With Friends Like You is the first episode of a series of soap opera themed slot machines from Rival Gaming. The series is called As The Reels Turn, while the setting is a Las Vegas casino called El Paradiso. Most of the symbols are using images of various characters from the imaginary soap opera. All the games have the same kind of features, though some differences exist. The graphics are pretty much identical, but new characters and symbols are introduced in each one.
There are 5 reels in this particular slot machine, hosting a maximum of 15 paylines. The feature list is not as varied as in other slots, but you get four different scatter symbols inside and each one has its own prizes or bonus features to trigger. A $5,000 top jackpot awaits you, should you have a really good day luck wise.
Features of As the Reels Turn 1 – With friends Like You
The features, though relying only on scatter symbols, are not rare, with four different ones being provided inside. They give you bonus games, free spins and multipliers.
Tommy Wong Feature Act
Tommy W. is one of the soap opera’s actors and he seems to be an Elvis impersonator. He’s on the stage, singing, and he serves as a scatter symbol. He is one of three scatters that will give cash prizes based on the number of identical symbols present, going up to 50x the round’s bet. A bonus game is his second gift to you, which requires the same number of symbols as the prizes it offers (3+).
Free Games Feature
Ivan, a piranha fish by the looks of it, is another scatter symbol, also capable of giving away prizes which reach 50x the bet, though its prizes start at 2+ symbols instead of 3+. Still, to get its free spins you need a minimum of three Ivan fish on the reels, which will get you 10 spins for free and x3 multipliers.
Counterfeit Chip
The second bonus game of this slot is called Counterfeit Chip and its trigger is a symbol with a laurel crown that is marked Bonus. It is a scatter symbol, with 50x the bet in prizes and with a bonus round that requires 3+ symbols to trigger. You are given a table filled with various poker chips and you pick some of them and get prizes in exchange. You keep winning prizes as long as you get authentic chips. The first fake chip you get will end the feature.
Advance to Next Scene
The fourth and final scatter symbol is marked Advance to Next Scene and it’s the game’s way of helping you go from one level of the game to the next. Whenever you get 3+ scattered Advance logos you get to the next scene of the soap opera.
Betting options and jackpots
The wagering requirements only ask you to use a single coin to be able to spin the reels. That only activates a single payline though, so it’s a very good idea to increase your wager a bit and cover as many of the 15 lines as you can. You can do it with a single coin per line, or you can use up to 5. Each of those coins has a value that varies as well, the minimum being $0.01, while the maximum is $1. Depending on how you mix and match all these betting options, you could get a wager as high as $75 for a single spin.
The biggest prize it offers is worth 1,000x, or about 5,000 coins. The cash value is at $5,000. The free spins feature brings along a x3 multiplier, which should make this a much more attractive game.
Design and symbols
Though it doesn’t exactly scream soap opera, the game’s design does OK by the theme chosen for it. The various characters that appear in it add plenty of color, while the rest of the symbols are all connected to its theme. The background areas don’t seem to fit in that well though, with the reels using blue and black horizontal lines, while the part behind the game area is all black.
Symbols: Advance Logo (scatter), Bonus Logo (scatter), Tommy W. (scatter, 50x the bet), Ivan the Fish (scatter, 50x the bet), El Paradiso Logo (1,000x), Chips and Cash (1,000x), The Don (300x), Matt G. (300x), Chrissy (300x), Letter (100x), Lobster (100x) and Wine Bottle (100x).
Is It Worth Playing?
I for one enjoyed the game, despite not being a fan of soap operas. That kind of TV format works better in slot format as far as I’m concerned. Both fans of soap operas and players looking for a new type of theme will find this an intriguing game.
The As the Reels Turn 1 – With friends Like You slot machine is offered through the Rival platform, so if you want to play it for real or just to practice, look out for casinos that use it.
