Introduction to Alien Fruits 3
Alien Fruits 3 is a casino slot from BGaming, setting off on another intergalactic journey to discover new species of win-bringing creatures. Actually, it's more or less the same breed you may have seen in Alien Fruits and Alien Fruits 2, but this time around, they've learned a different way of creating combinations. The scatter-pays system, present in the two previous parts, has been replaced by clusters, and the multipliers are not delivered through special symbols anymore but through filling up a meter with winning symbols. On top of that, five different modifiers diversify the gameplay whenever you manage to activate a highlighted tile, from added Wilds and giant symbols to transformations and removals. It's quite an evolutionary leap for the little fruit creatures, so let's see if all that progress actually pays off.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Alien Fruits 3 is a video slot from BGaming with 8 reels, 8 rows, and a cluster-pays system, requiring 5+ symbols to land vertically and/or horizontally adjacent. You can choose your stake from a range of options, starting from a Min.bet of 0.20 up to a Max.bet of 25. The game offers a default RTP of 97.00%, which exceeds the typical industry standard of 96.00% to 96.5%. The mathematical profile comes with medium-high volatility, which focuses on more valuable but less frequent wins on average, and a max win capped at 10,000x the bet. You will experience the base hit frequency of 33.67%, with the bonus round triggerable at an average rate of 1 in 196 spins.
The main scene in Alien Fruits 3 takes you to a distant planet, the home of the little quirky creatures. It's quite a barren place, lined mostly with reddish, flat rock formations, with occasional giant luminous mushrooms sprouting from the ground and occasional vegetation resembling our cacti growing scarcely around under the blue skies. A hi-tech playing panel hovers in the middle, equipped with mysterious lights and a glowing force field spreading from top to bottom. The buzzing, neatly divided blue area serves as a grid for 64 symbols. Thanks to the game's universal, responsive design, you can launch it on any modern device, whether you prefer to play on a desktop, a smartphone, or a tablet.
The paytable comprises two sets of regular symbols, which award payouts whenever you match at least 5 in a cluster. Among the low-paying ones, you'll see green, orange, blue, and red gemstones, awarding between 50x and 150x the bet for a set of 25 or more instances. High-paying symbols consist of three fruit aliens, bringing payouts ranging from 300x to 1,000x the bet for a cluster comprising at least 25 units. To aid you in creating and improving wins, there are also Wilds in the form of a colourful, gem-studded planet.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Alien Fruits 3?
You can win up to 10,000x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Alien Fruits 3?
The features are Cascading, Spin Modifiers, Cosmo Frenzy, and Feature Buy.
Cascading
Every time you hit a winning cluster, it initiates a cascading sequence where the evaluated symbols disappear from the grid, making room for new ones to drop in. This potentially can lead to further hits, and the process continues as long as new combinations are being formed.
Spin Modifiers
Randomly at the beginning of a spin, some grid positions may be highlighted with one of five colours. If you manage to form a winning combination that covers such a cell, you trigger the corresponding feature.
Blue Mark = clears all non-winning symbols after all cascading has finished.
Purple Mark = all instances of a randomly-chosen symbol transform into Wilds.
Yellow Mark = random instances of one symbol become 2x2 blocks.
Orange Mark = a giant 3x3, 4x4, or 5x5 symbol is added to the grid.
Green Mark = between 5 and 15 Wilds are added to random positions.
Cosmo Frenzy
Each winning combination charges the progress meter above the reels with the number of points equal to the number of symbols in the cluster. Upon each completed level, you receive a multiplier applied to all wins and a guaranteed trigger of all 5 Spin Modifiers.
Level 1 = 114 points, multiplier x2.
Level 2 = 116 points, multiplier x4.
Level 3 = 120 points, multiplier x6.
Level 4 = 125 points, multiplier x8.
Level 5 = 132 points, multiplier x10.
Feature Buy
To make quicker progress in the alien world, you may use a couple of options to trigger boosted spins or go for the bonus round right away.
1.5x = Chance x2, doubling the probability of triggering the Cosmo Frenzy feature.
100x = instant trigger of the Cosmo Frenzy feature.
Final Thoughts on Alien Fruits 3
Whenever you deal with quirky aliens on a large, cascading grid, your mind probably goes straight to Reactoonz by Play'n GO. It's hard to deny that those little rascals paved the way for all other extraterrestrial species that like to combine into clusters. We've seen countless attempts from providers to replicate the winning formula by going for a straight clone or adding and changing some of the elements, but it doesn't feel like any of them ever outperformed the good old toonz.
BGaming takes another swing at conquering the space by revamping its Alien Fruits series and shuffling familiar elements around to create a slightly different experience. The core of the format remains pretty much the same, where you need to collect cluster wins to fill up the progress bar. However, it's the method of triggering particular modifiers that's changed a bit, making the features seemingly more accessible. All you need is to hit a winning combination in a highlighted space, and one of the five helpful mechanics transforms the grid. Modifiers themselves are relatively common, including adding more Wilds, changing regular symbols into Wilds, and generating their giant versions. Then, there's the progress bar that leads to the Cosmic Frenzy bonus round with extra multipliers if you accumulate at least 114 points within one sequence. Altogether, the game may feel like a distinction without a difference when compared to the multitude of other alien cluster slots, but at least the producers didn't go for a blatant Reactoonz copy.
Alien Fruits 3 tries to capitalise on the familiar cascading cluster formula with a range of modifiers, but doesn't seem to add much novelty to the well-established playstyle.
