M88 Football Slot Review
Super graphics and lucrative features reel you into the action of Habanero’s new slot release for 2018, the M88 Football slot.
Does M88 Football offer exciting features and big wins? Should you play for free and for real money? Our M88 Football slot review team cover all these questions and more below.
Become a Super Striker
The 5 reels and 3 rows are full of familiar football symbols. A football surrounded by a red halo is the wild and substitutes for all other symbols (in the base game you'll only find it on reels 2, 3 and 4), whereas the football surrounded by a gold ring is a special wild which also substitutes for all symbols and only appears during the two feature rounds.
The trophy, meanwhile, is the bonus symbol, substituting for all others and multiplying your prize x2, when appearing in a winning combo. These can be landed on reels 2, 3, or 4 anytime in the base game. High win symbols are the M88 symbol, the ref’s whistle, a pair of football boots and a pair of goalkeeper’s gloves. Low wins can be made through the alphanumeric playing card symbols. Wilds aren’t just landed in this game, they are collected and stored, which brings us onto the first feature.
Once you've collected 3 or more of the standard football wild, the Super Striker feature can then be triggered at any point in the base game. Once you've collected a maximum of 6 wilds, the Super Striker feature triggers another base game with the remaining wilds discarded (so you’d better hope that feature triggers before then). During the Super Striker feature, all wilds turn into super wilds, getting kicked into random positions on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5. This quickly racks up your combinations, allowing for some serious real cash wins.
There's also a max bet button on this slot, enabling you to instantly up the ante as much as is possible, as well as an Autoplay button. The game has a medium level of volatility and a maximum bet of 5000, with the opportunity to win 500 times that, if you’re lucky. Bets start from 0.01 coins up to 25 coins, offering a low limit for those who like to tread carefully with their bankroll.
Knockout Free Games
Discovering new online slots is always exciting and this one is particularly so, not least because of its ingenious second feature. This is Knockout Free Games, a unique mini-game in which you get to play a football match against an ‘opponent’. It is so named because the game only starts from a knockout stage, but you can get through to quarter-finals, semi-finals and playoffs.
During this feature your payouts are made from left to right for you and from right to left for your opponent. You score when the super wilds land on the centre of the rightmost reel. The super wild returns to the centre of the central reel as soon as a goal is scored or when 45 and 90 minutes are up (game minutes, not real-time minutes).
Knockout Free Games continues until one of you beats the other. If by the end of the match the results are equal, you'll go through to a Golden Goal stage, ending as soon as either you or your opponent scores. Lose and you start from the beginning. Win and you get 500 x your original wager – a hefty sum, although not a frequent occurrence. This might all seem a little confusing, especially if you’re not already familiar with the rules of football. But hang on in there, have a few practice runs for free and you will be in the swing of it before long.
Hot Stuff From Habanero
Habanero may not be the most well-known developer on the market, but our review team think that they have created a very special slot in M88 Football. Indeed, this is an up and coming software house that’s worth watching. Their programming is bang up to date using HTML5 and JS, while their design is visually and audibly pleasing.
The sound effects add atmosphere as the crowd cheer you on and football chants echo through the stadium. It's all very lifelike and evokes the ambience of a genuine game, plus our reviewers tested it out on all devices and found that you can play M88 Football on mobile, tablet, or desktop, which makes playing on the go easy and fun.
A Very Beautiful Game
According to our reviewers, one of the best aspects of the M88 Football slot is its return to player percentage of 96.8%. This is a fantastic game with gripping features that are very different to those found in most other slots. That said this is not for everyone. It's not straightforward by any means and can be a little complicated to get your head around at first, seeing that it involves playing a pseudo football match, rather than standard spins.
If you would prefer something a little simpler than M88 Football, perhaps try your hand at Goool! by Multislot. Released in 2016, this has an equally good return to player of 96.7%, a medium level of variance and a 25 payline, 5 x 3 reel layout, as well as the same live match feel.
For a quirkier take on the sports slot, you may also want to play Wild Games by Playtech, where a whole array of wild animal characters go to the Olympics. With an RTP of 95.24%, 25 paylines, 5 x 3 reels, and plenty of zany mini games to enjoy, this is a perfect match for lovers of all kinds of sports-themed slots who are looking for a good twist on the theme.
It Shoots, It Scores!
Overall, our review team like the M88 Football slot. It’s fun and offers something different to many other slots thanks to the Knockout Free Games feature. The RTP is a good draw for players, too. If you like football, chances are this will become a firm favorite. Even if you don’t care to know the beautiful game inside-out, then we still think it is worth giving it a go for free here before playing it for real money at one of the top-rated casinos below.
