8-Bit Quest

8-Bit Quest: Slot Overview

It might be called NowNow Gaming, but the Hacksaw Gaming partner has left the now-now and returned to the past to design the blocky, retro-themed number 8-Bit Quest. The term '8-bit' refers to a technology introduced in the 1970s, and 8-Bit Quest has been billed as a 'journey back to the glory days when arcades reigned supreme', which, unless someone is the sort of person who only looks to the future, should be warm, honeyed, nostalgic music to the ears of gamers who remember the 'good old days.'

Not only were graphics blocky back in the 'good old days', but television screens were big, chunky blocks of plastic and glass in their own right. One of them sits on 8-Bit Quest's screen, displaying a 5x4 gaming grid beneath what could be a video player. Does anyone remember those? Back then, you literally had to patiently rewind a tape to watch something from the start or hit fast-forward to get to your favourite bits. It seems like Dark Ages tech now and makes you wonder how we'll be consuming telly in the future. Maybe injected via USB implants in the neck directly to our brain boxes? Till then, enjoy the blast from the past 8-Bit Quest provides; maybe pretend your buds are coming over on their BMXs to jam the latest gaming cartridge into the home console.

Pay symbol values in 8-Bit Quest aren't huge, partly likely because the game utilises a 1,024 ways to win pay mechanic, in another part because of the emphasis on a wild-fed Global Multiplier. Gamblers may stake 10 c to $/€100 per spin and can look to a maximum 96.22% RTP when doing so. Highly volatile, 8-Bit Quest also provides three feature buys for gamblers who prefer that approach.

Jagged if you look too close, diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades make up 8-Bit Quest's low pays; a key, swords, a princess, a wizard, and a dragon are its high pays. Winning combinations made up of 5 matching symbols award 0.3x the bet for the lower paying suits and 1x to 1.5x for the higher paying premiums. Wild symbols substitute for all symbols in the game except the scatter and are linked to a special Wild Loot feature.

8-Bit Quest: Slot Features

As well as the Wild Loot, 8-Bit Quest has a cascading wins system that removes and replaces winning symbols, Multiplier Mania, an 8-Bit Bonus, and bonus buys.

Wild Loot

Following each win, all winning symbols are removed from the reels, and a random number of wilds may appear in empty positions on reels 2 to 4. This happens before symbols cascade down.

Multiplier Mania

Wilds may appear with a multiplier of x2 to x100. If a wild contributes to a win, the multiplier value on the wild is added to the Global Multiplier meter above the reels. The Global Multiplier is what is applied to the win. Subsequent multipliers from winning wilds accumulate on the Global Multiplier meter before being applied to the win in a new cascade. Each time there is a win including a wild symbol, the wild's multiplier value is first added to the Global Multiplier before wins are multiplied. In the base game, the Global Multiplier resets for each new spin.

8-Bit Bonus

Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters in the base game awards 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. The 8-Bit Bonus has the same mechanics as the base game, except the Global Multiplier does not reset for the entire bonus session.

Bonus Buys

Triggering BonusHunt FeatureSpins doubles the stake, thereby making each spin 3 times more likely to trigger a bonus game. Up from that is Wild Quest FeatureSpins, which guarantee at least 1 wild with a multiplier of 3 or higher will land for 50x the bet. Finally, players may leap over the base game by buying the 8-Bit Bonus at a cost of 100 times their bet.

8-Bit Quest: Slot Verdict

Travelling back in time might be one of 8-Bit Quest's attractions, but so prevalent is this retro, blocky style in slots now there is a good chance that even the most modern of gamblers who skipped the 8-bit phenomenon the first time around will be aware of it. We've got slots like Hellcatraz, Flame Busters, and Brute Force (amongst others) to thank for the genre's popularity. In a world that is so often looking forward to the future, pushing to create graphics which are indistinguishable from real life or better than real life, there is something neat about looking back and finding inspiration in the past. This 8-Bit Quest does well, and with an injection of imagination, players can pretend they're on their own wee cathode ray adventure with mages, princesses, and dragons.

All while attempting to win some cash along the way, hopefully. 8-Bit Quest's top prize is capped at 10,000x the bet, which can be won during the bonus round or in the base game when Wild Quest FeatureSpins are active. Mirroring the 'basic' visual effects, 8-Bit Quest has a fairly basic rule set governing the quest. Cascades, added wilds, and a Global Multiplier is a straightforward blend that can potentially hit hard when it's firing and which suits the playful trip back in time theme like a pixelated gauntlet.

If there is a humble piece of critique to put forward for consideration, it's that the slot is possibly a little too simplistic in parts. More specifically, maybe if there were extra bonus rounds building on top of each, reachable by landing greater numbers of scatters in the base game or by an in-bonus levelling up quest element. Hacksaw Gaming is good at this sort of thing; maybe the team can pass on a few ideas. Anyway, this is just a critique rather than a major moan as 8-Bit Quest sets about delivering solid gaming ideas in a delightful retro setting.