Slingo Advance

Bingo has a reputation as a game only played by older people living in retirement homes. Indeed, this reputation isn't completely unfounded, but online bingo can still be a pretty cool experience. Now, if you thought bingo was the best, most would agree it doesn't quite match the thrills of Slingo, with the well-known hybrid game of online slots and bingo. Slingo Advance is the latest release in this series of titles, so kick back and take in the possibilities with our latest review.

All versions of Slingo are fairly similar, in that the majority have a 5x5 grid that is filled with random numbers. Below this grid is a row of 5 reels that will display five random numbers and possibly certain symbols a set number of times in a round of Slingo Advance. Usually, you get as many as ten spins of the row in a round which can mark off numbers across the entire grid. However, here you need to match numbers starting with the bottom most row of the 5x5 grid to advance higher up the grid. Rows of the grid are 'levels', and the fact that there are 5 rows means there are levels 1 - 5. In all honesty, it's a pretty complicated system and leaves you wondering if players will appreciate this mechanic or prefer to stick to what is way easier to comprehend.

The most you can potentially win in Slingo Advance is as much as 10,000x your stake, which is a match for some of the most high paying online slot games you can play here. There are 12 paylines that you can complete in a round, being horizontal, vertical and diagonal. What will be appealing for players looking to avoid risk is that Slingo Advance is a lower-medium volatility game. Slingo Advance comes from the studio of Slingo Originals, who have also given us Slingo Da Vinci Diamonds, Slingo Rainbow Riches and Slingo Xing Yun Xian.

This is where we never really have much to divulge when talking Slingo, in that numbers are used just like in bingo. However, there is a selection of icons besides numbers that can appear in the bottom row. The joker can mark off any number in the reel directly above it, making it a very useful symbol. There's also a free spins symbol, which awards a free spin, the level symbol, which will open up the next level/row above the most recent one you've unlocked and the blocker icon, which prevents a match.

There isn't really a bonus feature in Slingo Advance. Some Slingo versions have bonus features, but in Slingo Advance, you really just have the Advance aspect masquerading as something beneficial.

So how did we enjoy Slingo Advance? Not very much. There’s just too much that doesn’t make sense, like why you need to unlock levels and can’t just match numbers over an entire grid from the start. Some might enjoy what could be perceived as required tactics, but for a no clutter experience you’d be better off with other Slingo releases.