Squid Game – One Lucky Day

Squid Game One Lucky Day: Slot Overview

For those living in a hermit's cave for the last few years, one of the biggest, if not the biggest, TV extravaganzas to hit streaming service Netflix was the show Squid Game. A South Korean series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game told the story of 456 players in a secret contest risking life and limb for the chance to win ?45.6 billion (approximately €31 million). The series was a hit, chalking up 1.65 billion viewing hours in its first four weeks. That translates to more than 188,356 years, which is roughly (give or take a few tens of thousands of years or so) how long ago homo sapiens emerged on Earth, depending on your source of info.

Now we've got a branded online slot version courtesy of Light & Wonder titled Squid Game One Lucky Day. No stranger to branded tie-ins, Light & Wonder has a commendable job of bringing a ton of stuff from the show into the slot. More so in the bonus rounds, perhaps, but the base game's unnerving looks and tunes should put fans of Squid Games in a positive frame of mind.

The gaming arena in Squid Game One Lucky Day consists of a 5-reel grid, each reel holding 4 positions and crossed by 40 paylines. To get involved, users may select a stake as low as 10 c or as high as ￡/€10 with a Buy Pass provided to leap straight into the bonus phase of play. Gambling 'normally', as in not buying bonuses, has a default RTP of 95.95% while the math model has been rated medium volatile.

Cookies with circles, triangles, stars and umbrellas on them are the regular low pays, while the highs are a contestant, a Square Guard, a red light green light doll, the Frontman, and the logo. Hitting a line of 5 lows awards 2 times the bet for all types, or 4 to 60 times the bet is paid for a line of 5 matching premiums. Wilds appear on all reels and have the same value as the logo. They can also be used to replace any regular pay symbol in a winning line.

Squid Game One Lucky Day: Slot Features

Squid Game One Lucky Day is without features in the base game, so it's not till 3 scatter symbols hit on reels 1, 3, and 5 that things pick up. When 3 scatters are in view, the scatter symbol on the rightmost reel spins to reveal the triggered feature.

Red Light Green Light Bonus

During each round of this bonus, players pick whether they would like to move 1, 2, 3, or 4 steps in an attempt to reach the finish and claim the Jackpot Round. When successfully completing the chosen steps, a bet multiplier is awarded: 1 Step (1x to 10x the bet), 2 Steps (2x to 20x the bet), 3 Steps (3x to 50x the bet), or 4 Steps (4x to 100x the bet). The fewer steps, the lower the possible prize but the lower the risk. If the doll catches you at any time, the round ends and the current win amount is awarded. Making it all the way to the end triggers the Jackpot Bonus. During the Jackpot Bonus round, players pick mystery silhouettes until 3 matching prizes are revealed. The 4 fixed jackpots are the Pink Guard Circle, the Pink Guard Triangle, the Pink Guard Square, or the Frontman, paying 4.56x, 45.6x, 456x, or 4,560x the bet, respectively.

Glass Bridge Bonus

At the beginning of this bonus, players choose whether they will step to the left or to the right on a glass bridge. Successful moves award:

• Wild Upgrades – the first upgrade is Falling Wilds, which move down 1 position on each spin till falling off; the second upgrade is Walking Wilds, which move 1 position from right to left till falling off, while the third upgrade is Locked Wilds which locks wilds in place on the grid till free spins end.
• 1, 2, or 3 extra spins.
• +1 to the win multiplier.
• 1 low pay symbol is removed.

There are a maximum of 18 moves, and an unsuccessful move awards an upgrade then moves to the free spins phase, where the applicable upgrades are applied.

Tug of War Bonus

At least 1 wild stacked reel is present on each free spin, and two teams pull it left and right. When pulling the stack, more wild stacks could be revealed, up to 4 in total. Spins continue until the wild reel is tugged off the reels on either side. The losing team leaves 3 to 10 wilds on the grid, and after the payout calculation has been made, the round ends.

Buy Pass

The bonus buy pass allows players to buy entry directly to the bonus round. When bought for 50x the bet, a spin lands 3 bonus scatter symbols and 1 of the bonuses is randomly triggered. The RTP when using the Buy Pass is 96.13%.

Squid Game One Lucky Day: Slot Verdict

It's intriguing to consider what the outcome might have been if different providers had undertaken this project. On one hand, Light & Wonder is no stranger to branded slots; see its Cluedo, Stargate, and many Monopoly tie-ins, for example, but none have especially stood out. There is a feeling that in bolder, braver hands, Squid Game One Lucky Day could have been diabolically good, or at least better. Imagine, for example, ELK Studios pouring some of the manic dystopic experience garnered from the Nitropolis range into a Squid Game slot or Nolimit City getting its mitts on the licence and doing something shocking. Squid Game the TV show scored highly on the shock meter after all, while Squid Game One Lucky Day the slot feels toned down by comparison.

Though, to be fair, Light & Wonder has done a good job of squeezing a ton of references into the game. Partly through the audiovisuals, partly through the various bonus rounds which relate directly to the show. You'll want to hit those bonus rounds as often as possible, too because the base game is a lacklustre affair. Maybe treat it as downtime if you're planning to stick around playing Squid Game One Lucky Day. Or, gamblers can take advantage of the buy pass, which, at 50x the bet, isn't bad value. It's actually pretty cheap compared to a lot of buys out there now. Too bad you can't pick the exact bonus you want, but ah well, can't have everything.

What's also good is the way Light & Wonder has directly incorporated elements of the TV show to mask what might have been totally standard features. For example, instead of clicking items to reveal bonus round modifiers, you click left or right to cross a bridge to get them or not. Finished off with a 5,000x the bet max win, there is definite value here for the right player/fan of the show. Still, a feeling persisted that, in other hands, Squid Game One Lucky Day might have been a fiendishly entertaining slot rather than the good, though not quite great, status it achieved. Put it this way: if Squid Game One Lucky Day was a contestant on the show, it is highly questionable whether it would have the raw killer instinct to go all the way.