I am not going to lie when I tell you that upon first glance of Blazing Lake Link & Win, I feared the worst. That was until the 80s synth music kicked in and made me feel like I was in some sci-fi fantasy scenario. Every last remaining atom of my childhood reverberated, and I envisioned myself being happy and zooming around on space jet skis with a sword raised into the air, ready for some unknown battle.

Why the hell this video slot comes as a fruit machine, I do not know, but the music has won me over. In this review, I try very little to decipher the design, remain happy, and discuss the performance, bonuses, software, and payout potential. If you wish to know what the hell I’m on about with regards to the gameplay or the kick-ass synth harmonies, then I guide your attention to the free-to-play demo game, which you can access from any Android or iOS without download or registration. 

Personally, I think the game's backing track is better suited for a whole other kind of game. Blazing Lake Link & Win is essentially a fruit machine and the retro kind with its three rows and three reels. This gaming format means that Blazing Lake Link & Win only comes with five paylines. Top, middle, and bottom vertical rows, and diagonal from top left to bottom right, and lastly, bottom left to top right. 

With games like this, you must expect the very minimal when it comes to gaming features. And you can expect the same in design. Blazing Lake Link & Win has a backdrop that shows a molten lava lake within a circled rocky area, with some aura-like glow over it that shines against the murky green hues of the landscape. Now, what I would have liked to have seen is some bad-ass sci-fi fantasy straight out of the mind of Frank Frazetta, but instead, we get a market stall. Melons, oranges, bananas, plums, cherries, lemons, and strawberries make up the main symbols of this game, and their payout value is highlighted around the title of the game. 

I advise you to approach the game in its demo mode first. This way, you can experience the game without the costs and risks of online gambling. Importantly, you will know if Blazing Lake is a game that you even wish to invest in. 

When you load Blazing Lake, you will see that the cost of play defaults to $2 per spin. The stake can be changed by pressing on the stacked coin icon. The minimum possible stake is $0.05 per play and climbs up to a total bet of $200 per spin. 

As you change the stake values, you will increase or decrease the values of the symbols. You can see this from the front of the game, where the fruits surround the title. You can also see the values of the symbols within the game’s paytable. You can find this by clicking on the Information icon, which will reveal features of the game and how to play. 

To win, you simply have to match three of the fruits across one of the five paylines that feature. The highest prized symbols are those of the 7s and the Wilds (note that Wild symbols can expand in play). There are further symbols in the game that help activate special bonus rounds; this is where the Link & Win feature comes into play.

What is Link & Win? First, this is a long-running feature that is found across many games that come from the profile of Games Global. Who is Games Global? Well, the slot is actually developed by a company called Wishbone, and they get their game (Blazing Lake) distribution help from a larger developing company, in this case, Games Global. Games Global bought the back catalog of games made by Microgaming, who, at the time, and possibly still is, the greatest slot developer of all time. 

Anyway, moving on, Link & Win is a series that has run through several games made by all the mentioned developers. To strike this feature, you need to land three coin symbols in the middle reel. When Link & Win activates, you will be given four free spins. The three coin symbols will move above the reels so each is represented by a coin. From here on, the only symbols in play are coins and diamonds. 

You have four free spins to land as many coins or diamonds as possible. If you land either one, your free spin counter resets to four free spins. The round of play ends when your spins have run out, and you are then awarded the cumulative amount collected from the coins and diamonds. However, if you won less than 20 times the amount you bet, then the free spins are reset back to four. This means you will always win more than 20x your stake. Note that diamonds can reward up to 500x your stake. 

I’m not big on retro games. I believe they were for a time long past, and rehashes of them are a bit of a cop-out. Very few of these retro remakes have impressed me. If they are your thing, then I recommend you look into a developer called ELK Studios. 

I have no real emotion for the game. I got what I expected when playing it. It’s all too basic for what I want out of a slot machine. Would I play it again? No. After testing the game in its demo mode and playing 100 coins over 100 spins, I broke even. But the gameplay itself didn’t offer me enough to go beyond this time and amount spent. 

Blazing Lake Link & Win comes with a Return to Play rating of 96.16% and a volatility variance that is scored as medium. The two combined make for a gameplay that is balanced, and from a programming basis, I can see how players would enjoy this game. 

The maximum you can win from the base game is $10,000. But, with the Link & Win feature, online players can potentially scoop $100,000. However, in these instances, players need to be gambling at $200 per spin. 

If you look at this game as a means of entertainment compared to other slots online, it falls way short of the mark. If you look at the slot as a means of money-making, then it’s pretty bad when it comes to value for money. There are thousands of games at top casinos online where you can spend less than $200 per spin and possibly win far more money than $10,000 in the base game settings. 

As I stated from the start, the only good thing about this game is the music, and that’s normally the worst thing about an online slot machine. I recommend you try out these alternative retro-style games that have more substance to them, such as Route 777 and Ivanhoe by ELK Studios, and lastly, Funky Monkey by Playtech.