Space Donkey Slot

Space Donkey: Slot Overview

Before delving into the review, consider an intriguing observation from Michio Kaku’s book, “The Future of Humanity.” Geneticists have noted that the DNA of any two humans is nearly identical, in stark contrast to the significant genetic variation observed between two chimpanzees. One theory suggests that a cataclysmic event in the distant past drastically reduced the human population, resulting in a limited genetic pool shared by the current global population of over 8 billion. Who knows, with a slight twist of fate, another species might have inherited the planet instead of us?

The reason for bringing this up is that a species-confused Monkey takes center stage in Nolimit City’s ambitious slot, Space Donkey. Fair warning, searching the title on Urban Dictionary might yield unexpected results, but for the curious, a link is provided. In this game, our Monkey protagonist bravely defends against invading aliens, aiming to avoid probing while, hopefully, accumulating some gold. Space Donkey is a delightful treat for enthusiasts of blocky, 8-bit-styled slots. The base game offers a top-down view of a gaming area reminiscent of classic shooters like Capcom’s 1942. Triggering free spins continues the retro gaming theme in two distinct bonus rounds, where the Monkey navigates the screen, shooting enemies and collecting loot. The impeccable graphics are complemented by equally fitting sounds, appealing to gamblers with a fondness for classic video games.

However, despite its appearance, Space Donkey is not merely a video game but a highly volatile video slot. It features a default RTP of 96.07%, with players able to wager 20 p/c to $/€200 per spin. While lacking an xBet-style feature, bonus buyers can choose from three options. The base game unfolds on a 6×6 gaming grid with 46,656 ways to win and an avalanche mechanic that replaces winning symbols by dropping new ones from above.

Symbol-wise, Space Donkey includes 9-A card ranks, bullets, a ray gun, an alien, a fighter plane, and, of course, a monkey. Achieving a 6 OAK royal win rewards 0.25 to 0.75 times the bet, while a 6 premium symbol win pays 1 to 4 times the bet. Abduction Wilds make appearances in the base game on all reels except the leftmost one. When an Abduction Wild contributes to a win, it remains on the screen for the next drop, moving downwards and abducting (removing) normal pay symbols while increasing its multiplier by +1 for each removed symbol.

Space Donkey: Slot Features

Nolimit City is renowned for crafting intricate games, and Space Donkey is no exception, laden with rules and features. While understanding the intricacies may require hands-on experience, let’s delve into the details and navigate through this rule-heavy slot.

Hellfire

Chopper symbols can emerge on reels 2 to 5 during the base game. Upon encountering 3 or more Choppers on the screen, the Hellfire feature is triggered. Each Chopper operates uniquely, with the first shooting in one direction, the second firing in two directions, and so forth. The multipliers from the Choppers are applied to all wild and standard pay symbols in the respective directions. Each Chopper’s multiplier ranges from 2 to 10, and this multiplier is equivalent to the number of symbols in that position.

Hide N’ Seek

Activating the Hide N’ Seek round requires landing 3 scatter symbols. The scatters transform into Traps on a 6×6 grid where the grid’s edges connect opposites. Each turn involves two values – Direction and Steps, guiding a Monkey symbol to collect chest values. The Monkey ceases movement upon losing all its lives, starting with an initial 3 lives. The Monkey and Alien lose lives upon collision or moving into a Trap, which is removed when the Monkey walks into it. Traps do not drop when symbols are removed. In this mode, the following symbols are present:

• Traps: Remove one life from the Monkey and disappear.
• Grey Chest: Grants an extra life, a multiplier value, or upgrades to Seek N’ Destroy, or offers nothing.
• Golden Chest: Awards a multiplier value.
• Teleport: Unveiled from a Grey Chest, triggers Seek N’ Destroy instantly.
• Alien: Deducts a life from the Monkey.
• Magician: Rewards the total sum of all Golden Chests in view.
• King: Multiplies values on Golden Chests by a random multiplier of 2 to 10.
• Princess: Collects values from adjacent Grey and Golden chests in all directions and eliminates an adjacent Alien.
• Stone Monster: Influences symbols in random positions – doubles Golden Chest multiplier, opens Grey Chests, and eliminates Alien. The Alien moves one step towards the Monkey after the Monkey’s move and operates as follows:
• Upon reaching the Monkey, the Alien deducts a life and disappears.
• At a Chest, it adds the Chest multiplier to its value.
• When reaching the Magician, King, Princess, or Stone Monster, it adds ×1 to its value.
• When reaching a Trap, it dies, leaving behind a Golden Chest in its starting position, spreading its value to adjacent Golden Chests or retaining the entire value, leaving nothing if it lacks a value.
• If killed by a Princess or Stone Monster, it reacts the same as when reaching a Trap. Upon disappearing, the Alien may respawn in subsequent avalanches, inheriting the value of the symbol it appears on. When discovering Teleport, the feature ends, triggering Seek N’ Destroy. Extra lives beyond one for the Monkey are converted to additional Monkey shields for Seek N’ Destroy.

