While there is no huge difference in the moment-to-moment gameplay of any of the Lightning Link slots (though that could be said for any pokie), they all have been approached in different ways. A rich assortment of themes makes every game feel unique, with gorgeous backgrounds and wonderfully animated symbols.
There are 16 slot games in the Lightning Link range. They are:
One of the most interesting features of the Lightning Link series is reminiscent of Aristocrat’s popular Reel Power feature. Players can choose to wager different amounts of money on the pokie, and there is a different number of paylines based on how much. What is a little unusual is that lower bet amounts let punters play more paylines than higher bet amounts, though higher bet amounts do increase the amount of money that can be won during the shared bonus game.
Like most every pokie, each of the Lightning Link games features a Wild and Scatter symbol. These are all based on the theme of the slot. While the symbols are different, they act the same across every slot in the series. Wilds can substitute for any symbol except for Scatters, and spinning three or more Scatters activates the bonus game for that slot.
As real-world slots, Lightning Link slots can only be played for real money. Even if they were online pokies, we still would recommend real money play due to the high amount of bonus games each slot has available.
Every Lightning Link game has a unique bonus that happens during their free spins feature. On some games, there are not be any lower-value playing card symbols, so punters have a higher chance of earning more on paylines. Some pokies combine the middle three reels to make a giant symbol, giving players the opportunity to complete more paylines. While the Lightning Link pokies might be mechanically similar, there is a huge amount of variety in their options for bonus play.
The real highlight of the Lightning Link series is the Hold and Spin feature, which is how you unlock the progressive jackpot. Every Lightning Link game has special symbols with words or numbers on the reels, and spinning six or more of these at a time will activate this bonus game.
The goal of the Hold and Spin feature is to fill all of the reels with these special symbols, and you’re given three spins to do so. Whenever you spin even one more symbol, the number of spins you have resets to three. If you don’t manage to fill the reels, you’ll still win the sum of all of the numbers you’ve spun, which can include the smaller Mini, Minor, and Major jackpots. If you can fill all of the reels, you’ll win the Grand jackpot in addition to whatever you’ve spun.
The Grand jackpot is shared among all of a casino’s Lightning Link games, and starts at $10,000. Every time someone plays any of the games, it contributes to both the Major and Grand jackpots. While the Grand jackpot can only be won once, really lucky players may be able to win the Mini, Minor, or Major jackpots more than once during the Hold and Spin feature.
For the time being, Lightning Link pokies are only available for real play. You won’t find them at an online casino and so can’t claim bonuses to use on them. Even though they are outside the realm of online pokies, we’d recommend giving them a fair go, since the many bonus features available make them great real money games.
The Lightning Link series were developed by Aristocrat, one of the biggest casino gaming companies in the world and a group of true-blue Australians. Founded in Sydney in the early 50s, Aristocrat were the creators of the first five-reel slot machine, and have been bringing their unique brand of innovation to the industry ever since.
The Lightning Link series is just the latest development in their exciting history of pokies, which have included titles like Queen of the Nile and 5 Dragons. Since they’ve been in the business for so long, Aristocrat understands what makes a game fun, and they have perfectly captured that spirit with the Lightning Link series.