Slots are unique, more so now than ever before. With thousands of slots available in online casinos, studios now have no choice but to up the ante, ensuring their releases are distinctive, memorable, and keep up with the competition. This, of course, provides benefits to players, who get to reap the rewards of the competitive nature of this industry.

Studios will go out of their way to ensure their games are the best of the best, because otherwise casinos will not accept them. Even if they do accept them, slots have to be of a certain standard and quality to be at the top of a casino lobby - especially in new online casinos NZ, which are some of the most popular slot locations. But what makes a slot one of the best? Well, design for one. Here are 5 things that make slot designs one of the best.

1. User Interface
Kicking things off with one that most players would consider to be ‘boring’, a user interface is one of the things that makes an online slot visually appealing. What you’ll notice is that if you play multiple releases from one slot studio, the user interface (or UI) will not change across games, instead only being updated every few years. For this reason, the UI must be distinctive, but clear and concise, so players can navigate the individual elements included.

2. Theme
Choosing the right theme for an online slot is one of the most important aspects to getting the design right. Over the years, studios have gone all over the world in their search for the perfect slot settings, but there are some themes that come back time and time again - fishing themes, Egyptian themes, and Irish themes being the three most obvious. The reason is simple - these releases provide an opportunity for studios to use bright and colourful artwork, which immediately captivates the attention of players.

3. Sound
Believe it or not, very few gamblers play their favourite slots on mute. For this reason, sound effects and music on online slots can greatly enhance the design of the game, by adding to the overall atmosphere and excitement of the game. The sound effects on a slot should be clear and of a high quality, with music that is catchy and fits the theme - for example, an Egyptian themed release shouldn’t have an Irish jig as the soundtrack, because it wouldn’t fit.

4. Animations
Animations can add an additional layer of excitement to the design of a slot, whether it be through static, background animations, or winning animations. Imagine a slot where nothing moved, except the spinning reels - that would be weird. Animations should be smooth and seamless to make the game more visually appealing and engaging without being distracting, adding to the overall experience and, again, fitting in with the theme.

5. Character Design
Many online slots now feature characters, even coming with names and job descriptions in some releases. The design of these characters can be crucial to the game’s success. If you’re going to spend time designing a character, which is one of the most complex pieces of art to produce, you want it to be one that is appealing, but also that fits with the theme of the game. Indeed, some of the most popular releases on the market have humorous characters, with back stories that players love to discuss.

When a game studio follows these 5 steps, you will find that their game will be a great one to play, with appealing audio-visuals and a story that feels captivating.