Typically, online casinos will have 100s, if not 1000s, of slot games. The vast selections mean that it can be difficult for games to stand out, especially if players aren’t looking for something specific. Slot studios, however, are well aware that players’ eyes will be drawn to certain themes. It could be anything from fruit to space exploration, from a branded game based on your favorite television show to an obscure character created purposely by the slots studio.
However, there are certain themes that studios return to again and again, particularly certain animals. The slot development sector is a little looser on the borrowing of concepts, so you tend to get similar games cropping up after a particular title has exploded in popularity. The upshot, though, is that some animal themes come up again and again. Below, we look at five that have really come to dominate online casinos:
Buffalo
The term “buffalo slots” is instantly recognizable in the sector. It’s arguably the most famous animal theme, and it is just as prevalent offline as it is online. But it is surprising to see just how many buffalo-themed slot games are available and, more to the point, are hugely popular. At casino.draftkings.com, for instance, there is even a dedicated ‘Buffalo’ section of the platform, as if it were a separate genre like table games or poker. Nonetheless, you can see the logic in so many games being themed on animals, as it lends itself to concepts like power, American iconography & history, and a sense of wilderness.
Fish/Bass
We mentioned earlier that slot game developers tend to be comfortable ‘borrowing’ ideas, so once a couple of bass-fishing-themed games became popular, the floodgates opened. Arguably, the developer most responsible for this is Pragmatic Play, which saw global success with its Big Bass Bonanza series. There are dozens of titles in the series, and that prompted rival developers to make their own versions, some of which follow both the fishing aesthetics and the mechanics of reeling in the prizes.
Wolves
Type the words “wolf” or “wolves” into the search menu on a slots library and watch as it throws up 100s of results. They are everywhere at online and offline casinos. In terms of logic, there is some crossover with the idea of buffalo slots – wilderness, iconography – but there are also unique aspects to the wolf and its mysteriousness that allow slots developers to build it into the aesthetics and mechanics of the games. Of course, there are also some cartoonish wolf slots, based on fairy tales like the three little pigs.
Tiger
Even in North American casinos, there is a focus on the Asian market. Many Asian slot games, particularly Chinese slots, have repetitive themes. That’s not a criticism, as such, simply a fact that there is an expectation that certain elements appear again and again. This ranges from symbols of luck and fortune like Fu Bat to animals, not least the tiger. It crops up again and again in slots, including hugely popular games like Tiger Stacks (Playtech) and Tiger Rush (Thunderkick).
Apes
We will finish with the broad range of games based on our cousins. There are numerous slot games based on monkeys, gorillas, and everything in between. Some of these are designed to be cartoonish, such as Blueprint Gaming’s hugely successful Kong series, which is clearly based on the Donkey Kong video game series, to ferocious jungle-themed games like Epic Ape. There is a little more diversity of theme compared to Buffalo slots, but many follow the same high-octane format.
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