Chicken Zap is a popular online casino slot game developed by NextGen Gaming, a renowned gaming provider known for its innovative and engaging titles. This 5-reel, 243-payline game features an entertaining theme centered around chickens, farm animals, and electrical elements. In this comprehensive review, we will delve into the details of Chicken Zap’s gameplay mechanics, features, payouts, and overall player experience.
Theme and Design
The slot takes place on a rural farm setting where players are treated to Chicken Zap a lively atmosphere filled with clucking chickens, buzzing bees, and other farm animals. The vibrant color scheme is reminiscent of sunny days spent outdoors, making it an ideal game for those looking for a light-hearted gaming experience. The 5×3 reel grid is adorned with colorful symbols that contribute to the whimsical theme.
Symbols
Chicken Zap’s symbol lineup includes various low-paying cards (A, K, Q, J) and high-paying animal icons such as cows, pigs, chickens, bees, and frogs. Each symbol has a distinct design element that fits within the farm setting. The game also features special symbols like Wilds and Scatters.
Payouts
Winning combinations are awarded based on standard slot rules with payouts determined by the paytable. Low-paying card symbols offer modest rewards for matches of 3, 4, or 5. High-paying animal icons yield larger prizes for the same number of matches, with some exceptions. For instance, three Cow symbols award a moderate prize, while five Pigs grant a more substantial payout.
Wilds
Chicken Zap incorporates two Wild types: the standard Wild and the Zapped Chicken Wild. The Standard Wild substitutes all other symbols to complete winning combinations, except for Scatters. When a Bee symbol lands on top of any Standard Wild, it becomes a Zapped Chicken Wild. This special Wild type can create new winning lines by expanding into adjacent positions.
Scatters
The Scatter is depicted as an electrical socket and triggers the bonus features when three or more land anywhere on the reels in view (i.e., not necessarily adjacently). Landing at least 3 Scatters earns a reward of up to x10 multiplied by your total stake. More importantly, it unlocks the Wild Frenzy feature.
Bonus Features
Chicken Zap has two main bonus features: Chicken Run and Chicken Mania.
- Wild Frenzy : Activated upon landing three or more Scatters. This round introduces up to 25 Zapped Chicken Wilds on the reels for a set of free spins (up to 12, depending on scatter count). The initial free spin count can increase by x1 with each additional Scatter landed.
- Chicken Run : Activated randomly after any non-winning spin during normal gameplay. This feature locks all symbols that form a winning combination and gives players multiple attempts at selecting up to three new icons from the grid.
Free Spins
In addition to Wild Frenzy, Chicken Zap offers 12 initial free spins awarded with scatter counts (3-5). The round features enhanced Zapped Chicken Wilds. Wins during this mode are multiplied by x10. Free spin count can retrigger up to three times as more scatters land.
RTP and Volatility
NextGen Gaming sets the Return-to-Player rate at 95%. Chicken Zap falls under medium-high volatility, as it offers a mix of regular wins, substantial jackpots (up to 1,000x stake), and infrequent but exciting bonus rounds. While not highly unpredictable like some other slots, its payouts balance out evenly.
Betting Range
Gameplay begins with bets starting at £0.10 per spin. The maximum bet limit varies depending on the platform; in most cases it does not exceed 100 credits or around £50-£60 equivalent to account for all platforms. Chicken Zap caters well to both low and high rollers, but its RTP rate might be slightly above expectations due to its popularity.
Max Win
Chicken Zap’s jackpot stands at 1,000x the total stake amount, allowing significant rewards of up to £55-$66 per base game spin depending on chosen bets. Players can potentially reach this limit by exploiting strategic gameplay and combinations during bonus rounds or wild streaks.
Gameplay Experience
The user interface for Chicken Zap is intuitive and polished with most features easily accessible from a mobile platform. Animations are visually engaging but do not significantly enhance the experience; instead they provide an immersive touch to each winning combination.
Chicken Zap has garnered significant popularity among casino enthusiasts due in part to its captivating theme, generous bonus features, medium-high volatility levels that contribute to rewarding payouts, and high RTP rate above average expectations for a NextGen slot machine.