An Escape From Alcatraz

Rendered in a fantastic vintage style reminiscent of classic Warner Brothers cartoons, this slot transports players to famous Alcatraz prison, located on an island near San Francisco. Our hero appears digging a hole in the floor of his cell, dressed in white and red striped prisoner garb, with rats for company and the shadow of prison guards looms on the horizon. There are five reels, three lines, and an adjustable payline system ranging from one to nine.

Theme

In a rare design scheme, the main display shows a kind of old-school arcade game console, within which the reels are situated. Within the game-within-a-game screen, our hero digs his escape hole in low-fi animation, with the reels in the background. Gaming symbols include a ball and chain, digging tools, crates of dynamite, a police wagon looking straight out of Lady and the Tramp, bread and water with the hint of a rat hiding behind it. There is also a makeshift raft, policeman/prison guard, and the game’s logo, which acts as scatter symbol. There is no music, just analog-invoking sound effects while the reels spin. Clearly, this is a prison in need of modernization.

Betting Options and Functions

The old-school arcade console has flashing buttons below the reels, and these are the main point of user interaction. There is an auto-spin feature, the opportunity to set paylines to either one, three, five, seven, or nine, a spin button, options to toggle the bet size, and a one-page explanation of payouts – that is all. Be wary of the max bet button because, somewhat unusually, there is a limit in An Escape from Alcatraz on how much can be bet on a single spin! Players feeling bold are free to let the entire bankroll ride on one turn of the reels.

Features

There’s a significant conflict of interest between players and the hero of this slot: while the latter wants to escape right away, players ought to linger awhile for the chance to win on the reels. Base play offers a max payout of 10,000 times the bet size, which is quite high in the scheme of things.

With that said, it’s the bonus feature that offers that offers the chance to escape, and that chance is a very lucrative one. The bonus game has two rounds: first, our prisoner tries to tunnel out of prison, and second, he has to build a raft to get away safely. Players have to choose the best way out and can make one mistake without compromising their escape. Make two, however, and it’s back to the cell (with winnings intact).

An Escape from Alcatraz offers one additional feature: all wins in base play can be taken to double-or-nothing as many times as the player likes, with no cap on winnings. Simply press the “Bet” button after a win to set this game in motion, and try to pick a higher card than the dealer – this will continue until the player presses the “start” button to take their money and run.

Our Take

How delightful to see a truly vintage slot appear in the online game scene! An Escape from Alcatraz is a simple game with a very enjoyable aesthetic. Have a safe and lucrative escape!