Preview: Battle Slots

10:00 AM on 04.05.2011   |   Conrad Zimmerman

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A couple of weeks ago, we saw a trailer for Battle Slots, new casual RPG from Phantom EFX featuring a slot machine-based combat mechanic. I thought that the use of a slot-machine was at least an honest representation of how much of a role luck plays in other, similar games. Now I've had an opportunity to play the game itself and it feels promising. 

Battle Slots takes place in Tellus, which seems to be a cookie-cutter fantasy world where a demon has united evil creatures of all ilk under his command and seems to be trying to take over. The player is your basic hero who rises up from humble beginnings to eventually save the world. The catalyst for this opportunity is a magical slot machine that gives the hero the ability to learn and use magical techniques. 

All a bit strange, really. It's suggested that this slot machine is very unusual. Yet everyone you talk to seems to know about it and there's even a professional "Slot Smith" who makes adjustments to it which would suggest that the world uses similar devices in daily life. It's all a bit vague, though I suppose of little consequence, especially when the game seems to make a joke out of itself fairly often. While the world and its characters behave in a manner befitting high fantasy tropes while in the world map, combat dialog is an odd collection of memes and pop culture references. A bit cheeky, but nothing earth-shattering is going on here storywise in the early hours. 

This slot machine provides randomness to the turn-based battles. A combat round starts a spin of the five-reel slots, which pay out along twenty-five pay lines. The payouts add points to your attack and magic pools, to be spent on skills, as well as contribute to the experience and gold pools awarded for victory. When attack points are awarded, a marginal amount of damage is also given to the opponent. 

After the spin, each combatant may activate a skill. Skills fall into "attack" and "magic" types and require the spending of points from that type's respective pool to use. It's a very simple system, much more stripped down than most games you might compare it to. That's by necessity, as having a broader range for skill types would probably make the slot machine unusable, too many variations reducing the odds of collecting enough points to use skills. 

Skills and their use are the actual game here. They deal direct damage to opponents and inflict status effects. Similarly, they're used to heal you and give bonuses to payouts or directly effect the slots on the reel. Skills can be acquired by defeating creatures who use them and up to seven skills can be equipped at a time. In the few hours that I played, I didn't see a whole lot of strategic depth to their use. Some of the status effects are very useful, but there just wasn't much in the way of planning to my many victories. Just save up points, spend them on the attack which will do the most damage and eventually win. 

Most of Battle Slots seems to have stripped away a lot of the complications one expects from games which use a "match-3" combat mechanic. Instead of your character improving stats, the slot machine improves as you collect new slots for the reels, awarding greater points when they pay out. The player can make adjustments the reels at the Slot Smith, making them place an emphasis on magic or attack payouts and shift the balance between experience and gold rewards. 

Of course, there is a lot that I haven't seen yet. A mere 20% of the map's total area was revealed in my brief time playing and more depth could yet be introduced through new skills, so I remain cautiously optimistic. I like where the game is heading with a steady progression in gaining new skills and levels without too much need for grinding. I would suggest fans of Puzzle Quest keep their eyes on this one.