Retro Tapes Cluster Link Slot

Push Gaming’s retro game Retro Tapes Cluster Link takes you back to the good old pre-digital days of analog cassette tapes with a raft of exciting and interesting features, including an 80s era soundtrack.

My experience playing this 6-column, 9-row grid game was gratifying and greatly enhanced by the range of excellent features that elevated the gameplay experience from good to extraordinary. Here’s my review of Retro Tapes Cluster Link, a classic online slot game.

Online Slots Format

Retro Tapes Cluster Link comes with the usual real-world money format alongside a free-to-play demo version, making it great for newbies and experienced players alike.

Retro Tapes Cluster Link Demo Version

The Retro Tapes Cluster Link is a top demo with an engaging gaming experience and the perfect opportunity for gamers who want to play with zero-risk. This version is ideal for newbies or anyone just wanting to check out the game before risking their money. 

Retro Tapes Cluster Link Real-Money Format

Retro Tapes Cluster Link’s real-money format builds on the enormous success of its big brother, Jammin’ Jars, with the colorful, plastic cassette tapes taking center stage. 

The game is a 6-reel, 9-row game with a cluster pay mechanic that pays out if you have at least 5 identical symbols connecting horizontally and/or vertically.

When a cluster win occurs, winning symbols disappear from the game screen, collapsing into empty spaces. As new characters fall into position, new winning combinations can be made. 

The potential top prize is 10,000x the stake, with a winning probability of 1 in 1,248,439. Bets can be staked at values between $0.10 and $1000.

Technical Analysis

Although the game has quite a simple interface and design, the technical gameplay experience was excellent. Here’s an overview of the game’s RTP and various special features.

Retro Tapes Cluster Link RTP

This online slot game has a very highly volatile model but an attractive RTP (Return-to-Player) rate of 96.47%, something that will bring experienced slot gamers to the platform.

Retro Tapes Cluster Link Features

Retro Tapes Cluster Link comes packed with special features that enhance the gameplay experience. They include:

Wild Tape Symbol

The wild symbol in this game is a wild tape, which acts as a substitute for all symbols except magnets or wild multipliers. Each wild tape symbol is connected with a multiplier, beginning at x1, increasing by +1 each time a Wild Tape is part of a win.

Wild Multiplier Symbol

These star-shaped symbols appear in the base game and in the Top Charts feature (see below). Wild Multiplier symbols distribute their multiplier value, either 1x, 2x, 3x, or 5x, to all Wild Tapes in the game view before transforming into an Instant Prize symbol of a random value.

Instant Prize Symbols

Instant Prize symbols contain bet multiplier values that are worth 1x, 2x, 5x, 10x, 25x, 50x, 100x, 250x, 500x, or 1,000x your stake. When these symbols land in clusters of at least five, their values are awarded to the player.

Magnet Features

The Magnet symbol can land anywhere. When they land, they transition into a random pay symbol and pull them around the grid to create a cluster win. Magnets can also work on Instant Prize symbols if there are at least four in the game grid to create a cluster.

Top Charts Feature

When at least 3 Wild Tapes are in view, the Top Charts mini game is triggered. Between 6 and 12 free spins are awarded with one of the following symbols available.

• Wild Tape symbol – any new Wild Tape awards two additional free spins
• Wild Multiplier symbol
• Instant Prize symbol
• Magnet symbol
• Extra Spins symbol – awards one or two extra free spins before becoming an Instant Prize
• Blank Tape symbol – holds no value

Online Slot Layout

The game could be more visually appealing and may therefore not be the best game for players who like to be visually wowed by their slot games. That said, it has a nice retro feel, with the swirly background graphics taking you back to early-era computer-inspired 80s pop music videos.

My Experience With Retro Tapes Cluster Link

The vast range of special features made up for any deficiencies I observed in the game's look. The introduction of magnets is a splash of genius, while wild multipliers helped a few spins offer a nice little return. 

The game is unlikely to shift Jammin’ Jars’ loyal fanbase away from the hall-of-famer game, but it has more than enough to attract a legion of dedicated fans of its own.