Universal Pictures’ 1931 black-and-white sci-fi horror The Invisible Man was an instant hit, turning English actor Claude Rains into a US star overnight; ironically, as he is hardly seen in the film unless he’s wrapped in bandages. A combination of ground-breaking visual effects, an art still in its infancy at the time, and HG Wells’ cautionary tale of a man driven mad by dangerous power, appealed to movie thrill-seekers. It became a cult classic, referenced in 1975’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and rebooted as Hollow Man starring Kevin Bacon in 2000.
The Net Entertainment slot The Invisible Man pays loving tribute to the film, using colourised caricatures of the characters. The five transparent reels spin against Dr Jack Griffin’s hotel-room laboratory, all bubbling test tubes and retorts. Theme music and snippets of dialogue from the film make up the soundtrack, and there are 20 paylines. Coin values can be adjusted from 1 to 50 credits, and players can bet from 1 to 10 coins per line.
Two Wild Symbols with Multiple Benefits
The Invisible Man has two Wild symbols: the Policeman Wild, a British bobby, and the Griffin Wild, the bandage-wrapped Invisible Man. The Policeman Wild appears on Reel 1, and the Griffin Wild on Reel 5, and each triggers 5 free re-spins. On each re-spin, the Policeman Wild moves one reel right and the Griffin Wild moves one reel left, able to substitute for any other symbols to make winning paylines all the while, until they exit the reels before the last re-spin.
If the Policeman Wild and Griffin Wild occur at the same time on the same row, as they move across the reels on re-spins they will eventually collide on Reel 3. When this happens, a round of 10 free spins is triggered, during which the two Wilds can appear on any reels, triggering the same sequence of re-spins whenever they do. If two Wilds merge again during the free spins round, an extra 4 free spins is added to the round.
Free Spins can Trigger More Bonus Features
During The Invisible Man free spins, two meters appear at the top of the screen; one for the Policeman and one for Griffin. Each time a Policeman Wild or a Griffin Wild exits the reels after a set of re-spins, either the Policeman or the Griffin meter will advance one step. After eight increases, the bonus specific to that Wild is awarded at the end of the free spins round; either the Police Spins or the Bonus Game.
Police Spins consists of a round of 3 free spins with 5 standard Wilds placed randomly around the reels. In the Bonus Game, the player is taken to three locations used in The Invisible Man film, and from a selection of objects must pick one to reveal either a mystery prize amount, a multiplier on the win, or the police hat that ends that stage and moves them on to the next location.
Symbols Related to the Style of Film
Although the symbols in The Invisible Man slot are cartoon caricatures, they closely resemble the characters from the film: hotel owners Mr and Mrs Hall, Griffin’s boss Dr Cranley, Cranley’s daughter Flora, who is Griffin’s fiancée, and Griffin’s colleague Dr Kemp. Flora is the highest-paying icon, winning 500 credits for five matches.
Combos count either left to right from Reel 1, or right to left from Reel 5. The poker symbols A to 10 are rendered in the art deco fashion popular at the time the film was made. Like blackjack online SG, the slot can be tried on various devices.