Everyone’s favorite pre-World War II Birmingham gangsters are releasing their video slot debut, and Peaky Blinders is also Pragmatic Play’s first branded slot. The TV show was a huge success, so expectations are naturally high when a well-known developer has chosen this as its very first foray into the official slot genre. The big question is not only whether Pragmatic has delivered enough to satisfy those familiar with the show, but also whether the game will manage to overcome the fan bubble and extend its reach into the mainstream world of online slots.
The fan base is probably large enough to justify this game either way, and we don’t think Pragmatic took too many risks with their brand debut. Everything plays out in a standard 5×3 setup with 20 paylines, and 4 of the main characters are featured on the reels. The base game offers 2 different features: a respin feature with sticky symbols plus symbol transformation, and a symbol money collection feature. Neither of them is really that effective in the game, at least not until you trigger the bonus round.
What we miss in this game is the guts you get from the TV show, and a bit more courage and willingness to innovate. For example, why are there so few soundbites and no clips from the show, and why not make this debut the special occasion it could have been? Fans will probably enjoy this game for a while because of the familiarity, but there’s not too much here to attract people who aren’t too interested in the characters and the show. The 2,022 potential is below average for this kind of volatility, and the game just lacks punch and excitement.
What are the bonus features?
Some branded slots are full of bonus features, but Peaky Blinders is not really that kind of game. However, you still have some basic game features to look forward to here, as well as the main attraction, the bonus round.
There are two different scatter symbols in this game, both of which can only land on the last reel. These scatters are called Shelby Betting Shop and By Order of the Peaky Blinders, and they both trigger a unique bonus feature when they land.
With the By Order of the Peaky Blinders features, all character symbols become sticky and a free respin is given. All new character symbols and wilds that land are converted into the same matching character symbol, and a new payout calculation is performed.
The Shelby Betting Shop feature adds a cash value to all character symbols, and you will see the numbers on the panel on the right side of the reels. The total is summed up and paid out when the function is finished.
Free Spins in Peaky Blinders
In addition to the above scatters, you will also find a logo bonus symbol that can only land on reels 1 and 3. If you land one of the above scatters on reel 5 and at the same time land the bonus symbol on reels 1 and 3, you will trigger the free spins bonus round of the game.
There is not that much difference between the base game and the free spins round, but you will benefit from additional scatter symbols here. With the By Order of the Peaky Blinders feature, you will get 10 free spins and additional scatter symbols will be added to Reel 5. The Shelby Betting Shop bonus round gives you 8 free spins and you will benefit from more scatters on Reel 5.
You cannot retrigger the respective bonus rounds, and there is no way to get extra spins here. The only real difference from the base game is that your chances of triggering 1 of the 2 scatter features are increased during the free spins feature.
This is how the game is played
The game interface is typical of Pragmatic Play and has not been adapted to the brand theme in any way. Everything you need is located under the reels, so the neatly designed animated alley background is not visible. This is good, as it helps to create the atmosphere for Peaky Blinders slot. Here’s how to play this game.
To open the game settings, you can click on the small hamburger menu icon on the bottom left. This way you can activate the Quick Spin feature, which means faster gameplay. You can also activate the battery saving mode if you are playing on your phone or tablet and don’t have a chance to charge for a while.
The intro splash screen can be set to not appear the next time you load the game, and you can turn the music and sound effects on and off separately. You can also adjust the volume in-game via the small speaker icon, which is always a nice touch. Last but not least, you can check your game history if you have played this game before.
Next, you can click on the “i” icon to open the game’s paytable. As usual from this developer, the dynamic paytable displays the corresponding symbol values according to your chosen total bet. Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) in his infamous flat cap is the most valuable symbol here, and 5 of him on a payline will pay 20 times your bet. You’ll also find Arthur Shelby, Polly Gray and Michael Gray on the reels.
There is a wild symbol that pays the same as the Shelby symbol with the highest value. This can substitute for all regular symbols to help you form winning combinations. Symbols pay on adjacent reels from left to right, and the game offers 20 fixed ways to win. Choose your bet level between 20 pence and £100 per spin via the plus and minus symbols on either side of the spin button, and set up the autoplay feature with 10 to 100 autospins if you wish.
