Area Link Bank Blast Slot

Games Global partner AreaVegas has found moderate success with its Area Link series. Titles like Area Link Luck and Area Link Phoenix have been popular with audiences, and now the studio is putting a fresh spin on the series with Area Link Bank Blast. Like Area Link Piggy Bank, the game invites players deep into a bank vault where a group of colorful pigs serves up some big winning potential. How does this differentiate itself from other titles in the series? Join me as I find out in this Area Link Bank Blast review. 

The Area Link Bank Blast title is very similar in its design to the Area Link Piggy Bank slot. The reels are situated deep in a bank vault and placed in front of a huge pile of gold coins. Four colored piggy banks sit above the reels, while the symbols on the reels include diamonds, cash, and other indicators of wealth. 

Overall, the design is fine. It would have been nice to see AreaVegas do something to differentiate from other titles, but it is serviceable and does a good job of adding some color to the action. 

The base game of Area Link Bank Blast keeps things nice and simple. The slot has five reels and three rows, with 20 fixed paylines on each spin. Players will secure a win when they land three or more matching symbols across a payline. 

The game controls are fairy intuitive. The spin icon is located to the right of the game-grid, and the stake is adjusted by clicking on the ‘total bet’ box found underneath it. You can hold the spin button to trigger the autoplay feature. 

The main feature in the game is the titular Area Link bonus. This can be triggered on any random spin when a coin appears. Each time a coin lands, it is collected by the pigs at the top of the screen. 

When the round is triggered, the bonus related to the corresponding pig will be active during the round. Three respins are initially rewarded, and the reels are cleared. The game is a hold-and-win style feature. Every time a new coin lands, the spin count resets. Each coin will display either a prize or a jackpot. If you fill all of the reels, the Grand Jackpot is paid. 

The Green Piggy Upgrade will add Green Coins to the reels. If these land, they instantly collect the coin values on the grid. If the Red Piggy Upgrade is active, a random multiplier of 2x, 3x, or 5x is rewarded. If the Blue Piggy Upgrade is active, Blue Coins can land. These have their own values and are randomly added to Gold Coins on the grid. It is also possible to have multiple features active. In each instance, when a feature coin is used, a gold coin will appear in its place. 

The jackpots are the Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand, and they are worth 10x, 20x, 100x, and 5,000x your stake, respectively. 

Having played some of the Area Link free slots in the past, I had a good idea of what to expect from Area Link Bank Blast. All of the games in the series are extremely volatile, and this was no different. 

I set my stake to $1 and let the game take 50 auto spins. These delivered next to no wins, with the slot giving me a few small wins. With no Buy Bonus option, I persevered and gave the game another 25 spins, eventually triggering the Area Link bonus with 10 spins left. Unfortunately, this still didn’t deliver too many big wins, with the Green Piggy Upgrade helping me to collect some prizes. The round finished with a 24x win, which was quite sizeable in itself, but given how much had been lost, it was disappointing. 

Area Link Bank Blast has a modest math model. The game has an above-average RTP of 96.28%. Unsurprisingly, AreaVegas has rated the slot as highly volatile, which certainly reflected my own experiences. The maximum win available in the slot is 5,000x your stake, which is won through the jackpot bonus. 

Overall, your enjoyment of Area Link Bank Blast is going to depend on a number of factors. Firstly, if you do not enjoy Hold and Spin style bonuses, this is not going to be the slot for you, with the game having no other bonuses. 

Secondly, if you have played any of the previous Area Link titles, then there is not a whole lot new going on here. A few additional upgrades are welcomed, but they don’t exactly make the game stand out from the pack. 

Finally, the biggest factor will be your preferred volatility. If you like extremely volatile games, then this could be for you. I found the game to be a little too volatile, with wins feeling virtually non-existent. 

If you enjoy this title, I recommend Area Link Phoenix and Area Link Piggy Bank. If you want something with a similar theme but different gameplay, then Piggy Riches Megaways is an excellent option.