Sometimes, casino content providers come from other games-related industries, bringing a level of expertise in building another product into the gambling world. This is definitely true of the folks from Konami, who many people would associate with being a video game make first. Well, the company is also in the slots content business, and as you will see by our review of some of its popular games, the company has been able to take what it knows about gaming and apply it to the spinning reels of a slot machine.
A Brief History of Konami Gaming
Konami is a Japanese company, and it has been in the business of making video games for decades. The company launched as a repair shop back in 1969, an quickly got into the manufacturing space to take advantage of its connections. It has been building arcade games since the early days of that industry, and then quickly moved into the computer games market as the PC was growing in popularity in the 1980s.
A move into the world of slot machines followed, and today the company’s headquarters are in Las Vegas. Konami supplies games to hundreds of land-based casinos around the world, and in 2014 its games started to appear in online casinos as well. The company is primarily a slots developer, so its content tends to be listed in online casino lobbies as additional content to complement the main operator.
In the U.S., Konami took advantage of its catalog and relationships with land-based casinos to get into the social casino space, allowing its games to be played in a “for fun” environment at places like Foxwoods via an app on mobile devices. Overall, the company has done an excellent job of penetrating the gambling market via many channels.
Recommended Konami Casino Sites
Top Three Konami Slots Games
China Shores
This game remains popular even though it is one of the most volatile slots we have ever reviewed. The Asian-themes game features symbols like Chinese lanterns and urns. The game is a 5 reel, 30 pay line game in which you are hoping for the Panda symbol to land. This is the Wild symbol in the game, which replaces the majority of other symbols to help you win more coins. There is also a Free Spin bonus which can be triggered where you can win loads of additional chances to take away coins! As this is a game that Konami ported over from the land-based world, there isn’t much in the way of innovative gameplay, but fans of the game in the live casino environment will be happy to see this at an online casino.
Gypsy Fire
Mystery and intrigue are the names of the game at this Konami slot machine, which tries to take you inside the world of gypsies. This is a 5 reel, 30 pay line game, which has a soundtrack that is very different compared to the typical sounds of the reels. The game doesn’t feature any bonus rounds, but you can earn up to 20 Free Spins with the Scatter Bonus symbols that are spread out across the reels. The graphics of this game are alluring with striking colors, and while the symbols don’t have any eye-popping 3D movements, they are still pleasing to have on the reels as you spin.
Rawhide
This western-themed slot machine is another one of the more popular titles that Konami has in the land-based world, now repurposed for online real-money play. As a result, you may find the overall layout and gameplay of this slot to be quite simple compared to the content out there today. We actually find this to be a breath of fresh air, as many games can get cluttered with graphics that serve no other purpose except to be distracting. This 5 reel, 30 pay line game is not affiliated with the TV show of the same name, but it does feature symbols from the wild west including a covered wagon, Marshall’s badge and the big back of loot. You are looking for the cowboy symbol if you want to walk away a big winner, as it pays out up to 1000x your bet depending on the combination of reels. We like the look and feel of this slot and can understand why it is so popular at a land-based level as well.
Mobile Compatibility
For those of you looking to play the Konami catalog for real money from a mobile device, you will need to access the games via the browser on your phone or tablet. No worries, though – the quality of these games is excellent when being played on a device. If you are in Foxwoods or one of the company’s other partner casinos, you may be able to download their app for free play from the app stores of Apple or Google. There, you will find in-app purchases that will allow you to buy chips, but remember that you cannot win real money when playing social casino games.
Conclusion
Konami Games has done an excellent job of taking its most popular land-based slots games and making them available for players online. With clients like LeoVegas, Casumo, and Foxwoods online casino, the developer is building an excellent roster of customers and shows no signs of slowing down now that it has become a force in the social gaming world as well.