Slot of the Week: Space Invaders

Those dreaded alien attackers have returned, some 44 years after their first appearance, in our retro Slot of the Week, Space Invaders, which is jam-packed with features, including the chance to play the original game for real money wins!

Currently trending as the third most popular online slot in New Jersey, Space Invaders invites you on a nostalgic ride through one of the most iconic arcade games of all time towards out-of-this-world wins via a multitude of special features!

In Short:

• Space Invaders is a 5-reel, 20-payline online slot by Inspired Gaming.
• It is available to play exclusively at three New Jersey online casinos: Borgata Casino, Party Casino, and BetMGM Casino.
• The main features of this slot are sticky wilds, expanding wilds, free spins, and several themed mini games.
• The maximum payout of a single line in Space Invaders is $5,000.

The Basics

Space Invaders is a 5-reel, 20-payline slot that was released by Inspired Gaming in December 2021. As you’ve probably already noticed, the slot is based on one of the most famous arcade games in the world and features the same blocky graphics and 8-bit sounds that many of us grew up with.

Launched at only a small handful of New Jersey online casinos on an exclusive basis, Space Invaders taps into retro gaming nostalgia while adding in a raft of win-boosting features that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. The slot is currently the 3rd most popular in New Jersey, so let’s find out why!

First Impressions

What you’ll spot the moment the game opens are the familiar blocky shapes of the various colorful aliens that feature as the slot’s main symbols together with some stylized imagery from the old arcade cabinets that originally housed this epic title.

The background of the game places us in a snow-capped lunar mountain environment with the dark, star-filled night sky the most prominent feature, which results in a shift of focus to what might be waiting out there beyond our world. The answer to that question is well and truly answered by the two alien spaceships at the top that flank the game’s logo, which looms large in a menacing, all-caps yellow font.

There could be no adequate slot interpretation of one of the greatest arcade games of all time without accurate representation of the simple but evocative sounds, something this reel-based creation has really nailed. Upon hitting the green spin button, which features an alien in crosshairs, a brief beep will be emitted before the reels spin and come to rest with light, tinny clacks. Though the game doesn’t have a soundtrack per se, you may be able to make out the dreaded boops that once signified the advancement of the alien horde down the screen towards your defenses. Line up matching symbols for a win and it’ll be audibly highlighted by that iconic “pew-pew” shooting sound we’ve all come to know and love. The aliens will even animate, adding a final flourish to the nostalgic design.

Symbols

Scoring wins in this retro slot involves lining up three (two for the Space Invaders symbol!) or more matching symbols along one of the 20 designated paylines. The symbols can be broadly split into high-paying, lower-paying, and special symbols.

The high-paying symbols are the stylized graphical creations including the Space Invaders logo, an arcade setup with joystick, a UFO, and the defensive cannon.

The stars of this slot show, in all their blocky glory, are the blue, green, red, and purple aliens, with each one doing its own familiar animation when involved in a winning line.

The creepy alien dude plays as the slot’s wild symbol, standing in for all other symbols except the coin to help you make up winning lines.

The gold Space Invaders coin, complete with reference to the original game’s arcade system and company, Taito, is the slot’s feature trigger, which unlocks one of six special bonus rounds.

Space Invaders Features

Space Invaders is stuffed to the brim with special features and bonus rounds, making it an exciting and unpredictable game to play. Rewards range from random reel modifiers to free spins rounds, with plenty more on offer too. Let’s check them all out.

Reel Modifiers

There are four different reel modifiers that can be triggered at random either during or after a spin:

• UFO + Cannon: During any base game spin, a UFO can appear at the top and the cannon can appear at the bottom attempting to shoot the UFO. If the UFO is hit, one of five reel modifiers is awarded:
  • Wild Cannon: Cannon shoots center three reels, adding wilds
  • Monster Wild: Any wilds that appear will expand to cover the entire reel
  • 5 Of A Kind!: Guarantees a 5 of a kind win
  • Mega Reel: A roaming mega-sized reel of 3×3 appears, covering the left, cente, or right of the reel set
  • Bonus Boost!: Extra gold coin bonus symbols are added to the reels
• UFO Only: At the end of a losing base game spin, the UFO can appear and cast a beam onto a symbol, causing it to increase in size
• Cannon Only: At the end of a losing base game spin, the cannon can appear and shoot out alien symbols, causing a cascade and win
• Lock N Spin Invasion: At the end of any base game spin, symbols of the same type may be held in place for additional spins until no new matching symbols spin in

