The Goonies Return

The Goonies Return Slot Review

Slot Provider: Blueprint Gaming

RTP: 96% | Variance: Medium | Maximum Win: 3,000x

Our Score: 8.4

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About The Goonies Return

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 15th October 2021

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The 80s was something of a golden age for feel good adventure films. Alongside the blockbuster Spielberg movies like Star Wars or Indiana Jones were classic kids stuff like Stand By Me, and this hilarious cult-classic, The Goonies. The story follows a group of boys who seek out treasure using only a map and local legend in an effort to raise a fortune to save their families’ homes from the mean corporate developers. If you don’t know it, you can watch the trailer here. The names of Mikey, Chunk, Data and Mouth will be familiar to anyone who grew up at that time, as will the infamous Truffle Shuffle, which of course gets an airing in this video slot, the second time Blueprint Gaming have licensed the film for gaming purposes.

In true Blueprint style, and making the most of that license fee, the team have squeezed every ounce of opportunity out of the characters and scenes in the film to generate a game so packed with features it’s hard to know where to start! There are also plenty of voiceovers and animations triggered by various events as the reels spin. Basically, if you play this slot you are going to have fun, no matter what – the action is fast and furious and with a relatively easy-going maths model it has a broad appeal. It’s a great chance to stroll back to the 80s to enjoy one of the decade’s most-loved cult favourites!

The action plays out on a standard 5×3 reel set with the treasure map in the background. There are no expanding reel features and just 20 fixed paylines in play at all times.

The Goonies Return Game Information

  • RTP: 96%
  • Variance: Medium
  • Maximum Win: 3,000x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 5
  • Rows: 3
  • Paylines: 20
  • Minimum Stake: £0.10
  • Theme: Movies
  • Features: Wilds, Reel Synchs, Mystery Symbols, Win Spins, Bonus Wheel, Cash Collect, Prize Trail, Free Spins, Multipliers

What We Liked

  • Tons of features
  • Regular, even payout distribution
  • Lots of free spins rounds
  • Wild multipliers
  • Scenes from films

What We Didn't like

  • A little complicated at times

The Goonies Return Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 9
  • RTP and Variance 8
  • Maximum Win 8
  • Symbols and Paytable 9
  • Features and Gameplay 9

RTP and Variance

Our Score 8

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

Movie-based slots have been known to be a bit tight on the Return to Player as the license fee tends to eat into that margin. So, it’s a pleasant surprise to see that in this case the RTP is kept at 96%, just below average for current slots, but decent enough nonetheless. The variance is set at medium which will bring you a fairly even distribution of wins and makes the game appealing to more casual slots players than high risk gamers – this is another common feature of movie slots to ensure a wider audience for the game.

The minimum bet is 10p and the top prize, as with most Blueprint slots is a whopping £250,000. Be warned though, realistically no one will get close to that without a very high stake per spin and a lot of luck with the features.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 9

The symbols in this slot include characters from the movie – Mikey, Chunk, Data and Mouth – along with a skulls and crossbones symbol and gold coin. The characters can pay 10-15x your bet for 5 matches on the reels, while the skull and crossbones can award up to 25x your bet for 5 of a kind. There are also high card symbols from Jack through to Ace to award the lower payouts.

The gold coin is the Wild symbol in the game, subbing for all others to make a win line, and this has the same value as the skull and crossbones, awarding up to 25 x stake. The gold coin also substitutes for all the other symbols to create more potential winning combinations.

Finally, the One-Eyed Willy icon also appears as a bonus symbol to trigger some special features.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 9

As we have come to know and love in Blueprint Gaming slots, this one is a feature extravaganza, shamelessly populist in its design with events triggering all over the place in the base game and a mix of free spins and other bonus features triggered by a bonus wheel.

One-Eyed Willy Modifiers

One-Eyed Willy is the owner of the treasure map that the kids use to locate their fortune in the film. He is the key to all game enhancements. In the base game, these modifiers can trigger on any spin.

  • Hidden Riches – Mikey Wild appears on the middle reel and Goonies that land may transform into wilds too
  • Bonus Boost – more Bonus Symbols are added to the reels
  • Truffle Shuffle Wilds – Wilds are added randomly to the reels, some of which become Wild Multipliers
  • Lucky Coins – Mystery Symbols are added to the reels and reveal the same symbol when the spin ends, while coins turn into cash symbols to award Respins too
  • Win Spin – a winning spin is guaranteed
  • W-Invention Reels – The Data character gives the reels a punch and 5 are synced to show the same symbol. You might also get a colossal symbol or symbol upgrades.

NOTE: in addition to all those, there are THREE ways in which a losing spin can be turned into a winning spin using events from the film. A Scythe re-sets the reels to a guaranteed win, Shooting Spikes take out some of the reels to leave a win, Dynamite can explode to reveal wins, a Cave Collapse can drop and cause a Cascade that brings up a win.

One-Eyed Willy Bonus Features

Next up are our six bonus rounds – landing 3 One-eyed Willy symbols triggers the Bonus Wheel that players spin to give one of the following:

  • Booby trap bonus – turn the key left or right to reveal ‘cash’, ‘collect’ or ‘bonus feature’
  • Waterslide to wealth – move along the path to collect prizes, which could lead to the Big Money Bonus Round
  • Skeleton Organ Free Spins – 5 Free Spins with Sticky Stacked Symbols. Pick a gold coin to reveal more Free Spins, a new Bonus Feature or return to the main game.
  • Fratelli Free Spins – 10 Free Spins with Super Sloth Wilds. Hit 5 cash symbols to activate Momma Fratelli Free Spins. Pick keys to reveal more Free Spins, a new Bonus feature or return to the main game.
  • Final Voyage Free Spins – enjoy an Inferno Wild symbol which moves across the reels on each Free Spin turning all character symbols Wild. Pick 5 gold coins to reveal more Free Spins, a new Bonus Feature or return to the main game.
  • One-Eyed Willy Riches – 3 Free Spins with cash or character symbols can award Respins, Multipliers, Increased Symbol Values or Extra Reels.

The Final Verdict

So, there you have it! It’s hard to think of another slot that has packed quite so many features into its gameplay. But in many ways that is exactly what you are looking for from a game like this. The movie always brings a smile to the face so the slot should do that too – and it does in abundance with animations, voiceovers, little win drops and extras falling all over the place as you spin. This is not high risk slots action that might leave you feeling frustrated and short changed –  you will surely get a lot of bang for your buck and good value slots play.

If there is any drawback to all that action, it can feel too complicated at times with so many different features triggering within other features. You’ll find Respins, Free Spins, Symbol Upgrades, Expanded Symbols, Synced Reels and random modifiers all interacting. But we’re being picky to say that to be honest.

In summary, its fast-paced and fun and one of the best-fun slots of the year. And, if you want a hit of 80s nostalgia and to hunt One-Eyed Willy and meet up with Mikey, Data and the crew, you’ll be able to at the best slot sites from the end of September 2021.

Useful Resources

Blueprint Gaming Games Page

The Goonies Film Fan Page

Our Own Slots Play Guide

Who Made The Goonies Return?

  • Name: Blueprint Gaming
  • Established: 2001
  • UK License: Remote 006516-R-315838-016
  • Total Games: 300 +
  • Known For: Feature-packed slots, TV and Movie slots, Megaways™ games
  • Popular Slots: The Goonies, Ted Megaways, Eye of Horus, Rick and Morty Megaways, Gorilla Gold
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