The slot’s complete name is “Miles Bellhouse and his Curious Machine”, one of BetSoft’s 3D games and one of the more interesting ones they’ve created so far. Miles is a young inventor that has created a time travel machine, and in one of the bonus games he actually gets it to work. He has an arch-enemy, General Traytor, and a friend in his robot, called Gizmo. It’s about the kind of inventive spirit that you would find in one of the heroes of a Jules Verne novel. The action seems to be taking place at some point in the early 20th century, at least if we take the steampunk design into account.
Like most 3D Slots do, this one also has a layout with 5 reels and a total of 30 paylines. With bonus games, free spins, wilds and scatter symbols all placed inside, it should be a fun experience. The fact that it offers a prize worth $7,500 certainly doesn’t hurt its chances of getting picked.
Features of The Curious Machine
You can always count on BetSoft making its modern games a lot of fun, and while they rely a lot on the design and on animations to achieve that goal, the features are not forgotten either. In this case, you get a pretty good collection of options, the only one missing being the multiplier.
The Vortex symbol gives you a glimpse into the time travel aspect of the game, but more than that, it is used as a wild feature. It is reserved for reels 2 and 4, and when it shows up you will notice that it influences the symbols around it, moving them a random number of times. You get a new symbol configuration this way, and it can result in new prizes being awarded. If you get two Vortex symbols at the same time, both will do their job, with the reel 4 vortex being the first one to activate.
Second Chance
If you get a round that doesn’t have a winning combo (of the regular or feature kind), the Second Chance can be triggered. The second requirement is for the round to have a chance of forming a 5 symbol combo. For example, if you have four Gizmo symbols on reels 2 through 5, but the one on the 1st reel is missing, the Second Chance feature will respin the 1st reel and you will have a second shot at that high paying combo. It only works when there are no other combinations formed during that round, and only if there is a chance for a 5 symbol combo, nothing less.
Blast to the Past in Free Spins
That time machine that Miles invented seems to be quite powerful, with at least one symbol showing us dinosaurs in it. The Dinosaur, which seems to be a T-Rex, will be appearing on the 1st, 3rd and 5th reels. You need all three present to trigger the free spins. Free spins benefit from random multipliers, so you will find out during each round how much more you can win (1x to 5x range).
Travel Through Time Bonus Round
The machine’s console is another bonus symbol, reserved for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th reels of “The Curious Machine”. You see General Traytor come inside to check the lab out, suspicious about what is going on. Miles and Gizmo will run away and travel through time in the bonus game that follows.
Betting options and jackpots
With every 3D Slot you will try, you will find that BetSoft allows a line bet that varies between 1 and 5 coins, with individual values of up to $1. The $5 line wager turns into a $150 maximum bet, if you decide you want to maximize the chance of winning.
A 1,500x line bet multiple is your reward if you get the top jackpot, meaning as much as $7,500 if you’ve used $5 line bets during that round.
Design and symbols
The design is gorgeous as usual, with an incredibly intricate machine taking most of the screen. It’s placed right in the middle of the room, has lots of steampunk style decorations, knobs and lights, and you will find Miles Bellhouse next to the time machine console to one side. He’s a constant companion as you play the game, and you will see him travel through time with a bit of luck, if you trigger a bonus game. Overall, a game that can stand next to any from the competition and chances are that it will be the winner design wise.
Symbols: Vortex (wild), Dinosaur (scatter), Console (scatter), Miles Bellhouse (1,500x), Gizmo the Robot (600x), General Traytor (600x), Time Machine (300x), Pressure Gauge (300x), City of the future (150x), and Plans (150x).
Is It Worth Playing?
The Curious Machine should be a good fit for anyone dreaming about adventures, for fans of Jules Verne and other similar writers, or for pretty much anyone that loves a good looking and entertaining slot machine.
The Curious Machine can be found at any BetSoft casino, where you get a chance to play it for real money or in free mode.
