Chicken Run is a casino slot developed by NextGen Gaming, based on the popular British stop-motion animated comedy film of the same name released in 2000. The movie was produced by Aardman Animations and Park Productions, directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park, and starred Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha, Miranda Richardson, Tony Haygarth, and Mark Williams.
The slot is set on a farm where an escape plan unfolds as a group of chickens, led Chicken Run by Ginger (voiced by Julia Sawalha), hatch a scheme to break free from the clutches of evil farmer Franklin. Players are immersed in this animated world with colorful characters, detailed environments, and the nostalgic charm of the movie.
Theme and Design
The theme of Chicken Run is centered around farm animals and their escape from the sinister plans of the villainous farmer. The slot’s design brings forth a fresh interpretation of this classic story, maintaining its original spirit while adapting it to an online gaming experience.
As players navigate through the slot, they are treated to engaging visuals and sound effects that evoke the film’s atmosphere. The graphics incorporate vibrant colors, with Ginger and her friends taking center stage alongside various farm-themed symbols such as chickens, eggs, hens, roosters, cornfields, silos, pigs, cows, sheep, horses, rabbits, foxes, a big red tractor, and numerous farm equipment.
Symbols
The paytable of Chicken Run features 10 regular symbols divided into two groups: animal characters (chickens) on the higher value side and everyday farm items and animals on the lower-value end. The game also boasts several special symbols:
- Wild symbol: Ginger (Wild)
- Functions as a substitute for all other symbols to create winning combinations
- Pays in its own right, with up to 20 times of the total bet paid when five appear horizontally or vertically
Scatter and Bonus Symbols:
- Scatter symbol: Feather (Scatter)
Scatters appear on reels one to three only. When at least two scatter feathers are hit anywhere on these positions, it triggers a free spins feature.
- No dedicated bonus symbols; wilds fulfill this role No progressive jackpot.
Payouts
Wins occur when consecutive matching animal symbols or farm items land horizontally from left to right on the 5×4 grid. All regular symbol payouts pay out only when appearing in combinations of at least two, and all possible winning sequences for each base game icon are specified below:
- Ginger (Wild): 2-2000
- Feathers: 10-1,000
- Chickens: 8-800
- Hens: 5.5-500
- Roosters: 4.5-400
- Eggs: 3.6-300
- Cornfield (Blank): 2.25-200
Wilds
Ginger serves as the game’s wild symbol and has a higher payout value than any regular icon when occurring in combination with at least two of itself on an active payline.
In its own right, it rewards between 20 times of the total bet for five horizontally or vertically adjacent Wilds to just one coin.
Scatters
The Feathers scatter is not only limited to appearing anywhere within reel positions one to three. When at least two hits occur in such a configuration on these designated reels during any normal spin that generates at least one winning combination, it unlocks up to twenty free spins in Chicken Run’s Great Escape Game mode.
The player gains an extra 5 Free Spins every time this feat is achieved beyond the initial hit.
Bonus Features
- Great Escape Feature (GFE) : Each game has a unique set of reels.
- On each spin, these will display between one to four Feather Scatter symbols in designated reel positions, including those that were blank on the previous round
- Chicken Run Free Spins : The GEF’s highest reward for any single play session within a particular run is ten additional free spins.
Free Spins
The slot features an interactive Great Escape feature and a free games bonus called "Great Escape Feature & Chicken Run". Players can engage with it in one of two ways:
- Chicken Run Free Games : Wins generated by Ginger Wilds during the round contribute to its overall win tally.
- Additional scatter hits trigger ten more spins, with wins occurring based on new, enhanced reels featuring feathers
- Feather Scatter Scatters : Feathers pay out up to 20x multiplier of line stake when five appear in a row horizontally or vertically across active lines.
RTP
Chicken Run has an official return-to-player rate (RTP) of around 94% with volatility settings that can make for some very unpredictable experiences as player outcomes vary significantly, so the house edge might fluctuate widely depending on these random changes.
Volatility
The game offers medium-high level betting options suited to both casual players and higher rollers alike while also possessing variable volatility levels which will either be medium or high based on whether one is seeking lower frequency with bigger payouts rather than regular returns
Betting Range & Max Win Bet size: 0.25 – 60 coins per spin Max payout win in this game can reach up to (maximum bet) x10,000 at any instant for each of twenty five times the maximum bet multiplied by Ginger’s wild wins
Gameplay
Players navigate through Chicken Run using a simple controls layout featuring Spin and Autoplay buttons, along with an Options window that provides access to customization options such as sounds volume control and turning them off while choosing various coin values (0.01 – 5 per line), play lines count adjustments up between one through twenty five active at time of game execution.
Mobile Play As many slot machines these days, Chicken Run can be easily played from an Android mobile phone device or Apple iPhone via web browser – there is no dedicated iOS app for this title yet