CSI: Slots is a relatively new game that has you solving crimes in unique fashion. Available in the Windows Phone and Windows 10 Stores, the Gameloft title has you spinning the reels of a slot machine to reveal clues for a crime scene and solve the "who done it" mystery.
CSI: Slots includes several of the popular CSI personalities, solid graphics and a few bonus games. There is a slight casual pace to things and CSI: Slots does have a slight addictive pull about it. After playing the Windows Phone version of CSI: Slots for a few days, it comes across as a decent time waster of a game.
The primary menu for CSI: Slots represents the Vegas nicely with plenty of flashing lights and colorful graphics. Across the top of the menu you will find your gaming stats that includes your gaming level, cash count and a hamburger menu to access the game's settings.
The settings menu offers up options to contact customer care, connect the game to your Facebook or Microsoft accounts, invite friends to the game, adjust the sound/music levels, manage the game's alerts and view the game's help section. You will need to use the Facebook login to transfer gaming progress between devices. I tried it with the Microsoft login, but it did not appear to work.
Just below your gaming stats is a row of slot machine icons that you can play as a stand-alone game. These machines are progressively unlocked as you advance in gaming experience. You'll need to spend gaming cash to spin the slot reels and while you have in-app purchase opportunities to build up your cash, these stand-alone slot games are a great way to build up your cash reserves.
Additional items you will find on the primary menu for CSI: Slots includes:
- A bonus cash button that will award you a small amount of cash daily
- Listings for any in-app purchase promotions
- Access to special events (limited time gaming options)
- Access to the game's story mode
The slot machine screen isn't much different than any other slots game. Along the bottom of the screen you will find your betting and spin options and the machine itself is a five reel slot. As best as I can tell, the winning lines are not dependent on the amount of your bet. In other words, you get access to all the winning lines on the slot machine if you bet the minimum or maximum amounts.
The Story Mode is where you will find all the action. Here you will be walked through a criminal investigation where the CSI characters will guide you through interrogations, finding clues and closing a case with an arrest.
The flow of game play has you visiting crime scenes, autopsy, the interview room and crime lab. Each stage of the story will have a set of goals that have to be reached with your slot machine skills to advance through the story. For example, you have to perform an autopsy on a victim but have to find your scalpel to get started. You'll play the slots with each scalpel appearing getting you a step closer to finding and using the scalpel. All of which will reveal clues to the solving the crime.
Throughout the Story Mode, you will have a chance to visit a Case Menu or summary page that will highlight your progress and any new suspects that come to light. You will need to interrogate suspects before you can advance to the next chapter in the story. Much like performing an autopsy, conducting an interrogation is done in similar fashion. You are given an objective and have to play the slots to collect tiles displaying that object to advance through the interrogation. When 100% of the required objects are collected, you'll have a dialog scene and advance to the next chapter or scene of the story.
There are plenty of side games with CSI: Slots that helps break the monotony of playing the slots. For example, inspecting a crime scene picture you have to identify key pieces of evidence in a hidden-picture styled game. You also have a matching game where you have to find matching items hidden in containers such as hazardous waste bins.
You follow the leads, gather the evidence and interrogate subjects throughout the multiple chapters of the story. CSI: Slots does a good job of walking you through game play as the story unfolds, leading to an arrest of the offender.
At the time of this posting, there were no active special events displayed on CSI: Slots' primary menu. These are time limited special challenges that reward you for collecting objects during game play. You will also be competing against other players and those who collect the most objects will get a bonus prize. While I didn't experience this feature, it adds a little variety to game play.
Overall Impression
While solving crimes in CSI: Slots is dependent on a game of chance, as opposed to a logical deduction of the facts, it comes across as a fun mystery game. Graphics are nicely drawn up and the interaction with the game during the Story Modes helps avoid the guessing game as to that you need to be doing.
You do need a healthy supply of cash to play the slots and solve the crimes and the odds of winning are much friendlier than what you would find in Vegas. I had no problem maintaining enough cash to complete the chapters of a story. I did have to visit the stand-alone slots to give my cash supply a boost from time to time, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
There is a casual pace with CSI: Slots and an addictive pull. Unless you absolutely detest slot machines, don't be shocked to find yourself playing CSI: Slots longer than you planned. Overall, it is a fun game that has plenty of features to keep game play from growing stale. Personally, I like the Windows Phone version of the game a little better than the Windows 10 version. While playing CSI: Slots from the larger screened devices isn't terrible, I did experience a few stability issues with the Windows 10 version that were not present with the phone version of the game.
CSI: Slots is a free gaming title that is available from both the Windows Phone and Windows 10 Store. It does require a data connection to play.