Seek N’ Destroy

Triggering the Seek N’ Destroy feature requires landing 4 scatters. For each additional triggering scatter, the Monkey gains an extra shield. The game unfolds on a 6×5 grid, featuring random multipliers of 1-10 atop columns 2-6, with Aliens advancing along rows toward the Monkey each turn. The Monkey relocates to a random row on each turn, firing a weapon to eliminate Aliens and the Mothership. During each turn, an Alien with a multiplier emerges from all horizontal launcher tubes (rows). Once eliminated, its value is multiplied by the column’s multiplier (if active) and collected. Aliens may have varying life counts. Booster symbols, awarding a Shield or a weapon upgrade, may also appear in the launcher tube. The round concludes when the Monkey runs out of lives or Monkeypendence Day is triggered. Each turn unfolds as follows:

1. The Monkey moves to a random row.
2. Aliens/Booster symbols shift one position to the left.
3. The launch tubes generate a new wave of Aliens.
4. The Monkey selects a random weapon and fires it.
5. The value(s) of any eliminated Alien is awarded after being multiplied by the respective active column multiplier.

The Monkey has various weapons at its disposal:

• Link Gun: Depletes the life of all Aliens of the same kind. If no Alien is present, it fires at 1/2 Launch tubes. When upgraded, it fires twice.
• Laser Gun: Depletes the life of all Aliens in the same row, including the launcher tube. It also eliminates Aliens on adjacent rows when upgraded.
• Nuke: Depletes the life of all Aliens in one column. If no Alien is present, it also fires at neighboring Launch tubes. When upgraded, Nukes fire twice.
• Rail Gun: Eliminates one Alien. Fires twice when upgraded.

The launcher tube has 3, 4, 5, 4, and 3 lives from top to bottom. Each weapon fire removes 1 life from the Launcher tube and the Mothership. Destroying a launcher tube awards 100x the bet for each tube, eliminates Aliens in neighboring rows, and prevents the tube from spawning more Aliens. When Aliens reach the left side of the Launcher tube on the same row as the Monkey, they remove a shield or life. In this scenario, Booster symbols award a Shield or a weapon upgrade.

Finally, Monkeypendence Day arrives. The Mothership has 25 lives, decreasing with each shot at a launcher tube. When the Mothership or all Launcher tubes are demolished, the bonus round concludes, and a random multiplier of 5, 10, 15, 20 is awarded, multiplying the accumulated bonus win.

Nolimit Bonus

Through the Nolimit Bonus, players have the option to spend 79 times the bet to activate the Hide N’ Seek feature (96.1% RTP), invest 272 times the bet to purchase the Seek N’ Destroy round (96.26% RTP), or opt for the Lucky Draw choice at 143 times the bet (96.4% RTP).

Space Donkey: Slot Verdict

Old-school video game enthusiasts are in for a nostalgic treat with Space Donkey. It exudes the classic arcade game ambiance, evoking memories of inserting coins and maneuvering the joystick while vigorously pressing buttons. As consoles and PCs replaced video game arcades, the game sparks a sense of longing for those who reminisce about the days spent in dimly lit rooms with the beeps and bloops resonating from rows of gaming cabinets. A time when players were transported to different worlds alongside fellow enthusiasts, feeding pockets full of coins into machines, all aiming to conquer the game. Graphically and sonically, Space Donkey competes with other top-notch 8-bit retro slots like Hellcatraz, NFT Megaways, and Flame Busters. Being a creation of Nolimit City, the studio has not only pushed the boundaries but also nudged everything into the cold, dark void of space, where “no one can hear you scream,” as the iconic tagline from the movie Alien suggests.

The extra push into the void is evident in the intricate nature of the bonus rounds. Unlike the sometimes confusing complexity found in some Nolimit City games (such as Mental), the complexity here lies in the abundance of rules and regulations to follow. Bonus rounds can significantly impact a slot, and Space Donkey’s bonus rounds bring to mind memories of Crazy Tooth Studio’s Fortress Charge. Similar to Fortress Charge, both Hide N’ Seek and Seek N’ Destroy feature distinctive design and execution, creating a love-it-or-leave-it scenario. On the potential downside, some players may find the rounds slower than usual (although this can also be seen as getting good value), and, akin to the frustration of losing in a video game, they can be challenging. Have you ever felt like the computer was working against you? You might get that feeling while battling Space Donkey. On the positive side, Nolimit City has done an exceptional job ensuring both rounds deliver an exhilarating trip down memory lane for seasoned video gamers who can relive their youth, slamming coins into cabinets and dazzling onlookers with skills honed through countless rounds of practice. Only this time, there are potential wins of up to 14,649 times the bet on the line.

Few studios take a slot idea and push it to the extreme like Nolimit City does. From flawless graphics and sound to intriguing characters, an amusing storyline, and unique features, Space Donkey stands out as a cleverly crafted and distinctive slot. Whether you consider it your cup of tea or a peculiar spectacle, it’s hard to deny that this is a thoughtfully created and unique slot that may evoke a bit of wistful sentimentality in veteran gamers.

Jack Barens iGaming Writer

Last Updated: April 22, 2024