Lightning Horseman

Australia-based Lightning Box Gaming, founded by mathematicians with background at such gaming giants as IGT, takes a more analytical approach to slot gaming than the average designer. In Lightning Horseman, a 5-reel slot based on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, this is manifested by stacked wild symbols and the lightning bolt scatter, which opens the way to a truly unique bonus feature.

Theme

The chilling theme of the Headless Horseman provides the thematic background for this slot, with a terrifying, sword-wielding rider acting as wild. Other gaming symbols include a treasure chest overflowing with gold and gems, a red-clad leading lady, a man bearing a lantern, ravens, and empty barns, with the playing card values ace through jack providing lower-value symbols. A lightning bolt acts as scatter, the key to this slot’s very lucrative respin features. Behind the reels stands a quaint New England town, its cobblestone bridge and gleaming sunset rendered in the style of Van Gogh. The overall design feel is attractive and straightforward, but this game’s real charms are not in its style, but its substance.

Betting Options and Functions

Players could rightly expect that a game designed by mathematicians would feature extraordinary attention to detail, and this is indeed the case in Lightning Horseman. The nice surprise is a lovely simplicity to the structure as well. There are 40 fixed paylines, with a total per-spin bet adjustable from 0.40–50.00 times the betting currency. Autoplay is available for up to 100 spins at a time, though players should exercise caution before choosing this option, as there are no optional loss limits available. Game rules, paytable information, and player settings are available on separate screens. The theoretical RTP is just slightly above industry average at 95.52%.

Features

The Lightning Respin is triggered whenever six or more lightning symbols appear on the reels. For three free respins, all lightning symbols will remain in place while the other position on the reels respin – if another lightning symbol appears, the counter resets, giving players three more chances to increase the total of lightnings on the reels. When the counter runs down, each lightning symbols turns over to reveal a cash prize: these are added together and paid to the player. The best possible outcome for the Lightning Respin feature, of course, is a game screen taken up entirely by 15 lightning symbols. In this case, the Flippin’ Retrigger Feature is unlocked: here, after all lightning bolts have been flipped to reveal prizes, they are flipped again, giving players 30 cash prizes instead of 15.

Additionally, there are four non-progressive jackpots available, fixed respectively at 2.5, 25, 250, and 2500 times the bet size. These jackpots can be won only at the end of bonus features, when lightning symbols are flipped over to reveal prizes. The top jackpot can be won only once per feature, though the lower three can be awarded without limit.

Our Take

While the horror theme and player-friendly design are certainly to be appreciated, it’s the incredibly enjoyable and favorable respin bonuses that make Lightning Horseman a winner. Lightning Box Games has done excellent work here.