn prizes. Characters from the first film are heavily represented (in expanded icons that take up two positions), while other items like license plates, shark teeth, propane tanks, wedding rings and so on can be found across the screen. Shark wilds can appear on the screen, matching up with anything else on the reels in order to help you win bigger prizes.
Take a Big Bite
There are a number of randomly trigger features that you can potentially trigger during this game. One of the more common ones is an extension of the reels to provide more symbol positions for each column. This most commonly results in five or six spots per reel, but this game can also expand all the way out to an 8x5 mode. Sometimes, one main character will replace all the others, making it even easier to make matches across the screen.
Another special feature is the chainsaw bonus round, which recalls one of the more infamous scenes from the first Sharknado film. In this game, players are asked to swipe across the screen to destroy flying sharks, naturally. Each one will reveal an instant credits reward, and players can keep swiping until they cause three explosions, at which point the round is over.
The Eye of the Storm
Sharknado is definitely the type of slot machine that is very strongly targeted at a particular subset of players – namely, those that are fascinated and devoted fans of the film franchise. It’s a ridiculous premise that probably won’t randomly attract all that many players right off the casino floor. On the other hand, those who love the movie will flock to this cabinet in droves.
And when they get there, they won’t be disappointed. Not only does the machine do a great job of including footage and sounds from the movie, but it backs it up with solid and varied gameplay, which is really all you can ask of a slot.
