Aristocrat Gaming is a popular developer famous for its land-based slots and old-school slot games. Lucky 88 is one such game, stripping back the complexities of modern slots to provide a simple gameplay with just a handful of bonus features. Is the slot going to be lucky for you, though? Let’s find out in this Lucky 88 slot review. 

If you are looking for a slot with complex graphics and an engaging theme, Lucky 88 is not going to be the title for you. The game has a very basic design, with a very loose theme of luck and Asian culture.

The reels are presented in front of a plain red background, with symbols associated with Asian Culture and luck filling the reels. These include a Chinese lantern, a stork, a drum, and a totem pole. I found the design to be fine, but a little bit more creativity could have helped bring things to life and help it stand out from similarly-themed games.

The sound effects are equally as basic, with the game feeling as though it has been taken straight from an old-school slot machine on a casino floor.

Lucky 88’s gameplay is as simple as its design and setup. The slot uses a five-by-three grid with 25 paylines.

However, the paylines are not fixed, and players can adjust them to suit their needs on each spin. I highly recommend playing with all paylines active to ensure you have the best chance of landing a win.  All wins in the pay table are listed as wins per line. Wins are formed by landing three or more matching symbols across a line. if you're new to slots and pay tables, read our slot pay tables guide to learn how to read them.

The main bonus in the Lucky 88 slot game is the Free Spins round. This is triggered when you land three or more of the Lamp Scatter symbols across the grid. It is also possible to trigger the spins at random after any spin. 

When the round launches, players are given three choices over how the round plays out: 

• Three spins with Wilds multiplying wins by 18-88x. 
• 10 Spins with Wild multiplying wins by 8-38x. 
• 20 spins with Wild multiplying wins by 5-18x.

There is an ante-bet style feature that is available that can trigger the Free Spins with ‘Extra Choice.’ During this round, the options are as follows: 

• Four spins with Wilds multiplying wins by 88x. 
• Eight Spins with Wild multiplying wins by 18-88x. 
• 15 spins with Wild multiplying wins by 8-38x.
• 25 spins with Wilds multiplying wins by 5-18x. 

Alternatively, you can play the dice game. This involves rolling dice to try and land the number 8, with the game continuing while eights are landing. At the end of each of the three games, prizes are awarded depending on the number of eights that have landed. 

I found Lucky 88 to be an enjoyable, old-school-style game that was easy to play on both mobile and desktop. The simplicity of the game’s design meant that I saw no differences between the two versions, and despite the game being older (originally released in 2016), it has been well-optimized to work on smartphones and tablets. 

I recommend taking the Lucky 88 demo for free play before you play for real money. This will be especially useful for players not used to using adjustable paylines and playing with older gameplay mechanics. 

Paylines can be adjusted by clicking on the settings logo in the top corner. You can also adjust your stake per line here. The minimum stake is $0.01 per line, and the maximum is $25. This means the minimum and maximum with all lines active is $0.25 - $7.50. This is a small range which is likely to only attract lower-budget players. 

To make the most of the game, I would also recommend using the ‘Extra Choice’ ante-bet feature. Always make sure you're careful with your slots money management to avoid spending too much.

Lucky 88 does not jump out when it comes to winning potential. The slot has a maximum win of 888x your line stake, which is not likely to get pulses racing and is low by modern standards. The slot has an RTP of 96.6%, which is fairly average. It is considered low on the volatility scale, which is common for Aristocrat slots. 

Fans of Aristocrat’s retro slot games will find plenty to enjoy with Lucky 88, with the free spins and Wild Multipliers combining nicely to give the game the occasional chaotic and enjoyable spell. However, if you are looking for a more modern gameplay experience at top casinos, then this might not be the best slot for you. 

The reasons for this are fairly simple: the game is lacking any huge wins, the design is very basic, and the low volatility model feels a little dated. 

If you enjoy Lucky 88, the good news is that Aristocrat has a full portfolio of similar games you can enjoy. Two such titles include Zorro and Queen of the Nile II. If you want to play a slot with a similar theme that is a bit more modern and boasts bigger winning potential, I recommend 88 Fortune Megaways.