The Video Slots Channeling The Spirit of Hip Hop

Video slots games produce some of the most thrilling entertainment you will find in online gaming.  And whilst to the uninitiated they may appear to be simply about the money – high risk games with potentially multi-million prizes – this niche is actually home to some inspired products with stunning design, themes and intricated, sophisticated gameplay.  

 In fact, over the years, slots have drawn on a wide variety of themes from Wild West shoot outs to futuristic Steam Punk, Ancient Egyptian culture and Vegas night life. And often you will find that when one game developer comes up with something truly compelling, others jump on the bandwagon shortly after. And recently that is what we are seeing with a new genre of video slots that will appeal to anyone with a love of classic American Hip Hop.  

 Here we look at 2 new games from 2021 that are part of this trend – East Coast vs West Coast by No Limit City and Top Dawg$ by Relax Gaming – and show how two young game developers have created 2 of the best slots of the last 12 months by drawing on the rich culture of this music.  

 East Coast vs West Coast 

 Fans of video slot gaming will probably know No Limit City already. This Swedish game studio has built a reputation in just 5 years for producing top quality high variance slots with huge payout potential. They are known for utilising interesting themes like US prison life in San Quentin xWays, or Super Heroes in Infectious 5 xWays.   

 With East Coast West Coast– reviewed in full here – No Limit have built a game that is both eye catching and engaging from the start. Anyone with more than a passing interest in hip hop will know all about the feud between the rap artists of LA and New York that cost several players’ lives back in the 90s. There are no guns toted here though, but instead the graffiti that is part of the hip-hop scene, as well as the beat boxes, bling and dead presidents that are synonymous with rap, are beautifully illustrated on the reel set. 

 But what makes this product one that any video game fan will want to play this year is the excellent gameplay that mixes traditional features like free spins with No Limit’s own unique ideas like xNudge Wilds where stacks of wilds nudge up or down to fill reels and Infectious xWays where icons spread across the reel set when they land to produce more wins.  

 East Coast vs West Coast isn’t just a good looking game, it is a thrilling slot to test your luck on – the mix of fast paced wins and huge payout potential of over 30,000x your take on each spin makes it one of the most rewarding games in the No Limit catalogue right now. 

 Top Dawg$  

 Not to be outdone by their Scandanavian competitors, Finland’s Relax Gaming have also produced a hip hop-themed video slot game in 2021, and one that does an equally good job of evoking the atmosphere of downtown LA’s dusty street life, straight out of a Snoop Dog or NWA video.  

 Top Dawg$ is perhaps a little less serious than East Coast West Coast, with it’s main protagonists made up of cartoon hip hop dogs, covered in bling, whilst high riders and bank notes also fill the reels.  

 One of the best parts of Top Dawg$ is the free spins round in which up to 12 free plays on the reels are granted. At this point the Return to Player (RTP) of the game increases up to 96.71% which gives you better odds of scoring wins and any wild icon that lands will come with an additional multiplier value – that means wins that include wilds increase exponentially. This is a classic tool of high risk slots games where the best action is saved for the bonus round where the stakes are multiplied and the chances of landing epic wins becomes much greater. 

 There is also a handy Mystery Respins feature in Top Dawg$ where ‘?’ icons all change into identical symbols when they pitch up on the reels to produce greater odds of rows of matching icons. 

 In short, Top Dawg$ is a simpler game than East Coast vs West Coast, but it is no worse for it. In fact, some might argue it’s pared-down gameplay and simpler artwork are more appealing and allow a player to focus in on the task in hand … winning money! But whichever reels are being spun, there is no question these slots from two up and coming game studios have set the standard for a new genre of music video slot games. We look forward to seeing more like them in the coming years.