Fisticuffs

Fisticuffs Review

I say, old chap – you up for some good old fashioned brawling? Get those knuckles warmed up and land some punches – Microgaming has brewed another gem that those with a heightened sense for nostalgia will love. This one traces our way back to beginning of the XX century England and the first (illegal, at those times) boxing matches – hence, the visuals are tied to this particular era and they catch our eye effortlessly. Alas, despite a lovely-looking nod to a times gone by, “Fisticuffs” lacks a serious punch in terms of gameplay.

Characteristics

But onto the basics first, and they say that this is a five reel game, with 10 paylines – and no bonus features as such, only wilds in different formats. So, that is a let down, but one thing where game excels is in its high quality graphics. The colors are bright and the design is very clean and easy on the eye. The symbols are all related to this “noble craft” – little boxing stools, old school boots, boxing gloves, bucket, towel, a champion’s belt and a bell. The two wild symbols are two disproportionate boxers that seem like a mismatch made in heaven: one small, mustachioed (diagonal wild) and the other one corpulent and tall (a straight wild).

Special Features

When those two appear adjacent to each other (if a small boxer is diagonal to the big one, or the big one is next to the small one) they will start a boxing match. One boxer punches the other one and all of the symbols that got in the way turn to wilds. This grants a player one free spin.

Conclusion

Net Entertainment’s creativity is hardly paralleled and their visual solutions always have us smiling from ear to ear. Although they don’t fail us in that regard, “Fisticuffs” does tend to be a bit on the slower side which, coupled with the fact that this is a low-volatility game, can work against the game. Still, we like spinning these reels from time to time, for the sake of entertainment value that symbols provide us with.