The lucky chimney sweeper is the star in this case, and it’s thanks to Bally’s Chimney Stacks that we get a chance to play a slot machine that’s using this unique theme. Not only is the story interesting, but the graphics are also better than in the average Bally game, particularly the ones ported from the land-based market.
Moving on to the setup of Chimney Stacks, this one is a slot machine with 5 reels which has 40 win lines. You get a win of up to 500x, or as much as $5,000 from a single combo. Some very interesting features have been used, such as Lockin Stacked Wilds, a Mystery Progressive Bonus or free spins.
Betting
Whether you want to or not, this will be the sort of game where additional coins need to be used for a feature bet. You get 40 coins to use on the game’s 40 lines, plus an additional 10 coins extra which are not optional. As you get to select only the value of the coins, you have a wager of $0.50 to $500 to use in the game. The winning combinations will take into account the coin value that you select, between $0.01 and $10.
Chimney Stacks Jackpot
I found some decent rewards being offered in Chimney Stacks, but nothing extraordinary. It’s a 500x prize that may come via individual combinations, with $5,000 being the highest amount paid by one. You do get some extra help in forming multiple wins at a time during the free spins, and the stacked wilds could get you that jackpot several times at once.
The part that makes us doubt the effectiveness of the game’s features is the RTP, which Bally has set at only 94%. Like plenty of other Bally games that have a land-based equivalent, this one also pays less than an average online slot machine.
Special Features
A couple of special features, which have been implemented in Chimney Stacks, should provide you with some excitement, and the free spins will be quite good in that regard.
Wild Symbols
The wild symbols are used in the regular two ways. They can be just like the regular symbols, creating combinations out of wilds alone, which is ideal since the 500x jackpot will come that way (one of two symbols that can pay that amount). Otherwise, when they can’t pay directly, they can be replacement symbols and other smaller paying combinations may form thanks to them.
Free Spins
You will need the scatter present on the columns 1, 3 and 5, simultaneously, but at least there is no need for them to appear in fixed positions. The game has 10 free spins to give you when this happens, and there are some additional active features as well here.
The Stacked Wild is that extra feature, the symbol now coming three symbols high and capable of covering an entire reel. Even better, these wilds get locked in their positions for the entire duration of the free spins, making the feature quite profitable.
Design
Though it’s not the modern design that you might’ve gotten if this game was released in 2018, it’s not a bad look that it sports either. It’s going to feature several symbols that are related to the chimney sweeper’s job, with his hat, wind roosters, chimney cleaner tools and a few other symbols that might feel related in some way. For plenty of other symbols, the game will use Royals that are not adapted to the theme, and they do make it look just a little bit worse as a result.
Summary
Thanks to the chimney sweeper theme, which is also considered lucky, Chimney Stacks has something unique to make it stand out. It’s too bad that the RTP isn’t high enough to make this a good choice.
