The 33rd Annual National Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow & Convention featured a number of key Konami releases, from 4K video slots to original bonus game developments.
More than 6,000 casino executives and tribal leaders arrived to this year’s event with the opportunity to see and interact with a record variety of bonus game entertainment available across every game cabinet—including the latest large-format Concerto™ Opus™ with 65” display. Konami’s SYNKROS® casino management system connected them both as a comprehensive demo environment throughout the show, with advancements spanning True-Time Windowing™, SYNKROS Dashboards™, and more.
Power Boost Inferno™ is among Konami’s newest original linked progressive games and is launching for availability across Indian Country. Players increase their odds for the Supreme jackpot up to 10x through selected extra credit bet contributions. When the mystery-trigger feature is awarded, a wheel with 3 levels of increasing prizes emerges from a lava inferno. According to bet level, players have a number of assigned pointers that spin around the wheel. With each spin, every pointer will land on a credit prize, progressive prize, or level up to the next level. The bonus continues until all pointers have claimed a prize, with the linked Supreme jackpot as the center top available award.
One of the most exciting new additions to Konami’s Concerto game library is a symbol-driven linked progressive game called Money Galaxy™. This year marked its NIGA premiere with 3 custom base game themes: Radiant Witch™, Dragon’s Return™, and Pharaoh’s Power™. All themes are unique multi-denom releases—with original math and mechanics—but share the same Money Galaxy progressive feature.
Throughout primary play, any 3 or more bonus prize symbols appearing with a wild symbol on reel 5 trigger the Money Galaxy feature. As it transitions to the feature, those positions become fixed while the remaining positions transform to independently-spinning reels filled with bonus prize amounts, progressives, and blank spaces. Players are awarded 3 spins on the bonus reel frame and if all positions are filled with prizes, they advance to a new round and increasing potential progressive awards, up to the ultimate linked Maxi jackpot.
This 5-reel game has an enchanting hazel-eyed mystic as its hero character. She acts as the reel 5 trigger symbol during the Money Galaxy Feature and helps provide travel through the feature by resetting the available spins with her magic orb. During the free games, Radiant Witch removes all lower-value card symbols, leaving only high-value picture symbols and prize symbols, with a greater chance at the Money Galaxy Feature.
Players with a thirst for excitement can champion the hero’s journey in Dragon’s Return. When the fire-breathing dragon appears on reel 5 with at least 3 prize symbols, the Money Galaxy feature is awarded. The Dragon helps clear the path ahead by igniting additional free spins when at least 1 prize symbol lands. During the free games, additional Dragon trigger symbols are added to the reels for higher odds at hitting the Money Galaxy Feature.
Fans of Konami’s popular Chili Chili Fire™ will want to keep an eye out for Pharaoh’s Power! This game includes a Fade Away Feature™ during the free games that randomly eliminates lower-value card symbols, leaving only high-value picture symbols and prize symbols. The Pharaoh’s powerful gaze helps signal the feature as his eyes alight across the screen and crumble the lower symbols to pieces! During the Money Galaxy feature, he helps guide players to additional wins by resetting the available spins with a strike from the growing red amulet upon his royal headdress.
The swashbuckling kitties of Purrfect Pirates™ and Purrdy Pirates™ are setting sail across the seven seas in search of fantastic feline fortune! These crazy cats are coming to Concerto Crescent™ with a host of fun features for players to discover. This symbol-driven linked progressive series has a 5-reel base game and free game feature. During the free games, reel 3 is filled entirely with Diamond, Cat, and BONUS symbols.
Any 3 Bonus symbols trigger the Prize Bonus. One free spin is awarded on a special reel frame containing credit prize awards, fixed bonus awards, and blank spaces. In a dramatic lead-up to the free spin, the player advances to 3 different ‘select a card’ features where the comical kitty pirates help level-up the available awards. If every reel position is filled at the end of the free spin, 3 treasure chests appear with a chance to pick the linked Maxi jackpot, the standalone Mega jackpot, or a 5x multiplier.
Konami’s new Magician’s Charm™ linked progressive made its world debut at NIGA 2018. This 4-level progressive includes multi-denom options and a higher jackpot chance at higher bet levels. Randomly throughout primary game play, the Magician’s Charm feature can occur. A velvet curtain swings open to reveal 12 magician hat symbols. Players select any symbol to reveal a hidden charm with a corresponding jackpot prize. The feature continues until 3 matching charms are revealed and the designated jackpot is awarded. Magician’s Charm combines with most KP3+™ platform base games for Concerto upright and Slant™.
One of Konami’s top new game series offers a unique combination of multipliers, bonus credit awards, free games, and a big hit jackpot prize to give players a variety of win opportunities at higher odds as they increase their bet amount. Celestial Sun Riches™ and Celestial Moon Riches™ are all-new ULTRA REELS® games that feature a selectable Strike Zone™ area to activate additional bonus opportunities. Players can increase their extra bet amount to further expand the Strike Zone, where every wild eclipse symbols transform to random 2x or 3x multipliers and each sun or moon symbol awards a wheel bonus if the free game feature is triggered.
