Football: 2022

In the online casino software development industry, timing is everything. With that in mind, it would seem that software developer Endorphina had the start of the 2022 World Cup in mind when they released their new slot Football 2022. The soccer-themed slot was released in November 2022.

Football 2022 is a very attractive game. The cartoonish and colorful symbols scream that this slot is going to be a lot of fun to play. In fact, it is a fun slot to play with plenty of really cool video features that are complicated by an audio soundtrack that adds to the game-play excitement. The audio soundtrack is particularly interesting as the crowd chants in the background only to be occasionally interrupted by animated symbols during a winning spin.

This is Endorphina's 10th year as a member of the online casino software development community. This slot serves as a reminder of why Endorphina has been able to establish itself as a respected member of said community. Let's take an in-depth look at Football 2022 by Endophina.

How it Works?

Football 2022 comes to market with a game-play matrix (grid) of five (5) reels, three (3) rows, and a total of ten (10) pay lines. The slot's betting limits per spin are set at $.10 per pay line on the low end up to a maximum of $1 per pay line.

The slot's lowest paying standard symbols are represented by playing cards Jack thru the Ace. The higher-paying standard symbols are represented by the yellow card, red card, stopwatch, goalie gloves, and a football cleat (the highest-paying standard symbol.

The golden soccer ball serves as the slot's wild symbol. It will be used to substitute for any of the slot's other symbols with the exception of the scatter symbols. When at least one wild lands during an initial spin, the win value of that spin gets doubled.

The slot's primary scatter symbols are represented by the National flags of 32 different countries. The scatter symbols only appear on reels one (1) and five (5). If a different flag lands on the two reels during the same spin, the slot's penalty bonus game mode is activated.

Note: The slot does offer turbo spin and auto-spin options.

Football 2022 Slot RTP (Return-to-Player): 96,06

Slot players should always be looking for as much value as they can get. The best way to find value is to locate each slot's "Return to Player" percentage (RTP) rating and stick with the slots that offer the highest percentages. The industry's average RTP on slots is currently around 96%. The RTP rating on Football 2022 is 96.06%, just slightly above the industry average.

It's also worth noting the slot's volatility rating is medium. That means the slot offers moderately low payouts, but they seem to come somewhat frequently.

FYI: Return to player percentage refers to the percentage of every dollar wagered on a slot that gets returned to players over the life of the slot. If a player consistently plays one slot with an RTP of 96%, they can expect to lose 4% of every dollar they wager over time. That 4% represents the online casino's edge.

Special Features

Unlike a lot of slots created by slot creators at Endorphina, Football 2022 does not have a free spins bonus. In fact, the only special feature the slot offers is the aforementioned Penalty Bonus feature. As indicated above, this special feature gets initiated by the landing of two national flags on reels one (1) and five (5) simultaneously.

During the penalty bonus feature, the slot player will be represented by the country whose flag landed on the first reel. The opponent (the computer) will be the country whose flag landed on the fifth reel. The penalty shot round is played as follows.

The slot player goes first. They are required to pick one of four spots on the goal. That spot represents where their penalty shot will go. The opponent picks a spot to defend. If the player scores a goal, they get a prize based on the amount of the bet that led to the special feature.

After the slot player takes their first shot, it then becomes the opponent's opportunity to take a penalty shot. The process is the same. The opponent chooses a shot location and the slot player chooses a spot to defend. If the slot player successfully defends a shot, they will earn a bonus for that as well.

The feature continues until both sides have had five (5) penalty shots. If at the end of five (5) shots the slot player leads, they will be awarded their total winnings. If the slot player is behind, they win nothing and return back to the base game. In case of a tie, alternating penalty shots will continue until there is a clear winner.

Note: It's during this special feature that the best-animated video and audio features appear, adding real fun and excitement to the slot.

For interested parties, there is a "Bonus Pop-Up" feature. By clicking on the logo, slot players can pay the stated price and immediately go to the penalty shot special bonus feature.

Verdict

In a way, Football 2022 has charm based on its simplicity. In other ways, the slot's charm comes from some amazing animation. The interactive penalty shot bonus definitely brings life to a game that might otherwise only have appeal to novice slot players. Given what this slot does have to offer, it belongs on the bucket list of slot players at all levels. Kudos to Endorphina for coming to the market with another delightful slot.