With Online Casino Popularity Surging, Here Are Some Headline Games to Try Out
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Throughout 2020, as in-person entertainment and recreation options shut down, online casino platforms experienced unprecedented growth. This isn’t so surprising when you think about it. Countless people who frequent Canada’s in-person casinos suddenly found themselves unable to do so — but did still have access to online gaming. On top of the enthusiast base, meanwhile, the scale of the growth indicates that there were plenty of newcomers as well. Undoubtedly, many who were bored at home and looking for a bit of amusement found themselves visiting online gaming platforms for the first time.
What’s somewhat more surprising is that online casinos appear to be thriving even now, with pandemic conditions at least slightly less restrictive than a year ago. Rather than serving as a sort of entertainment band-aid, these gaming sites appear to have gained exposure with lasting impact, such that they’re now more prominent than ever.
Despite this new, prominent status though, online casinos are not commonly reviewed in detail. While you’ll find overviews for entire sites and gaming companies, the individual games that make up digital casino collections — most of them essentially arcade slot machines — are simply left to be discovered. Granted, it can be sort of fun to do the discovering and sift through hundreds of games to find the ones you most enjoy. But because more people are taking an interest in online casinos and a bit of guidance can be helpful, we’ve decided to point out some of the headline games that represent the space.
Starburst
One reason online casino games are such a draw these days is that the slots have embraced elements of mainstream video games. These include characters, adventurous settings, arcade mini-games, and so on. Starburst actually doesn’t fit this trend. However, it does represent the audio and visual quality that has also helped to elevate modern slots. Starburst is a simple game from a thematic standpoint, but its captivating atmosphere keeps players engaged, and all in all it has to be considered one of the most important and prominent slots on the internet today.
Money Cart 2
Money Cart 2 is a new-ish slot that basically takes the quality of Starburst and builds a little gaming world around it. It’s a little tricky to pin down the exact atmosphere, but get ready for a sort of blend of the American “Old West,” a steampunk vibe, and Mad Max. Within this oddly engaging setting, the slot is packed with bonus reels (basically meaning bigger winning opportunities) and populated by clinking metallic symbols and images for dangerous-looking characters. It’s an excellent example of the inventiveness of slot developers today.
The Mummy: Book Of Amun Ra
The Mummy: Book Of Amun Ra is another new game that is for now an exclusive on Gala Casino, which operates out of the UK. Like Money Cart 2, this game showcases the slot category’s modern ability to do some world-building. But in this case, the game is also an example of the fact that it’s now fairly common for developers to license content from film and television. In this case that means The Mummy film and franchise from Universal Studios, which is brought to life in vibrant fashion through this game. It’s an excellent concept in that it will be appealing and nostalgic to fans of the films, but also presents an unusually adventurous experience for average slot gamers.
Hoard Of Poseidon
We’re pointing out Hoard Of Poseidon because it speaks to another major trend in today’s online casino games: historical fantasy. It’s become nearly impossible to count how many slot reels there are based on ancient settings and their respective mythological tales. Accordingly, Hoard Of Poseidon is one of many games about the gods and heroes of the ancient world. It just happens to be one of our favorites. It’s a bright, sharp, well-made game full of intriguing graphics and symbols. But really it’s the fact that it’s all made to look as if it’s taking place underwater that makes it stand out.
Primate King
Our last game is Primate King, which we’re highlighting to demonstrate another trend in modern slots. Often enough they manage to tap into culturally relevant settings and characters without actually licensing material. In this case, the unspoken inspiration is King Kong. Kong is perpetually relevant, and even produced a box office hit earlier this year, when according to Cinema Blend Godzilla Vs. Kong netted hundreds of millions of dollars. Primate King represents slot developers’ ability to ride those waves of popularity by way of imitation. The game is clearly based on Kong, and does a nice job of bringing the legend to life. It’s an entertaining slot reel, but also one more example of how these sites work to appeal to wide audiences.
There are literally thousands of games in this category, and if you do decide to explore you’ll find some gems on your own as well. These five are among the best though, and also convey in different ways how online casino games have improved so much over the years.
