Friends - NZ Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Payout Ratio (or RTP) of Friends Slot

According to WMS, Friends is a slot with an RTP of exactly 96.00%. This puts it firmly in the RTP range you want when choosing a slot to play, as it means you should see a decent return of NZ$96 for every NZ$100 you wager. RTP is calculated from average returns across many average games, which does mean you need to be aware your game may not be average. Natural standard deviation can lead to big variations in your actual winnings.

Friends Slot Graphics

The dazzling lights of the Manhattan skyline fill the background of this slot whilst the large portrait of the titular friends above the reels makes it clear who this is about and that this slot wholeheartedly embraces its theme. Unfortunately, this extensive background can make the reels themselves seem a little small, with the symbols hard to distinguish. These symbols include shots of the Friends cast in various combinations, as well as icons representing other significant aspects of the Friends TV show, including the Central Perks sign, a duck, a guitar and a cup of coffee, so the theme is always prominent.

Friends Game Theme

In 1994, a new sitcom appeared on American television. It would air for ten seasons, with the final episode being broadcast in 2004, and in that time it would be nominated for multiple Emmys (including a 2002 win for Best Comedy Series), as well as becoming one of the most watched shows in American history. The finale was the most watched episode of television of the decade, with only four other shows ever attracting more viewers for their final episode.

“Friends” is the story of six friends - Monica (played by Courtney Cox), Rachel (played by Jennifer Anniston), Phoebe (played by Lisa Kudrow), Chandler (played by Matthew Perry), Joey (played by Matt LeBlance) and Ross (played by David Schwimmer) - who live in Manhattan. As they progress through their twenties and thirties, the show follows their lives, loves and disappointments, both personally and professionally. The relationships between the six main characters, and the many family members, other friends and love interests who move in and out of their lives, are a central part of the show.

How to Play Friends Slots

Just like so many slots, the basic gameplay for Friends is pretty simple and intuitive to understand. You set your preferred wager using the bet adjustor to the side of the reels, you choose your other settings (at the bottom left of the screen) such as whether you want to mute the sound, then you just hit spin. There are five reels and 40 paylines, so it’s easy to see where the winning combinations could fall.

Symbols of particular interest include the Wild symbol, represented by an ensemble picture of the Friends cast surrounded by a blue frame. As well as being a good earner in its own right, this symbol can represent any other symbol in a payline except the Jackpot Wild or the Wheel Bonus. This means your chances of hitting a winning payline will grow. The Jackpot Wild symbol can substitute for anything except the Wheel Bonus, and only appears on the second, third and fourth reels. The Wheel Bonus symbol also only appear on the second, third and fourth reels. You need three of them to trigger the Wheel Bonus feature.

If you want to play but don’t want to have to keep hitting spin, there’s also an autoplay feature available. With the button next to the help question mark, just under the bet adjustor, you can set your game to spin automatically 5, 25, 50, or 100 times. If you’re worried you’ll lose control of your game, you also have the option of deciding if you want autoplay to stop once you have reached a certain level of losses, or hit a particularly impressive single win. This way, you won’t miss anything.

Friends Game Volatility

There’s no official information on Friends’ volatility, or the frequency compared to the size of wins. A high volatility game is high risk and high reward, as the wins will be few and far between, but will be large when they do come. In contrast, low volatility games offer more frequent wins but a lot smaller.

How To Win at Friends Slots

This is a 40 payline slot, so to win you need to match three or more symbols across one of those paylines. These symbols must be consecutive from left to right. You can find the paytable in the game information, which will tell you the wins for every possible combination using your current bet.

Friends Bonus Features

When you match a full stack of Jackpot Wilds, it doesn’t just substitute for any other symbol on a potential payline. It also comes with a jackpot of its own, giving you an impressive 1,000 reward even when you have the lowest possible bet configuration. This will rise if your bet rises.

Every reel on this slot includes mystery positions that create the Mystery Stacks feature. When your reels start spinning, the mystery positions will be replaced with one of a set collection of symbols. Two or three of these symbols will appear at a time, potentially creating some new winning combinations.

There are free games available in Friends and they come with their own Mystery Stacks. Again, the mystery positions will be replaced with one of a certain set of symbols. As only one of these symbols is used, every mystery position will be filled in the same way.

