Joker Lanterns: Hit ‘n’ Roll interview with Kalamba Games

Joker Lanterns: Hit ‘n’ Roll provides an update to the already established title Joker Lanterns, could you tell us more about the additional features found within this version of the game?

Fans of the original Joker Lanterns title will see that Joker Lanterns: Hit ‘n’ Roll, whilst delivering a familiar format, has noticeable changes from its predecessor. Perhaps most striking is the game now featuring an incrementally increasing jackpot prize situated to the side of the game itself, along with a prize wheel above the title. These are key components of the Hit ‘n’ Roll feature that we have added that further enhances the experience.

Landing three Hit ‘n’ Roll scatters will award a spin on the prize wheel, which can trigger an instant cash prize, Cashpots or the free spins round with a variety of different wild multipliers in play. It is also worth noting that within Joker Lanterns: Hit ‘N’ Roll players are still progressing towards a lucrative award, even on a spin that doesn’t award a direct win as each spin increases both a multiplier that will be added to the next Cashpot prize won and upgrades the number of spins offered in the free spins round. Players can also short cut straight to the Hit ‘n’ Roll Bonus wheel via our Buy Bonus feature HyperBonus to get an instant cash prize, or any of the Free Spins prizes available.

What are the challenges and opportunities created when developing a slot with a theme built around a particular season, ie Joker Lanterns: Hit ‘n’ Roll having a Halloween-centric design?

There are some challenges when creating a title for a specific season. Firstly, being a leading provider with a global audience we try to cater for as many fans as possible and there are certain regions where Halloween specifically is celebrated universally, for example in the US, and other markets we trade in where Halloween isn’t as popular.

Additionally, we always release our titles with an underlying goal of them being popular year-round and not just during the initial release window. This of course proves challenging when a game’s design is focused on a particular time of year. However, players enjoy titles not just because of the aesthetics of what a game looks like but also the breadth of mechanics and entertainment value offered. With Joker Lanterns: Hit ‘N Roll having so many features, I’m certain it will be a draw for players all year round.

With its design being intrinsically linked to a popular holiday season, one opportunity always offered by time-centric titles is the ability to reach new players, who may not be as familiar with the high-quality portfolio offered by Kalamba and are perhaps more so looking for a spooky title to play. Engaging these players provides us with an opportunity to impress them with our other high-quality games and offer them experiences and slots not found elsewhere on the market.

This is your fourth Hit ‘n’ Roll release, will you continue developing these types of titles?

Hit ‘n’ Roll allows us to bring back both classic and popular titles from within our vast portfolio with more modernised features that have really resonated with audiences across the globe. To date, we have released Joker Max Hit ‘n’ Roll, Goblins & Gemstones Hit ‘n’ Roll and Safari Chase Hit ‘n’ Roll along with now adding Joker Lanterns: Hit ‘N Roll to this list. Each of these games have received both critical and commercial successes benefiting from having a recognisable name, new features for players to enjoy and most importantly increased entertainment value through the additional upgrades present when compared to the original.

After the release of Joker Lanterns: Hit ‘n’ Roll, what else should players be expecting from Kalamba Games throughout the rest of 2022?

This year has been a ground-breaking one for Kalamba Games and we aim to continue our meteoric successes into 2023. The closing months of 2022 will see us provide our games to even more casinos across the world and release some exciting new hits. We are gearing up for the launch of Machina Reloaded Megaways™, our second premium Megaways™ title. This will be followed by FruitMax: Cashlinez and thereafter we will be adding to our fan favourite Joker series. It’s sure to be an exciting journey through the end of 2022 and we are excited about what is to come.