Jack Hammer
Did you know that Jack Hammer was the first online slot by global software giant, NetEnt, to feature Sticky Wins? And, another hot fact for the trivia fans among you is that this game has proved such a smash hit with players that NetEnt was obliged to follow it up with a sequel.
Now, many of you will already be familiar with NetEnt as its online slot games are commonly found at UK-facing online casinos and bingo sites, including Jungle Spirit: Call of the Wild, Starburst, and Gonzo’s Quest, as well as Jack Hammer’s sequel, Jack Hammer 2: A Fishy Business.
The original slot is officially called Jack Hammer versus the Evil Dr Wuten, and it’s the first time that we’re introduced to the American private detective after whom the game is named.
The slot uses cartoon graphics to enhance the storyline, in which Jack tries to catch the evil doctor and save his girlfriend from his clutches.
Your mission is to aid the detective by winning as much of the doctor’s cash as possible. And, to help with your assignment, there are several special features on offer.
For starters, every time that a winning combination is created, the Sticky Wins feature awards a re-spin while locking the winning symbols in place so that it’s more likely that new or enhanced wins are formed.
Secondly, there’s a Free Spins Bonus where you can enjoy up to thirty free games initially, and a whole lot more if the bonus is retriggered.
Finally, there’s the matter of the top payout, which is worth an impressive one thousand times your bet, combined with the above-average RTP (Theoretical Return to Player Rate) of 97.00%!
Design
Playing the Jack Hammer online slot on your laptop, desktop, mobile phone or tablet sometimes feels more like you’re reading a comic than playing an online slot. It’s hard not to start examining the various symbols on the reels in more detail as each one forms a part of the game’s detective-themed plot.
There’s an airship with a skull-and-crossbones on its side flying low over the city while being lit up searchlights. Plus, there’s a vintage car driving along on two wheels while Jack leans out of the window firing his pistol, the doctor’s gloved hand clutching a bottle of toxic liquid, a ticking bomb, a paperboy shouting out the latest headlines to passers-by, Jack wielding his gun, a lady telephoning the police as Dr Wuten creeps up behind her, a ringing telephone, the front page of a newspaper whose headline reads, “Mad Doctor Threatens Grand City”, and the doctor laughing manically.
All of the above symbols can be used to snap up cash rewards while playing the Jack Hammer online slot, but in order to create a paying winning combination, matching symbols need to line up in succession from the leftmost reel and from left-to-right.
Although the twenty-five paylines are always in play and, therefore, cannot be decreased, you do have the option to alter the size of your bet using the Level and Coin Value settings. There are ten different bet levels while the minimum and maximum coin values are 0.01 and 1.00 respectively.
If you want to see which symbols award the most money, you can view the paytable by clicking the “I” button to the left of the screen.
Wild Symbol
In the Jack Hammer online slot, the “WILD” symbol that looks like a comic book explosion is the wild symbol, and it can replace all symbols except Free Spin symbols to aid you in creating winning combinations.
Scatter Symbol
The ticking bomb represents the scatter/bonus symbol in the Jack Hammer online slot, and when five or more of it appear on the same spin, the Free Spins Bonus is awarded.
Bonus Round
There are two special features in Jack Hammer, the first of which is Sticky Wins.
Whenever a winning combination is produced or three scatter/bonus symbols appear anywhere on the reels, the Sticky Wins feature is awarded. It causes all of the reels featuring winning symbols to be locked in place while all of the other reels are re-spun for a chance of bigger and better wins. The reels continue to re-spin provided new wins can be created.
The Free Spins Bonus is triggered by the arrival of at least three scatter symbols (the ticking bomb) anywhere on the screen. The number of free spins you receive is tied to the number of triggering scatters as follows:
- 5 = 10 free games;
- 6 = 15 free games;
- 7 = 20 free games;
- 8 = 25 free games;
- 9 to 15 = 30 free games.
During the Free Spins Bonus, all wins are tripled and, of course, the Sticky Wins feature is also present so that you have improved chances of winning cash prizes.
Reels: 5
Paylines: 25
Min Bet: 0.25p
Max Bet: £250.00
Progressive JP: No
RTP: 97.00%