During the wheel bonus, players have the chance to win credit prize awards, additional free games, 3x or 5x wild multipliers, and the big jackpot. The free game feature begins directly after the wheel bonus and all wins are doubled during the free games. Celestial Sun Riches and Celestial Moon Riches are multi-denom game titles, available on Concerto upright and Slant.
Among the top Crescent game releases showcased at NIGA 2018 is Konami’s new Star Watch series. It uses a similar Strike Zone™ game mechanic to Celestial Sun Riches and Celestial Moon Riches, but instead of activating a central reel section, players increase their bet to activate entire reel strips from left to right, up to the entire frame. Any prize symbols that land in the Strike Zone award a random credit prize or a wheel spin bonus with guaranteed Mini, Major, Mega, or Maxi jackpot. A player’s selected Strike Zone is also active during the free games, where prize symbols nudge to the fill the entire reel with individual prizes, bonuses, and progressives. Star Watch Fire and Star Watch Magma include multi-denom options, and both games are available now across North America.
Showcasing the next chapter in Castlevania™ themed video slots, Konami launched 2 new themes to market during NIGA 2018. Based on the iconic video game first popularized in the 80’s, Castlevania: Labyrinth of Love™ and Castlevania: Ring of the Heavens™ explore new territories, beasts, and monsters across the 43”canvas of Konami’s Concerto Crescent curved screen cabinet. Authentic art, animation, and music from the series are found throughout, with multi-mystery bonus adventures that bring the legend of Castlevania to life.
A slightly darker take on the original debut title Valiant Guardian™, Castlevania: Labyrinth of Love takes place in the unique setting of a moonlit, mountaintop castle across a stormy red sky. Players have the chance to take on monsters, slay the undead, and become a legendary hero with fun free games, arcade-inspired bonus features, and progressive bonus battles. Expect to hear classic 8-bit music from the original video game and encounter key characters at fun and surprising moments.
Castlevania: Ring of the Heavens features an original symbol-driven progressive bonus throughout primary play. Whenever a feature wild symbol appears on reels 1 and 5, players enter the Castlevania Feature and follow the hero through a trial against the dark forces. Castlevania: Ring of the Heavens includes a built-in incentive for higher jackpot odds at extra bet levels.
Konami latest addition to the Concerto Collection is bringing top gaming entertainment to the big screen with Concerto Opus. Boasting an extra-large 65” 4K ultra HD display, this super-sized format makes every win an incredible celebration for players and pairs. Each machine features a custom-lighted TouchDash™ button deck with dual spin buttons and cup holders, as well as an optional USB charger. Concerto Opus showcased a debut lineup of 4K game themes during this year’s NIGA Indian Gaming show.
Fans of Konami’s proven Solstice Celebration™ Xtra Reward® game can now enjoy it in 4K with the premiere of Solstice Celebration Triple Sparkle™. This game amps-up the popular original mechanic with a new symbol-driven progressive jackpot chance, delivered through a modified Sparkle Feature called the Triple Sparkle Feature. Whenever framed Action Stacked Symbols® undergo a third transformation, players can win a Mini bonus, Major bonus, Mega progressive, or large Maxi progressive starting at $10,000. Solstice Celebration Triple Sparkle can be configured either as a standalone or linked progressive.
Another top 4K-resolution game featured on Concerto Opus is Riches with Daikoku Triple Sparkle™. The legendary Japanese god of wealth and guardian of farmers is larger than life with pin-sharp 4K pop and precision. Riches with Daikoku is back with a bang as players discover 4 exciting jackpot levels, an enchanting Triple Sparkle Feature, and a 5-figure Maxi award. Any 2 or more full-reel Free Game symbols trigger up to 40 free games, with nudging wild symbols. Riches with Daikoku Triple Sparkle offers multi-denom options, and can be configured as a standalone or linked progressive.
China Shores Great Stacks is a tall 6×5 reel version of the iconic original that doubles the number of reel positions for potential free games and Action Stacked Symbols®. Fans have the chance at big free game awards with 2x all wins. China Shores Great Stacks also has a variety of options for players to choose during the Balance of Fortune™, including a random credit prize, bonus multipliers, and bonus picture symbols.
The recognizable white tiger from Konami’s top-performing Lotus Land™ is making its return with a new tall 6×5 reel format designed to showcase surprising multiplier game play on Concerto Crescent. During the free games, wild symbols appearing on reels 2, 3, and 4 transform into random multipliers, and can even trigger a bonus re-spin feature for additional wins.
Konami’s new Repeated Charms is delivering a string of surprising bonus feature awards. Throughout game play, frames appear on reels 3, 4, and 5. Any time a frame lands in a winning combination, the Repeated Pay feature is triggered. A large credit award symbol spins across the screen and is instantly awarded each time it lands. The feature continues as the top screen tallies the number of repeat spins, with upgrades at the 4th, 6th, and 9th repeats. The feature continues until a credit award symbol doesn’t land on the screen.
