This NetEnt slot is based on the famous 1986 movie Aliens, where Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) battles a very dangerous alien lifeform. The slot machine is focused partly on Ripley’s search for the hiding Alien queen, and partly on her fights with it once she had found it.

The advanced 3D graphics and high-quality animations made a big splash in the slot world when the Aliens slot was released back in 2014. It is evident that NetEnt put a lot of effort into creating this game – both visually and play-wise – and it doesn’t feel like any of the many cookie-cutter slots out there. For instance, NetEnt created three different levels of game play to keep the variation up and install a sense of progress – just as in a movie where the plot unfolds step by step. We start playing on a level called The Search, and if we are successful there, we can proceed to the level known as The Encounter. From The Encounter, we have the opportunity to reach the final level – The Hive. Each level works in its own way, with its own rules and quests.

About the video slot Aliens from NetEnt

  • Game developer: NetEntertainment (NetEnt)
  • Release year: 2014
  • Reels: 5
  • Paylines: 15
  • Special features: Wild symbol, Re-spins, Symbol-specific multiplicators
  • Available coin values: €0.01 / €0.02 / €0.05 / €0.10 / €0.20 / €0.50 / €1
  • Smallest possible wager: €0.01 coin value x 15 paylines x 1 coin per payline = €0.15
  • Highest possible wager: €1 coin value x 15 paylines x 10 coins per payline = €150
  • Highest possible fixed win: 570,000 coins
  • Progressive jackpot: No
  • RTP: 96.4%

You always play with all 15 paylines activated, but you do get to select coin value (from €0.01 to €1) and how many coins to bet per payline (from 1 coin to 10 coins per payline).

Theme

The Alien move from 1986 is the theme for this slot, and aliens in various life stages are utilized as symbols on the reels.

Wild symbol

The Weyland-Yutani Corp logo is the wild symbol.

The wild symbol can substitute for any other symbol.

Where the wild symbol can appear depends on the level. During the first level, The Search, it can appear on reel 2-5 but never on the first reel. During the second level, The Encounter, it can appear on any reel except for Ammo Clip Reel.

The three levels

1.) The Search

On this level, your task is to explore the space colony and gather information – preferably about extra terrestial life forms.

Each time you win someting during The Search, the winning symbols (exclusing wild symbols) are added to your activity gauge. For each round when you don’t win anything at all, one symbol is removed from the gauge.

Above the gauge, you’ll see a multiplier which is connected to the symbols in the gauge. For each round that yeild no win, the multiplyer gets lower. Highest possible multiplyer is a whopping 14x!

If you are lucky and collect enough symbols to fill the entire activity gauge, you will proceed to the second level: The Encounter. You will bring your symbol specific multiplyers with you to The Encounter, which I think is a nice touch from NetEnt as it helps connect the two levels with each other in a concrete way.

My personal experience from playing Aliens is that it, on average, takes quite some time to proceed to The Encounter. Thankfully, a steady stream of small and mid-sized wins will normally keep refilling my budget in The Search, so I don’t go broke as I grind to move on to the next level. If I had found The Search boring to play, or way too stingy with the small wins, I would probably have stopped playing Alien after just a few sessions since you can expect to spend some time here before moving on.

IMPORTANT: If you change wager size while playing The Search, the activity gauge will automatically reset at zero and all multiplyers are removed. It is therefore a good idea to carefully decide wager size at the start of the gaming session and then stick to it. Set a budget for the gaming session and select wager size accordingly to avoid having to drop down in wager size halfway through.

2.) The Encounter

Congratulations – you have moved on to The Encounter. Now, its time to meet the Aliens. To increase your chance of surviving, you will be fitted with a weapon, some ammunition, an ammunition counter, and an activity gauge. There will also be an Ammo Clip Reel which is very important for the events on this level. As mentioned above, you can bring symbol specific multiplier to The Encounter from The Search.

I like playing The Encounter because it’s a really spooky experience, especially if you are home alone, playing in a dark room. I always keep the sound on and pretty loud – the music and sound effects really contribute to the ambience.

Ammunition

When The Encounter level starts, you will have one magazine with five rounds of ammunition.

  • Each shot fired will mean that less ammunition is left.
  • Each time your get an ammunition symbol on the middle reel, you get new ammunition. It will also active a re-spin function.

If you run out of ammunition completely, The Encounter level is over and you must return to The Search.

Identical symbols on the middle row

During The Encounter, the symbols on the middle row of the first, second and third reel will be identical.

How do I proceed to Third Level: The Hive?

If you manage to fill your entire activity gauge (10 steps) during The Encounter, you will proceed to The Hive.

3.) The Hive

The Hive is the third and final level of this game. You have found the nest of the Alien Queen and your task is to vanquish her. The more damege you cause, the higher the payout. The biggest payout (240x) is of course for killing her.

You can always keep an eye on the health of the Alien Queen by checking her health gauge. It is a four-step gauge, and if it goes down to zero, she dies.

Equipment

Examples of equipment and tools during The Hive level:

  • Smartgun
  • Ammunition counter
  • Power wheel for granades
  • Multiplyer for granades

Playing

During The Hive, the reels moves differently than what we are used to – they spin from left to right. First, the wheel that determines the strenght of your granade will stop. Then, the reel that determines the size of the granade multiplyer will stop. Highest possible multiplyer is 10x.

When this level starts, you will have four ammunition magazines (5 re-spins) and the health gauge of the Alien Queen will be full. You will then throw granades at the queen and use your Smartgun to protect yourself.

If you run out of ammunition, you must return all the way back to The Search.

Compared to The Encounter, I find The Hive less spooky. There isn’t really any sense of anticipation; it is just straight up fighting.