There seems to be a dearth of casino-style or gambling games on the Wii U eShop, so Skunk Software has taken it upon itself to try and fill this gap. Unfortunately, there is a glaringly obvious reason why gambling games aren't found all over the eShop: they simply don't work as intended. For its part, Slots - Pharaoh's Riches does what it sets out to do, but the meaningless gameplay absolutely fails to justify the price tag.
The gameplay is identical to any slot machine you've ever played, so don't expect any surprises here. Before each pull you can choose how many potential lineups to bet on, and how much to bet per line. Pulling the lever causes five separate columns to spin, with each one coming to a random stop. If the same symbols lay along any of the twenty different possible lines, you get some money, which varies according to the symbol. Getting multiple lines in one pull will multiply the cash output, and sometimes even lead you to a bonus round where you're randomly given a larger sum of cash.
It's a simple enough setup for sure, and it works just fine, but any semblance of entertainment is killed quickly by the utter insignificance of your actions. The point being, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose. If Lady Luck isn't with you and your funds deplete into the negatives, the game continues on as if nothing happened. Obviously, the developers had to include some kind of incentive to keep pulling the lever, but it really isn't much of an incentive if it doesn't matter whether you win or lose. Couple that with the fact that there's nothing you can do to help your chances, and you're left with no logical reason to keep playing.
The presentation does the game no favours either. The Egyptian look is fine, and it fits well with the theme of treasure, but there's nothing particularly special about it. The main screen has a sandstone-esque look to it and the symbols on the slots are of Anubis, hieroglyphs, Pharaohs, etc., though the overall look is forgettable. Also, the one music track is an awful, repetitive MIDI track with a violin that loops way too much. You're far better off muting it and supplying music of your own choice.
Conclusion
All in all, Pharaoh's Riches is a shoddy shot at providing gamers with an interesting or meaningful gambling experience. While we can't speak to the legality of a gambling game on Wii U where real money could be exchanged, the lack of any consequence being enacted regardless of whether you've gained or lost money means you are simply pulling a lever to watch some symbols spin. Considering that this is going on the eShop for $9.99(!) at launch, we would absolutely recommend that you go elsewhere for your gambling fill.
Comments 11
These sort of eshop games should not be allowed on the Wii U. A certain standard should be upheld and the Wii U should not be used as a dumping ground for anything calling itself a game.
There is one post in the miiverse community and it's warning you not to buy the game. I wish we had access to hard sales numbers because I'd genuinely like to know how many people had 10 bucks that they just really needed to get rid of.
Yay, let's put more slot machines on the WiiU and get the kids hooked before they turn 18/21.
@dizzy_boy
Exactly this. This is the point.
No gateway experience to real gambling should be allowed on the eShop.
Vittorio De Sica was a great italian movie director. He was also addicted to gambling. It is known that when he was a young boy and played for the first time in a casino and won, an old man told him: "It would have been better if you had lost". That's because the old man had already gone through the consequences of the addiction, and probably seeing that light in the eyes of the kid made him foresee the future.
So for the lack of any real stakes in the game, all for the better.
Another stinker from Skunk Software. They're really living up to their name!
nobody wants this game on their wii u lol
@zool I agree. Asking for ten dollars for this is just a straight scam and they know it.
Those gambling "games" are not even games anymore. Those are just a brain washing strategy to develope addiction to the real gambling that is the new legal drug that is ruining the people and the economy removing money from the market and giving you norhing back.
Games like that had not to be admitted on any platform accessible by kids not even given for free like on android.
So this is allowed on the eShop, but we had to eliminate the game corner from the Pokemon series?
So many other games we want you to review, I'm sure no one was thinking of picking this up.
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