Motörhead Slots

Review of Motörhead Slots

Lemmy had always stated that Motörhead are not a heavy metal band, nor a speed metal band, nor a punk band…they are a Rock n’ Roll band. And anyone who doesn’t understand that simple premise isn’t going to understand the fundamental roots of the group. As a very young music fan in the early 1980s I unfortunately didn’t get it. It was only when I was in my 30s did I finally understand the greatness of Motörhead and just how important and influential they were in the world of music.

I was extremely lucky to see them play live on their final tour, only a few months before Lemmy passed away on December 28th, 2015, four days after celebrating his 70th birthday. The show was loud, fast, aggressive, and amazing. It was shocking how great Lemmy sounded given his age and deteriorating health at the time and it was truly an honor to see them.

So this review of Motörhead Slots is being written by someone who wasn’t an original hardcore fan of the band but who eventually did come around to their senses. There are times when I could have been more critical of this release but at the end of the day, people will probably just be happy that they now have a Motörhead game to call their own.

Screenshots

Sharp, beautiful imagery is featured throughout the action as you can see from the screenshots below. The symbols, reels, and animations all pop off of the screen in an awesome visual accompaniment to the pounding soundtrack of Motörhead’s best songs.

These images also reveal what many fans will think is one of its biggest weaknesses: it’s crazy design. You see, this is far from a traditional gambling machine and actually has 2 reels with 3 rows of symbols, then 2 with 4 rows, and then 1 of 5. This of course takes some getting used to if you’ve never seen one like this, which most people certainly have not.

Storyline

Unfortunately, the storyline in Motörhead Slots is non-existent. Of course fans weren’t expecting a Jack Daniels and methamphetamine-fulled romp through the Rainbow Room circa 1981 culminating in being arrested on the streets of West Hollywood, but some semblance of a story would have been nice. Perhaps a classic tour or clips from old television appearances and interviews or anything like that would have been awesome.

Therefore, this only gets a 7.5/10 for story, which is admittedly too kind, but the lowest a Motörhead fan could give anything with the band’s name on it. It would have been absolutely amazing if we started off in the early days of the band and then got video clips from concerts throughout the years as the band became more popular. Hopefully NetEnt is planning on releasing an updated version someday with some of these elements in it.

It’s of course totally normal for the music themed online slots that are released these days to not have a plot but we can still keep our fingers crossed for the future.

Unique Symbols

It could easily be argued that the unique symbols are way too plain and unimaginative for something that came out in 2016, especially when you see the Cherries and the Four Leaf Clovers. However, there’s something about the simplicity and “classic vibe” of them that adds to the overall gritty look and feel. Plus Lemmy was known to love gambling on slot machines so it’s safe to say that he had direct input on which symbols were used and we obviously have to respect his decisions.

Normally we would be criticizing NetEnt for not including the other band members or using the album covers of some of their cooler-looking records, however, this title acquires a distinct personality through the “traditional” imagery. Not to mention, Motörhead has had so many members throughout the years that it would be hard to decide who should make it onto the board.

Although most traditionalists would argue that the classic lineup of Lemmy, “Fast” Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor would be the only three that should get consideration. Here’s what’s on tap:

• Four Leaf Clover
• Horse Shoe
• Cherries
• Classic 7
• Silver Bell
• Military Star
• Lemmy
• Ace of Spades (Wild)
• Snaggletooth (Scatter)

The highest-paying here is of course Lemmy, who awards 150x your wager for five of a kind. The next most valuable are the Star at 50x, the Bell at 30x, and the 7 at 30x for five in a row.

Jackpots

Those of you who like chasing big prizes will be disappointed to learn that there isn’t a Motörhead Slots Jackpot available to be won. You will just have to add to your bankroll through the old fashioned ways of hitting paylines and triggering free spins.

Bonus Rounds

There isn’t a proper Motörhead bonus round but it does offer two unique reel features instead. You will have to choose which one you would prefer to play though, because both cannot be activated at the same time.

First is the “Mystery Reel Feature” which is active for every spin, including free ones, and transforms all Mystery Symbols on the board into the same random symbol to drastically increase your odds of winning big. This is simply triggered by having Mysteries fall anywhere on the board: hit them and they’ll transform to help you win. These come in the form of the gold Snaggletooth A.K.A. Warpigs that fall and then disappear to reveal what’s underneath.

