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5 Reel Circus Slot Machines Overview
Atmosphere / Background
Circuses have a rich history dating back to 1768, when Englishman Philip
Astley held the first circus. Circuses have evolved since this time, but they
still retain a classic feeling to them.
Rival’s 5 Reel Circus does a good job of capturing this feeling through a
muted red and tan background.
The area behind the reels is tan and brown, representing the sides of a
circus ring. The outside parts of the screen are red and brown, representing the
massive tents that circuses are held under.
Music and Sound Effects
You’ll hear sounds of laughter, clapping, and circus music while playing this
game. It all comes together to create the mindset that you’re actually at a
circus.
But after a while, we muted the volume because this beat is on a short loop
and gets old quickly. We were also disappointed to find out that the bonus round
doesn’t offer anything different in terms of music.
The only sound effects during winning payouts include a clown horn honking
and a drum roll.
The clown horn is more prevalent and, like the music, becomes irritating.
This is especially the case when you land an elephant, tiger, or seal in a
winning payout, only to hear the horn.
Given what we’ve seen from other Rival slot machines, they could’ve easily
added a larger variety of sound effects.
Animations
This game doesn’t have very good animations either, with most symbols only
featuring a lit up border when appearing in wins.
The lone exceptions include the scatter and wild symbols, which offer
flashing lights when they form payouts.
5 Reel Circus Pay Table and Graphics
One area where 5 Reel Circus shines is its symbols. Let’s take a look at what
symbols are available and discuss their graphics below:
Tiger Wild
The tiger substitutes for every symbol except the circus tent to form winning
payouts. The wild also pays 7,500 coins for 5 symbols, 2,000 for 4 symbols, 200
for 3, and 10 for 2.
Circus Tent with Clowns Scatter
You trigger free spins by landing 3 or more scatter icons anywhere on the
reels. You also receive a scatter payout worth 1x for 2 or 3 symbols, 3x for 4
symbols, or 100x for 5 symbols.
Human Cannonball
The human cannonball pays 750 coins for 5 symbols, 100 for 4, 25 for 3, and 8
for 2.
Ringmaster
Dressed in a top had and red coat, the ringmaster pays 400 coins for 5
symbols, 100 for 4, and 25 for 3.
Clown
Holding a fistful of cash, the clown offers 250 credits for 5 symbols, 100
for 4, and 20 for 3.
Bearded Lady, Cart, Contortionsist
These three symbols all pay the same, offering 200 coins for 5 symbols, 65
for 4, and 10 for 3.
Lion
The lion pays 175 coins for 5 symbols, 30 for 4, and 8 for 3.
Bear
Riding a unicycle, the bear pays 150 coins for 5 symbols, 25 for 4, and 5 for
3.
Elephant or Seal
These two symbols pay 100 coins for 5 symbols, 20 for 4, and 5 for 3.
Symbol Graphics
Much like the background, the symbol graphics are also muted to provide an
old fashioned circus feeling.
This look makes 5 Reel Circus a timeless slot because no matter how advanced
the newer 3D graphics get, some players will always enjoy coming back to a game
like this.
Our favorite symbols include the bearded lady, contortionist, and the human
cannonball.
5 Reel Circus Slot Bonus Features
The only special feature in 5 Reel Circus is free spins, which you trigger by
landing 3 or more scatter symbols anywhere on the reels.
When this happens, a sign appears that shows how you get 10 free spins with a
3x multiplier on all wins. You can view how many free spins have passed by
looking at the tracker in the upper left hand corner.
Beyond the 3x multiplier, these are basic free spins with no other
embellishments. You also won’t be taken to new reels or hear any different
music.
The fact that free games are the only special feature in this slot is already
bad enough. Add in the fact that you don’t even get to experience a new
atmosphere and 5 Reel Circus gets a D minus in the bonus department.
This is disappointing, given that we like so many other aspects of 5 Reel
Circus.
Betting Options
You can change your coin size from $0.01 to $1.00, pay lines from 1 5, and
put 1 5 coins on each pay line. This makes the minimum bet worth one cent per
spin, and the max wager worth $65.00.
Be careful when you start playing this game because the default settings are
15 pay lines, a nickel coin size, and 5 coins per line.
