The Expandables

Casinos with The Expandables

An Introduction to The Expandables

We love seeing software developer put their own spin on popular concepts. For the super hero brands, for example, Leander Games has put together their The Expandables video slot. As the name implies, it’s much like the action movie with a similar name in that it has quite a lineup of individual characters.

However, the name also hints at a very powerful feature that’s found in this slot.

The bottom line is that it’s a great concept, and it’s one of our favorite Leander Games slot themes. Based on a set of super heroes that are obviously based on the Avengers franchise, you’ll find that it has a comic-based visual style. The presentation is fun with their tower headquarters in the background. Additionally, the symbols really show off the personality of the individual characters.

You can’t have super heroes without tons of action, and that’s exactly what players get on the reels. This game is completely jam-packed with it from the features and the regular pay table. With a serious hit-rate and chances to massively boost your payouts from the way the game mechanics are put together, this is definitely not a game for someone who wants a super slow-paced experience.

Betting and Layout

Leander Games is known for making sure that the format of their titles fits the theme and concept. They were able to achieve this perfectly with this one as well. It offers plenty of ways to get paid without things getting out of hand. Here’s what you’ll want to know to get started:

• A set of five reels are used in this game with three horizontal rows that extend across them. However, this format isn’t variable from any of the game mechanics or features.
• Players have 243 ways to win on each spin. These winning ways go from left toward the right only.
• A payout is given based on having matching symbols anywhere on the reels, one after another, from left to right.
• We like the Leander Games betting interface here because you don’t have to click or tap to scroll through an endless number of bet sizes. Instead, they have a straightforward interface that requires one tap to choose the total amount you want to wager from a grand total of 13 different available sizes.
• In that range, you can go as low as €0.20 per spin or as high as €100 for each turn.

Because of how much action you’ll have from a higher hit-rate on the regular pay table, it tempers the volatility. Normally, we’d expect a game with such value-packed features to have a lot of big swings. However, the volatility level is only slightly above-average for this slot.

Every payout in this game is a multiple of the overall amount wagered. The 243 ways format doesn’t really lend itself to the coin-based approach. However, we’re find with this since we prefer when everything is based on your total bet size.

Gameplay and Features for The Expandables Slot

With The Expandables online slot, the feature set is kind of given away by the name of the title. As you can probably guess, expanding symbols are pretty relevant here. However, they’re not the only thing that you need to know about in terms of game mechanics and bonus rounds. To help you start off on the right foot, we’ll break it all down here in what follows.

Expanding Heroes Feature

We already know that you probably want to know what the expanding symbols are about, so we’ll jump right into it. Each one of the four super heroes has two versions of the symbol. One is the usual version that operates normally. However, they all also have a special version that has a different look to it. You can tell these apart by the small lighting bolt in the bottom-left corner and the frame of electricity around the symbol.

When this type of hero lands on the board, it activates the Expanding Heroes feature. That symbol will expand to cover the reel after all other payouts are given. This gives you many more ways to win for that symbol, especially if you get more than one of them on the screen simultaneously.

Hero Swap Feature

Another feature that increases your chances of winning is the Hero Swap. If you have heroes show up on the first three reels (or more), then you have a random chance to activate this feature. However, consider the following conditions:

1. It’s required that you have at least one hero symbol on the first three reels of the The Expandables slot.
2. It’s also required that you have no wins on that given spin.
3. Given the above, this feature activates completely at random and is not guaranteed to appear on any given spin.

What happens with this feature is that all of the hero symbols will randomly turn into the same matching hero symbol to give you some wins. This is actually similar to a lot of mystery symbol features in other games. However, instead of having a separate mystery symbol that operates in this way, it’s the hero symbols themselves. That’s a cool approach we don’t believe we have seen before, and we’d like to see more of it.

The Expandables Free Spins

You’ll find that a logo symbol for The Expandables video slot appears on the first, third and fifth reels. When all three land on the game board at the same time, you’ll be given a choice between four different super hero free spin bonus rounds.

What’s really cool about this is that you have four different levels to choose from that have different number of spins and different degrees of value per spin.

• Lowest Value – 15 free spins
• Medium-low Value – 12 free spins
• Medium-high Value – 9 free spins
• Highest Value – 6 free spins

This is basically a decision based around which level of volatility you want for the feature. Additionally, the fewer free spins you select, the higher the volatility is. However, you also get a higher chance for bigger wins on each individual spin. As a result, you have to decide how you want to manage your risk and reward since it’s ultimately a matter of personal taste.

How to Win at The Expandables

The volatility for the game as a whole is around the medium to medium-high range. It’s slightly above average, but your selections in the free spins mode influence that a bit. For example, if you go with the lowest volatility bonus option, it brings the volatility of the game as a whole down to about average. Likewise, choosing the fewest free spins boosts it up to being well above-average.

You really just get to choose which option suits your play style the most. While there isn’t a single best or worst option since they all have the same return to player percentage rate, you should make sure that you pick the amount that reflects the level of risk that you’re the most comfortable with.

Payout Structure for The Expandables Online Slot

The leader of the team is in red with blond hair. He also pays out 5x for five of a kind combinations. From there, the woman with purple hair gets you 4x when you line up five. Additionally, five of the man in the yellow mask earns 3x, and you can make it 2x for five of the green person with the blue backpack.

In the middle of the pay table are the ship and the tower headquarters. Each of these pay 1x and 0.75x, respectively, for five of a kind combinations.

From there, all four of the card rank symbols have the same level of payouts. They award you 0.5x for lining up five of a kind. Additionally, they are all stylized in a familiar super hero-themed font.

Overview

Leander Games did a great job here of tying in the theme and the gameplay of The Expandables video slot. The comic-based art style is a lot of fun, even if it’s obvious what the game was based around.

If you like having a lot of ways to win but would prefer a more fantasy-based art style, try the Age of Beasts Infinity Reels slot. Alternatively, if you like the softer, more cartoony art style, a similar themed game with a completely different format can be found with Glory of Heroes.

Overall, the gameplay is probably what stands out the most in this game. It’s a great time for players who love getting in the action with different types of features that aren’t always found all over the place for sure.

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