Completion rewards for expanded reels

A new machine in Gold Fish Casino rewards players for fully expanding the reels and uses effective visual design to show how the machine works. Download the full Slots Design Report for our complete analysis.

Completion rewards for apparent goals

Enchanted Reels grants a prize or bonus any time players fully expand a reel. This completion reward is atypical, since these types of machines often just use the increased payouts from expanded reels as their primary rewards. 

When presented with expandable reels, players will naturally strive to fully expand them. If they accomplish this and don’t receive a reward, they’ll be less motivated to do it again. With this in mind, it’s important to clearly reward all perceived goals.

Using visual cues for goals and anticipation

The visual design of Enchanted Reels clearly communicates the machine’s reel expansion goals: The tops of the reels curve and point in the direction they’ll expand; the prizes above the reels have bases that match those curved tops; and the spaces that reels can expand into echo the background of the reel positions that will fill them.

These visual cues reduce friction and make it easier for players to engage. Additionally, they help players anticipate rewards, which creates a more pleasurable experience. Another machine we analyzed in this month’s report, DoubleU Casino’s Wild Stampede, also uses visual patterns to build anticipation and make wins more satisfying.

Download the full Slots Design Report for our complete analysis, revenue impacts, and other notable releases.