Introduction to Flock Me
Flock Me is a casino slot from NetEnt, turning a common, and not-so-elegant phrase that many of us mumbled or exclaimed in the moments of utter disbelief or despair, into a title for a quirky, humorous game. While the subject of incarceration and punishment for crimes has popped up in the industry several times before, it mainly involved humans. This time, we visit a correctional facility for misbehaving birds, where they serve their sentences under the watchful eye of the guards. In most prisons, there's not much to do to pass the time, but here, the yard is full of diverse activities the feathery inmates can participate in. As can you. There's always the opportunity to do some Cleaning, or hide away with the Flock Me magazine to take a breather from the dangerous crowds. Multiplier Wilds are the stars of the show, roaming the grounds and helping symbols to connect in clusters, as well as boosting their payouts. For those who are at their best behavior, the Free Spins round will provide the most valuable perks worth up to 8,594x the bet.
If the prison environment feels a bit too intimidating, even despite being populated by birds, you can watch the action safely from the sidelines in the demo mode available at the top of this page.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Flock Me is a video slot from NetEnt with 6 reels, 7 rows, and a cluster-pays win system requiring 5+ matching symbols to land vertically and/or horizontally adjacent. In the bet selection panel, you can choose your active stake from multiple options, starting from a Min.bet of 0.2 up to a Max.bet of 50. The game's default RTP is 96.00%, which is on the lower end of the industry average, but there are also alternative variants of 94.02%, 92.03%, and 88.02% released to operators. Wins should be balanced between their size and frequency due to medium volatility, while the top prize from a single spin may reach 8,594x the bet. The base hit frequency is 23.00%.
Despite carrying a quirky cartoony design, Flock Me is also quite intense, given the prison atmosphere and an immersive soundtrack running a lo-fi hip-hop beat peppered with chatter of inmates and sounds of various activities they're performing. The environment may not feel as gritty as some more realistic depictions of the subject, but the bleak yellow walls armed with chain-link fences, barbed wire, and security cameras provide just the right signals to treat the place seriously. Sometimes, you can even forget for a moment that it's a humorous version of a jail for birds, of which you'll be reminded only by the high-value symbols on the reels. The game plays smoothly on all kinds of devices, from desktops to smartphones and tablets, and it's especially attractive in the vertical orientation due to the specific arrangement of the grid matrix.
The paytable comprises two sets of regular symbols, which award payouts whenever you combine at least 5 instances into a cluster by landing them vertically and/or horizontally adjacent. Among the low-paying ones, you'll see a ball and chain, a toilet paper roll, a lighter, and a bar of soap, awarding from 3x to 10x the bet for a set of 18 or more in a cluster. High-paying symbols consist of images depicting four bird inmates on differently-colored backgrounds: blue, green, yellow, and pink, which bring payouts ranging from 25x to 200x the bet for a cluster of 18+ matching instances.
There's also a selection of special symbols available on the reels, like Wilds in the form of a badge, Multiplier Wilds appearing as a prison guard, Flock Me symbol depicted by a magazine, Cleaning symbol represented by a toilet, and three types of Cross Wilds.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Flock Me?
You can win up to 8,954x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Flock Me?
The features are Cascading, Colossal Symbols, Multiplier Wilds, Flock Me, Cleaning, Cross Wilds, Free Spins, and Feature Buy.
Cascading
Within the cascading mechanism, you'll have a chance to score multiple consecutive wins. Every initial cluster is removed from the grid, causing the remaining symbols to drop and new ones to populate the board. This can potentially lead to more hits, thus extending the sequence until no new combinations can be formed.
Colossal Symbols
Each regular symbol can randomly appear in an increased size of 2x2, acting as 4 individual symbols. Any empty spaces underneath the Colossal Symbol will be filled with matching instances.
Multiplier Wilds
Multiplier Wilds can land anywhere on the grid with a default x1 multiplier. Whenever they are a part of a winning cluster, the multiplier grows by 1, and the symbol moves to a random adjacent position before the next cascade drops. Multiplier Wilds moving onto Colossal Symbol position grow in size accordingly, but they also return to their regular form if they move to a single-sized symbol. Multiplier Wilds do not disappear together with winning clusters, but they are cleared from the grid at the beginning of the next paid spin.
Flock Me
The Flock Me symbol may land anywhere on the grid, and it will wait until all cascades are finished. Then, it will activate and attract all Multiplier Wilds present on the grid that will travel to it and settle in adjacent positions. One additional Multiplier Wild will also be generated in that area, and any vacant spaces around the Flock Me symbol will be populated by regular Wilds.
Cleaning
The Cleaning symbol activates the feature when no more wins can occur on the grid. It will clear all regular symbols from the board, leaving only Wilds, Multiplier Wilds, Cross Wilds, Scatters, and Flock Me symbols.
Cross Wilds
When a Cross Wild becomes part of a winning cluster, it will activate and transform symbols into matching instances in the pattern it displays. It can either affect vertical and horizontal positions, diagonal, or all at once. Any cells in which transformations intersect will become Wilds.
Free Spins
With 3 Scatters appearing anywhere on the grid throughout the same base game spin, you'll activate 5 free spins. Any Multiplier Wilds present on the board during the triggering round will be carried over to the bonus. During free spins, Multiplier Wilds are persistent and never disappear from the grid, allowing for their multipliers to grow continuously. Scoring 3 Scatters simultaneously awards 2 extra spins.
Feature Buy
If you're eager to experience the most intense action behind bars, the Elevate menu holds several options for boosted spins and instant bonus triggers.
2x = Boost with an increased chance of features and Multiplier Wilds appearing.
20x = trigger the Flock Me feature.
50x = trigger the Super Flock Me feature with up to 2 Multiplier Wilds guaranteed.
100x = trigger 5 Free Spins.
250x = trigger 5 Super Free Spins with up to 2 Multiplier Wilds guaranteed.
Final Thoughts on Flock Me
Birds are arguably one of the most popular animal species in online slots, often appearing in their natural form but also occasionally taking up human professions, like time and space-traveling adventurers in the Pirots series by ELK Studios, or mafiosos in Goodfeathers by Blueprint Gaming. However, we don't recall ever seeing them as inmates behind bars, so that's a point for NetEnt for coming up with an original narrative. The execution deserves credit as well, as the game feels super-consistent throughout, perfectly balancing cartoon artwork with the gritty reality of a prison to deliver an enjoyable and unique experience. Our praises extend further to the seamless connections between the features' design and their mechanics during events like Flock Me, where guards surround the contraband item and Cleaning, making all regular symbols clear out from the grid. It's clear that a lot of thought and careful planning went into creating this entertaining scene, and it's showing.
From the purely technical side, the game builds on the primary function of Multiplier Wilds that roam the grid continuously while increasing their multipliers after every win within the same base game round or throughout the entire bonus. If memory serves well, Push Gaming was the first studio to popularize this model in their Jammin' Jars slot from 2018, while many others released some variations of it in the following years. To set itself apart from the groovy jars, Flock Me adds an interesting mechanism of containing all present Multiplier Wilds within one area, which is usually a great way to extend the sequence with more wins. So is the Cleaning feature, which strips the grid of regular symbols, leaving only special ones untouched, giving a solid opportunity for bringing in more winning clusters. If those two further combine with Cross Wilds, which can shake things up with multiple transformations of symbols, you can expect a truly chaotic round with plenty of hits. Like in many slots using this format, the bonus round keeps Multiplier Wilds persistent, allowing their values to grow theoretically indefinitely if you manage to keep retriggering the feature.
Flock Me is an all-around good game, with a humorous, high-quality theme and a balanced collection of familiar mechanics.
