Chicken Run is a farm-themed online casino slot developed by Microgaming, based on the popular stop-motion animated film of the same name released in 2000. The game’s storyline revolves around a group of chickens trying to escape from their sinister and cunning farmer, Chicken Run who has devised an evil plan to turn them into foie gras.
Gameplay and Design
Chicken Run is played across five reels with three rows each, featuring 243 ways to win. Players can choose between various bet options ranging from £0.01 to £2 per spin. The betting range allows for flexible gameplay, catering to both low-stakes enthusiasts and high-rollers alike.
Upon initiating a game, the colorful farm-themed background comes alive with animated chickens in various forms of movement. The control panel is designed to resemble an old-fashioned radio set from the 1920s, complete with buttons resembling rotary dials and a display screen showing the current balance. As players navigate through the different features within the slot machine, sound effects imitate real-time farming activities such as tractors passing by in the background.
Symbols
Chicken Run features several engaging symbols, each contributing to either small payouts or exciting bonus opportunities:
- Low-value symbols: The 5 standard lettered tiles represent farm-themed objects and range from £0.05 up to £1 for a combination of five matching icons.
- Middle-value symbol: A basket with fresh produce offers a maximum win of £25 when landing all five across the reels.
- High-value symbol: Clark, the leader among the chickens in the animation film, appears as a high-paying icon offering wins ranging from £50 up to £200 for each combination.
In addition to standard paytable symbols, there are two main special symbols which help drive gameplay excitement:
Wilds
A hen with an animated display of numbers and icons serves as the Wild symbol. This feature allows any number of wild chickens in a winning combination without substituting the scatters or bonus scatter; they can also fill gaps in combinations.
However, it is essential to note that even though the wild chicken expands across all three rows, when five of these symbols appear on each reel at once (all twenty-five spaces), they do not pay out since this event leads directly into a winning free spins round without allowing for standard payouts during active games.
Scatters
On every other slot machine game by Microgaming that features scatters or free spin scatter, there is usually some variation as far as symbol looks go but the Chicken Run game has two distinctly recognizable images:
- Bonus Scatter: Depicts a golden egg being laid down from an enthusiastic hen flying toward it with excitement.
- Standard Scatter (collecting Scatters): An animated chicken gathering up scattered eggs that serve no additional role beyond participating in special prize accumulation.
Bonus Features
When five wild symbols are seen on all reels at once, initiating the main event of free spins called "Great Fowl Heist," players are prompted to join Clark and his crew for an adventure during which they will be collecting prizes in exchange for some thrilling gameplay moments involving shooting down farm equipment by targeting various targets.