Overview
Chicken Run is a fun and quirky online casino slot machine developed by Microgaming that takes inspiration from the popular animated movie of the same name. Released in 2020, this entertaining game offers players an engaging experience with its unique design, exciting gameplay features, and rewarding payouts. In this review, we’ll dive deep into every aspect of Chicken Run to provide a comprehensive understanding of what Chicken Run it has to offer.
Theme
The slot machine is set on the farm where Ginger, a clever chicken, leads her flock in their mission to escape from their nefarious farmer, Mrs. Tweedy. The game’s theme is centered around these endearing and lovable birds as they navigate through obstacles and challenges to reach freedom. Microgaming has done an excellent job of recreating the movie’s essence into the slot machine’s visuals and audio-visual elements.
Design
The design of Chicken Run is visually appealing, with colorful graphics that will transport you straight into the world of the animated film. The reels are set against a beautiful farm backdrop, complete with rolling hills, green pastures, and fluffy white clouds. Each reel contains 5 rows of symbols, which can make for up to 15 win lines when playing with maximum bet.
Symbols
The slot machine features an assortment of interesting symbols that players will encounter during gameplay:
- High-value symbols: Ginger, Mrs. Tweedy, Farmer Tweedy, and various chickens.
- Low-value symbols: Playing card values (A-9).
- Special symbol: The Golden Egg scatter.
Players can expect the high-value symbols to pay out quite well for matching 5 of a kind combinations on any active win line. For example, getting five Ginger icons will award 100 times the player’s total bet amount!
Payouts
The payouts in Chicken Run are not too dissimilar from what we’re accustomed to seeing in Microgaming slots – rewarding but far from exceptional.
Here are some examples of maximum payout amounts for winning combinations:
- High-value symbols:
- Ginger: 1,000 coins
- Mrs. Tweedy: 500 coins
- Farmer Tweedy: 200 coins
- Various chickens: 100-150 coins
- Low-value symbols:
- A-K (low): 20-40 times total bet amount
The payouts might not be spectacularly generous, but they can certainly provide a decent return for players looking to get their fowl play on.
Wilds
There are no dedicated wild icons in Chicken Run. However, the Ginger and Mrs. Tweedy symbols act as substitutes for other high-value symbols when required by game mechanics, effectively providing a limited wild functionality.
Scatters
The Golden Egg is the only scatter symbol available in this slot machine, landing on reels 1-3 triggers free spins. Getting three or more scatters will start the feature.
Bonus Features
Chicken Run offers two primary bonus features – Free Spins and Bonus Games (known as "Farmer’s Frenzy").
- Free Spins : Land at least three Golden Egg scatter symbols anywhere on reels 1-3 to unlock a total of 10 free spins. The scatters can land in the same spin, so be prepared for more than just 5 spins. During Free Spins, all wins are multiplied by an increasing multiplier (starting from x2), which keeps growing with each subsequent win.
Bonus Games: Farmer’s Frenzy
To start this bonus game:
- Get five Mrs. Tweedy symbols in a row on reel 3 (from left to right). OR
- Collect three or more scatters anywhere on reels 1-3, and then trigger the feature by getting another scatter during Free Spins.
Bonus Game Mechanics : Farmer’s Frenzy is essentially a cascading wilds mechanic:
* A wild symbol replaces any high-value chicken icon. * All pays are multiplied by a growing multiplier (starting from x2). + The game keeps going until no more wins appear, at which point the feature ends.
Volatility and RTP
Chicken Run operates with medium volatility. In terms of payout percentage (RTP), Microgaming has not released an exact figure yet. However, based on industry standards, it should fall within a reasonable range – around 95-97%.