Bonuses

Land three or more gold coin symbols anywhere on the reels at once and you’ll trigger the bonus wheel. Give it a spin to start one of the six special features:

• Shoot Out: Shoot the aliens to win a multiplier
• UFO Climber: Shoot waves of UFOs for increasing multipliers. Reach the end and you’ll unlock the Space Invaders bonus.
• Wild Cannon Free Spins: Get free spins with the cannon adding sticky wilds to the reels
• Monster Wild Free Spins: Get free spins with all wilds expanding to cover the entire reel
• Mega Reel Free Spins: Get free spins with a roaming mega-sized reel
• Space Invaders: Play the original game for increasing wins and a special bonus if you complete it!

Pick A Coin

At the end of a bonus round the Pick A Coin feature may appear. Choose one of the three coins to trigger one of the outcomes:

• Game Over: End of the bonus round
• Continue: Extra free spins are awarded for the bonus round
• Space Invaders: The Space Invaders bonus is awarded

Bonus Gamble

The Bonus Gamble option lets you spin the wheel for a shot at a bigger bonus reward or a mystery prize.

Spin Chance

Spin Chance is a unique feature that lets you maximize your chances of winning when you’ve reached the bottom of the barrel in terms of your funds! If your balance drops below the current bet per spin amount, you can bet your remaining balance for the chance to win an additional spin at the current bet level.

Space Invaders Payouts

The payouts in Space Invaders are very simple, consisting of the product of your bet per spin amount, the number of winning symbols lined up along one of the game’s paylines, and the value of those symbols.

Here’s a breakdown of the Space Invaders payouts:

Symbol	x2	x3	x4	x5
Space Invaders	0.1x bet	2x bet	5x bet	25x bet
Arcade view/UFO	–	1x bet	4x bet	15x bet
Cannon	–	0.5x bet	3x bet	10x bet
Blue/Green alien	–	0.4x bet	2x bet	5x bet
Red/purple alien	–	0.2x bet	0.5x bet	2.5x bet

As you can see, the highest single line win you can get in this game is 25x your bet. With a maximum bet of $200, that results in a maximum single line win of $5,000.

Of course, the various multipliers, cascading wins, and free spins can send your winnings even higher!

Space Invaders RTP and Volatility

So how does this game compare to others in terms of payouts? In order to make such a comparison, we use the industry standard metrics of Return To Player (RTP) and Volatility.

The RTP of a game is defined as the percentage of played funds that is paid out to players over the long term (ie. millions of spins). The industry average for slots is around 96%. The RTP of Space Invaders is 95%, which is a shade under the average.

The volatility (or variance) of a game is the balance between small, frequent wins and larger, less frequent wins and where on the scale the payouts of a game tend to fall. Low volatility games tend to offer frequent but small payouts on a fairly stable basis, whereas high volatility slots can result in larger payouts, but they tend to be much more sporadic in both size and frequency. Space Invaders has a medium to high volatility rating, which means you can expect a good balance of payouts in both size and frequency, with the potential to score some very large wins.

Bag a Space Invaders Bounty!

The Space Invaders slot injects new life into an old favorite, presenting a winning combination of retro gaming and modern reel-spinning with truly thrilling results.

This really is a magical mixture, taking you on a walk down memory lane (if you were lucky enough to experience the fever the first time round!) while adding in a stunning array of bonus features to profit from.

The blippy sounds, 8-bit graphics, and various retro effects culminate in the chance to play the original arcade classic again, but this time for a shot at real money wins!

Space Invaders has been released on an exclusive basis at Borgata Casino, Party Casino, and BetMGM Casino.

Ready to shoot down some aliens all over again? Take a read through our in-depth reviews of the New Jersey online casinos linked above and join the one you like best. Claim the site’s welcome offer if you like, then open Space Invaders and shoot to score!