Since its release in June 2012, Microgaming’s The Dark Knight has proved itself to be one of the most innovative, impressive and lucrative onlline pokies around.
It takes as its theme the 2008 film starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, and uses the the dark imagery and excitement of the movie to great effect.
Especially designed with a younger generation of pokies players in mind, this is game that suits those who like fast-paced, frenetic action combined with a chance to win enormous payouts from its 4-tier progressive jackpot.
Unusually for a progressive jackpot pokie, The Dark Knight is a 5-reel, 243 ways to win game (although the Thor Pokie comes close to it) Coins sizes are set at $0.01 or $0.02 (with a minimum of $0.30 per spin) with the option of playing between 1 – 10 coins per line, meaning that to bet the maximum costs between $0.30 – $6.00. Wins are paid out in multiples of the number of coins wagered per line.
Part of the appeal of the game lies in the fact that is has so faithfully reproduced the characters, theme and mood of the original film. It features cinematic spins and characters from the film that animate after wins, using clips from the movie. The figure of Batman and his nemesis the Joker frequently come to life and take an active part in the game, awarding free spins, and changing symbols to wilds. The music is menacing, the perfect accompaniment to the game’s dark imagery, and overall the design of this game sets it apart dramatically from most other progressives.
Although the progressive jackpot feature on The Dark Knight is randomly triggered, the chances of gaining access to this round are increased by playing the maximum bet size. The jackpot round features a large wheel divided into 20 segments, and players choose either Batman or the Joker to spin it. Where it stops determines the size of the progressive jackpot won. The wins available for each of the four progressive jackpots are: Mega Jackpot – unlimited, but starts at $1,000,000; Major Jackpot – unlimited, but starts at $10,000; Minor Jackpot – unlimited, but starts at $100; Mini Jackpot – unlimited, but starts at $10.
As part of the Microgaming casino progressive network, jackpot wins on The Dark Knight can be enormous, with several having already been recorded. A player in Norway won about NZD$1.1 million in December 2012, and a player in the UK scooped NZD$4.1 million in February 2013.
The Dark Knight is packed with special features, and playing this game is unlike playing the majority of other progressive pokies. There are more randomly triggered bonus features that take place in-game rather than as separate bonus rounds, and these mean that the base play gaming action is always engaging and provides more opportunities to win. The progressive jackpot is of course the most significant special feature, and the jackpots on offer are massive.