The 15 lines will be fine for most players, but risking more than the minimum
coin size and coins per line doesn’t provide any advantage.
Other Options
The options menu is located underneath the coin size adjuster, and this
allows you to change the following options:
- Game speed from low to medium
- Make the game full screen
- Turn sounds on / off
- Adjust the background volume
The sound and background volume options are especially important because, as
discussed before, both get annoying after a while.
Win Frequency
The win frequency for 5 Reel Circus is average for a 20 pay line slot.
We had some cold streaks where we’d lose 5 8 spins in a row. But there were
also times where we’d win several consecutive spins too.
The tiger wild and scatter icon appear frequently and offer lots of payouts.
The bonus round is triggered at a normal frequency, and we got free spins
twice within a 200 spin session.
Return to Player RTP
RTP for 5 Reel Circus is 96.0%, which is good for an online slot. This helps
make up for the average win frequency, which gives off the feeling that this
game only offers between 93% and 95% payback.
Considering that 5 Reel Circus is generous with wild and scatter symbols,
we’re not surprised to see that it has good RTP.
Game Rules
If you’ve played other 5 reel slot machines, then you should have no trouble
adjusting to this one. But just in case, here are the main rules for 5 Reel
Circus:
- All payouts are formed from left to right, starting with the leftmost
reel. The only exception is scatter payouts, which can appear anywhere on
the reels.
- When two or more payouts occur in the same line, only the largest win is
paid.
- Free spins are played at the triggering bet and line.
- Free spins can be retriggered by landing 3 or more scatter symbols.
Comparison to Other Circus Themed Slot Machines
The circus has served as a popular theme in gaming, with multiple games
revolving around this subject. Two circus themed games that stand out include
EGT’s Circus Brilliant and Microgaming’s Twisted Circus.
Here’s a look at how these slot machines compare to 5 Reel Circus.
Circus Brilliant
This 5 reel, 20 pay line game offers more realistic graphics than 5 Reel
Circus, with the detail being especially apparent in the bear, clown, female
magician, and seal.
The background graphics are also neat, with tents, balloons, and sparkles on
both sides of the reels.
We wish that this game featured music during the main game. But the sound
effects during wins-clown horn, circus tune, and seal noise-help make up for the
lack of music.
Features include triggering 5 50 free spins with a 2x multiplier, a double up
option, and a mystery jackpot. Regarding the latter, the mystery jackpot has
four different levels, with the fourth level offering the largest prize.
In summary, Circus Brilliant offers good graphics, solid features, and cool
sound effects. But whether you choose it over 5 Reel Circus depends upon if you
want a modern or old fashioned feeling.
Twisted Circus
Twisted Circus is a 5 reel, 243 ways slot, meaning wins merely have to be in
adjacent reels to form wins, rather than in pay lines.
As the name suggests, this game offers an edgy take on the circus. The
contortionist, fire breather, monkey, snake woman, strongman, and Siamese twins
all give off a freakish vibe.
You’ll also hear a circus tune playing the entire time, which, when combined
with the characters, adds to the bizarre feeling.
This game offers two features, including free spins and a second screen
bonus.
The latter is triggered by 3 midget ringmasters anywhere on the reels, and
you’re taken to a stage where you’ll see 12 stars. The goal is to match 3 stars
and land the highest possible win, which is the wild symbol.
Like Circus Brilliant, Twisted Circus is a newer game with enhanced graphics.
And we recommend this slot to anybody who likes the freakish quality of circus
performers.
Conclusion
5 Reel Circus has several downsides worth pointing out, including its limited
features, monotonous music, and a lack of sound effects.
Luckily, the music and sound effects can be taken care of by turning your
phone / PC volume down, or doing so in the game menu.
What can’t be fixed through the game menu is how the only special feature is
free spins. This would be acceptable if you at least got to see a new background
or hear new music-but you don’t.
On the plus side, we love the old style circus vibe that this slot gives off.
The muted background and symbol graphics work to present a nostalgic feeling
that we’ve never seen with other circus slot machines.
This may not be enough if you’re looking for the latest 3D graphics, detailed
bonus rounds, or huge jackpots. But if you like slot machines that offer unique
atmospheres, then Rival’s 5 Reel Circus is worth checking out.