You can activate the Wheel Bonus with three full stacks of Wheel Bonus symbols. This will award you a bonus wheel which you can spin. The 12 wedges of the bonus wheel include credit bonuses as well as the opportunity to trigger the Wedding Bonus, Thanksgiving Bonus, Party Bonus or Bamboozled Bonus.

During the Wedding Bonus, you will be awarded 10 free games. These will be accompanied by Persisting Wilds that remain on the reels until the bonus feature is finished. There’s no Jackpot Wild or Bonus Wheel and you can’t retrigger free spins.

The Thanksgiving Bonus will award you 10 free games alongside a 3x multiplier. There’s no Jackpot Wild or Bonus Wheel symbol and you can’t retrigger free spins.

If you’re lucky enough to activate the Party Bonus, the number of free games goes up to 11. As you spin, any Wilds you hit will begin to be locked in place. On the first and eleventh free game, only Wilds on the first reel are locked, but the second and tenth games will see this expand to Wilds on reel two as well as three. During the third and ninth games, it’s reels two and three that see locked Wilds, whilst in the fourth and eighth games, it’s reels three and four and in the third and fifth games it's reels four and five. Finally, the sixth free game sees locked Wilds on the fifth reel.

In the Bamboozled Bonus, you will be presented with a set of 20 cards. You can keep clicking the cards until you reveal one of the winning combinations. With the minimum bet configuration, three Hungry Monkeys will award you 12.50, three Golden Mud Huts will award you NZ$50.00 and two Paradise Ponds and one Angel Pass will award you a NZ$500 jackpot.

There is also a Gimme Award in the Bamboozled Bonus. It starts at NZ$5.00, but every time you choose a card that isn’t the Gimme card, an amount between NZ$0.50 and NZ$2.50 will be added to your prize pot. If you pick the Gimme Award, the cash from this pot will go straight to you.

Friends Strategy and Tips

When choosing a slot, the first thing to do is check the RTP and volatility so you know what your chances are and plan your budget accordingly. Bankroll management is always key when playing a slot, so it’s something to consider even if only using virtual money on a free demo. Set yourself win and loss limits, and potentially a time limit for how long you’re going to play. That way, you won’t chase your losses or waste a big win, and you stay in control of your game. Doing this in free games is the way to build good habits for the real thing.

Speaking of free demos, always try out the free version of a game before you start risking real money. You can do this on a free slots site or many online casinos will allow you to try a free demo first. This is the way to familiarise yourself with the gameplay and decide if it’s a slot you think is worth risking your hard earned cash.

Free Spins on Friends Slot

To activate free spins on the Friends slot, first you need to activate the Wheel Bonus by stacking three sets of Wheel Bonus symbols, then you need to hit the appropriate wedge on said bonus wheel. This may sound complicated, but once you’re there you can secure 10 free games through the Wedding Bonus or Thanksgiving Bonus, or 11 if you’re lucky enough to trigger the Party Bonus. Each of these bonus rounds also comes with other extra features, such as Persisting Wilds, Locked Wilds or a multiplier.

Friends Slot On Mobile - Android, iPhones and Tablets

Friends no longer has to be confined to New York with this slot, which is optimised for mobile and tablet as well as your computer. Whilst using a smaller device may have disadvantages in terms of screen size and sound quality, it does mean you can carry the game in your pocket and play wherever you happen to be in the world. The one thing to watch out for is ensuring that you have a decent internet connection. You don’t want the game to cut out in the middle of a winning streak because either the Wi-Fi dropped out or you ran out of data.

Games you might enjoy if you like Friends

One of your first stops if you enjoyed Friends is probably going to be a browse through other WMS slots. There’s a range of different themes available, but you can expect the same high quality as in Friends, with similar characteristics in graphics, gameplay and bonus features.

If it’s the idea of playing a slot based on a popular television show that excites you, you could take a look at some of the other developers who have produced slots based on media properties. For instance, Blueprint Gaming is responsible for the Beavis and Butthead Slot. Another nineties favourite, this adult cartoon had a very distinctive style and tackled some controversial topics. The slot has 20 paylines and an impressive 6 bonus games to ensure you have the maximum amount of fun and plenty of chances to win.

Disclaimer: Friends trademark / license is owned by WMS. This site is not endorsed by WMS.

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