Game developer Endorphina has dedicated its latest title, 2027 ISS, to the celebration of the first international human spaceflight on 12 April 1961. The result is a futuristic five-reel slot with nine paylines that is very strong on graphics and design but somewhat lacking in gaming substance.
Theme
ISS is short for International Space Station, and the theme of a future in which extra-terrestrial travel and habitation are possible is everywhere in this game. The base game design wouldn’t be out of place on the set of a Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica film – the reels are set on a transparent screen, behind which outer space and the surface of a planet or asteroid can be seen. The gaming symbols represent a whimsical variety of both future- and casino-themed items: six-sided cubic dice, playing cards, a rounder die resembling the many-sided dice of a Dungeons & Dragons game, all metallic in design and possessing glowing red lights. Higher value symbols include a satellite, fuel and hyperspace jump symbols, an astronaut, who acts as a wild symbol, and the ISS itself, which serves as the scatter symbol.
Betting Options, Functions and Features
Betting is straightforward in 2027 ISS, even by online slot standards. The nine paylines are fixed, so the total bet is whatever bet the user chooses multiplied by nine – the window of possible bets is somewhat narrow, however, ranging from .10 to 1 size of the currency being used. There are options for turbo (which speeds up the reels), autospin, and a pop-up menu with a well-written and detailed explanation of paylines, icons, and ways to win. After each win, the player has the option to go for double-or-nothing – if the player draws a card higher than the card indicated, winnings double, and the player will have another chance to re-double winnings. Both the scatter and wild symbols can act as win multipliers, from a factor of two all the way up to a factor of five, depending on how many such symbols appear on the reels.
That same notion of infinity, perhaps appropriate to a space-themed title, is possible in the bonus version of the game, which is triggered by the appearance of three or more ISS gaming symbols. Another set of reels appears over that of the base game, with two new gaming symbols not previously to be seen. These are the hyper space jump symbol and fuel cell symbol. In theory, the bonus game can go on without end, so long as the player doesn’t accumulate a fuel cell symbol. In practice, bonus play continues until a fuel cell is acquired and then used on a hyper space jump. With that said, each such symbols doubles the bet size in bonus play (with no risk of loss), which, combined with the abundance of wilds and scatters at this phase of game, can lead to very big wins indeed.
Our take
2027 ISS is a stylish game, and the idea of dedicating a slot to a milestone of human achievement is a lovely one. However, the gameplay itself is surpassed by the majority of similar titles with which it would compete. There are only nine paylines against an overabundance of gaming symbols with which to make winning combinations, the opportunities to win are just too few. This game is medicore at best.
Slot data and features
- 5Reels
- 9Pay lines
- $90,000.00Max cash jackpot
- 96Payout Percent
- YesWild Symbol
- YesMultiplier
- $0.01 - $90Betting Range
- 0.01 - 1.0Coin bet range
- 10Coins per line
- NoProgressive
- 90000Max coins jackpot
- 90Max coins
- YesScatter Symbol
- YesFree spins available
- NoBonus Game
- NoBuy feature
- Sci-Fi , Space Game theme