For players with a thirst for adventure, Fortune Animal has an incredible Scatter Pay feature that awakens nature’s most exciting creatures. This 5-reel Xtra Reward title includes Action Stacked Symbols exclusively for high-value animal picture symbols. Any time stacked animal symbols fill the first reel, the scatter pay feature is triggered, with 243 ways to win. Whether lion, fish, or crocodile, the animal heralds a victory as it bursts into action on to top screen.
Ring-Tailed Wilds is shaking up some surprising special features and wild multipliers as one of the latest additions to Konami’s popular ULTRA REELS PRIME™ series. Throughout game play, all wild Lemur symbols transform into 2x, 3x, or 5x wild multipliers when part of a winning combination. And during the free games, any wild Lemur symbols landing one position outside the reel window will pop back into the frame and replace the adjacent symbol, for extra win opportunities. Ring-Tailed Wilds is an original 5-reel release, available for Concerto upright, Slant, and SeleXion® multi-game.
Barkin’ Baker is another original ULTRA REELS PRIME release featured at NIGA 2018. Players can journey to a Parisian puppy paradise, where the park-side pastry shop of Barkin’ Baker™ is dishing out a sweet selection of wild symbol surprises. Throughout game play, wild Cake symbols appearing on reels 2 and 4 nudge to fill the entire reel. During the free games, any stacked wild Cake symbols in a winning combination trigger the Extra Wild Feature as Barkin’ Baker serves up extra layers of wild symbols atop the cake stacks.
Divine Horses is blazing the trail to free game adventure and electrifying re-trigger awards. Featured at NIGA 2018 on Concerto Slant, Divine Horses is the newest addition to Konami’s ULTRA REELS 1024 WAYS™ series. Any 3 wild gem symbols activate the free game feature and establish a starting point for exponential free game re-trigger credit awards. Each time players re-trigger the free games with 2 or 3 gem symbols, the re-trigger bonus award doubles, up to 16x the original award.
With inspiration from the monuments first created by the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island thousands of years ago, Great Moai brings these remarkable carvings to life with surprising effect. In this original math game for upright and slant, Moai statues appearing in the top screen shoot down to the lower reels to become either full-reel wilds or full-reel wilds with 2x multipliers. In addition, upon arriving to the reels the full-reel Moai symbols randomly hop toward reel 1, increasing anticipation of even greater line win combinations.
Using the popular Fade Away symbol replacement feature first premiered on Chili Chili Fire, Octo-Blast is randomly inking out the lower value card symbols and leaving top-value symbols in their place. The game’s bright orange colored octopus holds the reel frame in his tentacles, and when the Fade Away Feature is triggered he glows bright blue and inks away all the card symbols for huge potential line wins.
Konami’s award-winning SYNKROS® casino management system delivered a comprehensive demo environment for guests at NIGA 2018 to explore a variety of top technology. This year Konami’s next generation of True-Time Windowing™ technology showcased portrait and HD screen compatibility, along with web services that allow operators to bring any HTML-based site or program to video slot screens for all-new marketing possibilities and player conveniences. And in terms of analytics and business intelligence solutions, SYNKROS Dashboards™ is designed to deliver accurate and actionable data-points with powerful strategic insights across the operation.
A key product of Konami’s SYNKROS casino management system, True-Time Windowing creates a full canvas of possibilities to deploy an array of incentives, bonuses, account functions, notifications, streaming video, marketing promotions, custom branding, and more, directly onto the screen of most any video slot without interrupting game play. For years, it has achieved documented success with providing system-delivered tournaments, floor-wide bonusing, drawing entries, awards, and incentives. Now Konami’s next-generation True-Time Windowing is releasing a wave of new enhancements designed to reach the widest possible audience with top conveniences including:
- Web Services: Allows players to access a near limitless variety of potential applications as configured by the property, such as restaurant reservations, hotel reservations, valet services, live video streaming, and any other online HTML5-based tools or programs
- Service Requests: Invites carded guests to place an electronic drink order or call for assistance
- Advanced Viewing Options & Screen Compatibility: Players can easily toggle between minimized, wrapped, and full-screen view options anytime, and receive important notifications regardless of the option they select. They can even increase the screen font size to their preference. And because True-Time Windowing has the ability to reach both HD games and popular portrait-oriented game formats, operators can bring Konami’s top windowing technology to most any slot screen on their floor.
Right from the screen of their favorite game, any carded player can seamlessly connect to an incredible variety of all-in-one conveniences at the tap of a finger. It effectively streamlines the guest experience so players can spend more time enjoying the games they love, and less time waiting in line at the kiosk, club booth, or concierge.
Konami is expanding the convenience, accuracy, speed, and usability of business analytics with a fast, interactive new dashboard interface created seamlessly within the SYNKROS systems environment. SYNKROS Dashboards gives operators a single location to observe, test, and process dozens of dashboard indicators spanning all major areas of their business, including slots, table games, player loyalty, and marketing. Each customizable dashboard is fully interactive, with unique insights across varied levels of detail. SYNKROS Dashboards further exemplifies the quality and reliability that SYNKROS is known for, and provides the crucial link between a casino’s core gaming system and performance visualization tool.