The second mini-bonus in Motörhead is the “Bomber Feature” which occurs at random when you haven’t activated the Mystery Reel one. At any time while rolling you can receive bomb clusters that will explode on the board to reveal at least 10 Mystery Symbols that will lock in place for the result. The Golden Snaggletooths will then snarl and glow until they burst into flames exposing a random symbol and you just sit there like a potato and cash in on the resulting payline wins.

You’ll definitely know when you hit the Bomber Feature because the spotlights are turned on, warning lights start flashing, and an air raid siren begins to blare.

Free Spins

Three Golden Snaggletooth Scatters falling on reels #3, #4 or #5 will trigger free spins every time but always only 10 no matter how many end up falling in the end. While freerolling the Mystery Reels have Wilds and Mystery symbols so you’ll have some great chances to boost your balance.

Most players will find that this round is pretty intense due to the strobe lights flashing, the Snaggletooths flaming, and “Ace of Spades” pumping for the duration. Everything adds up to provide a fantastic experience that will leave you out of breath and wanting more.

Graphics

There aren’t many moving pieces in this machine but the graphics and animations that were included are outstanding. The visual highlight of the action is when the Golden Snaggletooths are used in bonus wins or during free spins, as they glow, gargle lava, and shoot flames down the sides of the reels. And if you think this sounds super cool, you’re absolutely right.

The overall design itself is sharp and very detailed, and when animations like the stage lights start kicking in, they almost blow you out of your chair. NetEnt also included a few video clips and the intro sequence will get you pumped up and ready to rock each time.

Finally, we need to state for the record that in all of our years of playing slot games online, we’ve never seen one that had a graphical warning at the beginning of it. Yup, you guessed it – Motörhead uses so many flashing lights that they had to include a warning for those who have Photosensitive Epilepsy because it could technically cause seizures. Only a machine involving Lemmy could be so dangerous to your health.

Audio & Soundtrack

“Good evening. We’re Motörhead and we play Rock and Roll.” Queue the band’s biggest hit “Ace of Spades” and you’ll find yourself immediately rocking out in your chair…and this is only 10 seconds into the game. As any fan will be able to imagine, this release has a steady barrage of loud rock n’ roll with engines revving, fires crackling, and guitars screeching – in short, everything a Motörhead fan will be looking for.

The team over at NetEnt made the excellent decision to have an easy on/off button to control the music to make sure that you don’t get sick of it. This is done via the “Rock Mode” button in the bottom righthand corner of the screen…although, pretty much any fan of Motörhead will always want to have the music on while they’re playing. The four classic tracks on offer are:

• Iron Fist
• Overkill
• Killed by Death
• Ace of Spades

There are also some fantastic random sound bites from Lemmy sprinkled throughout that have him shouting commands such as, “Turn it up then!” and “Let’s Go!“, as well as outbursts like, “This is for you!“. Everything comes together perfectly and the audio engineers at NetEnt should be very proud of their accomplishments.

Conclusion

Whether you are a lifelong fan, love loud Rock n’ Roll, or are just looking for something that has non-stop, pulse-pounding action, Motörhead Slots will give you exactly what you need. With generous free spins, two unique reel features, and one of the best soundtracks in online gambling, this release has a little something for everyone. And even if you’re not a fan of the band it’s still worth at least 10 minutes of your time because the design is just so damn unique.

Some people may feel a bit slighted by the lack of a true bonus round, the small number of symbols, or maybe even the sparse amount of animations, however, traditionalists will appreciate this simplicity and enjoy the classic look and feel. You have to remember: this is the way that Lemmy wanted it to be…and who the hell would ever argue with Lemmy?

Anyway, we should let longtime Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell have the second-to-last word here…

We will not be doing any more tours or anything, and there will not be any more records. But the fire survives, and Lemmy lives on in the hearts of everyone.

With the final word of course going to Lemmy himself…

You know I’m born to lose, and gambling’s for fools,
But that’s the way I like it baby,
I don’t wanna live forever!

Random Video of Motörhead

You all knew that we were going to end this review with some classic Motörhead footage and we would hate to disappoint. After drinking Jack Daniels and watching old concerts for five hours we can confidently say that this is one of the best Motörhead videos on Youtube.

It’s the 10th Anniversary show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, England that featured all of their greatest hits up to that point plus a ton of special guests. So pour a glass of your favorite beverage, crank up the volume, kick up your feet, and let’s take a trip back to that glorious night in 1985…