Classic slots online seem to be a bit of a hit-and-miss. While some players love them, I can personally say I’m not impressed by the lot. Sure, vintage slot machines have their charms, but not for a long time. Luckily, smart developers such as NetEnt know perfectly how to blend vintage action with modern features. That’s the case with Good Old 7’s, a slot that even has a vintage title.

As you might guess from the name, it’s about a combination of 7s that can pay more than decent returns. That’s not all. NetEnt has a few classic slots in its lobby, so it knows how to perfect them. This one comes with high variance and 243 winning ways, making it pretty different from what we’re used to seeing.

That’s not done at the expense of classic vibes. The slot still looks quite charming, and takes us back to the golden era of good ol’ slot machines in the 1970s and 1980s. With a twist, of course. Everything looks much sharper now, and the special features give the slot a very entertaining kick.

It’s an amalgam of modern and classic slot games that hit the right notes with me. If you’re in for a nostalgia trip, Good Old 7’s is available for free and real money at the top casinos.

Good Old 7’s feels and looks like a vintage slot machine, with a bit sharper graphics and animations. The jazzy tunes and coin-clanking sound effects will put you in just the right mood. You’ll see modern, shiny fruits on the reels, in addition to 7s, single, double, and triple BARs and bells. There are no low-paying card royals – the fruit plays that role.

You’ll love the sounds a win makes – it really took me back in time to Vegas. The slot’s layout is very easy to read. Similar to other NetEnt games, all the controls are beneath the reels. You can get anywhere with just a few clicks of a mouse button – or a few flicks of your finger. The Good Old 7’s slot also has a built-in guide, which you can access to check out the paytable and learn more about the features.

Before you start playing, you’ll want to set a bet. The minimum is set at 10c, while the maximum is $10. Once you adjust your bet, you can hit the green spin button, which starts the game. The higher-paying symbols pay up to 10x for 5 of a kind. Wilds can also land on the reels – those are the red 7s. They substitute for other symbols in winning combinations and land on the 3 central reels only. Unlike the regular symbols, they don’t pay.

The retro action is broken up with the introduction of the 243 Ways to Win engine. You need matching symbols on adjacent reels instead of a payline to score a win. But NetEnt has managed to add a few modern features to the retro slot. The first one is a Twin Reel feature, which is triggered when you land a stack of wilds.

In that case, the reel is cloned without wilds to another reel that also has no wilds. Unfortunately, this doesn’t count for multiple reels. This tends to happen very often – at least, it did during my Good Old 7’s review. There’s no other special feature in the base game, but wait until you’ve gotten hold of the bonus round.

Landing the bonus symbol on the rightmost reel triggers the bonus wheel. There are different segments on it that indicate cash prizes. It works in a simple way – whatever the number the pointer stops on, that’s your multiplier on the next win. If you’re happy with the result, click on collect, and that’s it.

If you aren’t, you can gamble your win, hoping for a better prize. You can gamble only twice in a row. These wheel spins can bring you prizes up to 100x the bet. That’s the highest one, so the feature ends if you hit it. This is the final special feature in the Good Old 7’s slot. If you’re looking for a free spins bonus, remember that this is mainly a vintage slot machine. 

I don’t like old-school slots online as much as everyone else, but this one was a banger. It definitely hit the right notes in regards to a classic look and feel. The classicism is very much alive, although if you expect loads of modern features, you’re better off elsewhere.

In my case, the bonus wheel and 243 ways to win were a decent offer. It managed to hit a maximum prize of 50x on the wheel the first time and 20x a bit later. It was decent, although to truly move the needle, the slot needs a true bonus round.

Good Old 7’s has an RTP of 96.10%, which is great for a highly volatile game. The maximum projected win is 3,348x the bet.

Good Old 7’s is a good ol’ classic that will certainly find an audience in older slot players. It adds a few new things to the mix, like a 243 Ways to Win engine, but the lack of a bonus round is a bit disappointing. If you can live with that, then the slot is as easy to play as they come and truly looks impressive.

For those who prefer similar games, NetEnt’s Starburst comes to mind. You can also go with Twin Spin or Twin Spin XXXtreme, both of which have retro aesthetics.