The 200 Spins Peaky Blinders Experience
We have to admit that we haven’t seen the TV series Peaky Blinders yet, but a branded slot is always interesting either way. We were really hoping that the game would inspire us to finally experience this British crime drama. So we definitely kept our fingers crossed as we dove into our usual 200 spins test session.
Being a volatile game, we were mentally prepared for some dead spins and smaller wins, and that’s basically all we got for a while. In fact, there were only a few smaller wins at the start of our session, which is often the case with high-risk/reward games like this, although the risk here is a bit too high compared to the potential reward.
However, we weren’t about to give up yet, and out of the blue we landed 2 bonus symbols on reels 1 and 3, and the By Order Of The Peaky Blinders scatter on reel 5. A voice announced that “this place is under new management”, which we think is a polite way of saying “mafia takeover”, and we were awarded 10 free spins.
However, we weren’t going to give up yet, and out of the blue we landed 2 Bonus symbols on Reels 1 and 3, and the By Order Of The Peaky Blinders scatter on Reel 5. A voice announced that “this place is under new management”, which we think is a polite way of saying “mafia takeover”, and we were awarded 10 free spins.
Towards the end, we triggered the feature twice more, and both times we got a whole lot of the high-value Thomas Shelby symbol. This gave us some much needed bigger wins and we came away with 83.95 times our bet overall. We more or less broke even on our session, and this seems to be a type of game where this is a common experience.
Rating Conclusion
As Pragmatic Play’s very first branded slot, we have to say that we were expecting a bit more. Instead, they decided to play it safe with Peaky Blinders, which is a bit disappointing. Visually, the game is pleasing enough and will probably satisfy fans of the show to some degree. However, the gameplay just isn’t exciting or thrilling enough. Soundbites from the TV series are included sporadically, but there are no video clips here, which is a bit odd.
You’ll certainly recognize the characters, but this is just too thin to provide any lasting sustenance. The seedy and ominous atmosphere has been captured pretty well, and we like how the reels are on fire in the bonus round. However, the features aren’t as fun after a while, and the maximum win potential of 2,022x is just too weak for this kind of volatility. We imagine the Shelby family would hardly care, but it might be enough for the hardcore fans.
Pros
Symbol money value collection feature
Respins of the sticky symbols with symbol transformation
Free spins with increased chances for 1 of the 2 features
Cons
Volatile game, but only 2,022x maximum win potential
Peaky Blinders Slot FAQs
What is the RTP of Peaky Blinders slot?
Peaky Blinders comes with a Return to Player of 96.5%, which is slightly higher than the industry standard, but you can get a lower payout due to the RTP ranges. Available RTP values are 96.50%, 95.50%, 94.50%.
How volatile is Peaky Blinders?
This is supposed to be a medium to high volatility game and it gets 4 out of 5 points on Pragmatic’s own volatility scale. However, it is higher volatility than medium, at least in our experience.
What’s the biggest possible gain here?
You can win up to 2,022 times your bet, which is a bit low for this type of volatility. Play with the highest possible bet of £100 and you can pocket up to £202,200 on a single spin here.
Is Peaky Blinders the official game based on the TV show?
Yes, this is indeed Pragmatic Play’s very first branded release, and it features all the main characters from the interwar British crime drama.
How do the 2 basic game features work?
You can land 2 different scatters on Reel 5. This triggers either a respin with sticky character symbols and symbol transformation, or a cash value collection feature for character symbols.
Is there a free spins mode on Peaky Blinders slot?
Yes, there is a bonus round for each of the 2 scatter features. You get either 8 or 10 spins, and depending on which scatter you used to trigger the feature, there is an increased chance of triggering that particular feature by landing on Reel 5.
Can I play Peaky Blinders slot for free?
Yes, it is very easy to do so. You can simply follow this link up to play Peaky Blinders for free (UK players will need to confirm their age first). Up there, you can also choose a casino from our scanned selection and play this game with a welcome bonus.
