Lightning Link Pokies
Lightning Link is a leading and prominent jackpot offering from Aristocrat that features cash-on-reel jackpots, credit prizes and bonuses. It has taken Australia by storm, offering a plethora of different slot themes, with each one offering its own unique experience.
Lightning Link offers various Grand jackpot options to different venues of all sizes. The only quirk to this product is that it is exclusively available in Australia, at online casinos and in locations throughout the country. Currently, 16 pokie machines form part of the Lightning Link network. Keep reading our complete guide to Lightning Link pokies to find out more about this series and the games worth checking out.
What are Lightning Link Pokies?
Lightning Link is a popular jackpot product by game developer Aristocrat Gaming that is exclusively available in Australia. There are a number of games that form part of this network, including Raging Bull, Mine Mine Mine, Dragon’s Riches, and others.
One of the most popular features of the Lighting Link pokies is the hold and spin bonus. This feature is only activated when at least six special symbols land on the reels on a single spin. When this happens, these symbols stay in place, while the remaining reels spin once again. This keeps happening until you either fill out all the positions on the reels or else, run out of spins.
Another prominent feature of the Lightning Link pokies is the progressive jackpot. There are four available jackpots, namely the Mini, Minor, Major and Grand. The Grand Jackpot is the largest, and prizes can go well into the thousands of dollars. Aristocrat Gaming is not only known for its Lightning Link slots game series, though. This studio is also known for a wide range of popular online pokies that come with various in-game bonuses and features.
Our Top Ten Lightning Link Pokies and Online Alternatives
Since there are 16 games forming part of the Lightning Link series, it is easy to find the time to try them all. Some games are better than others, either based on their theme or in-game features. We have tried and tested each and every one of these games, to bring you a detailed list of the best Lightning Links slots to try in Australia:
Raging Bull
Raging Bull is a popular pokie game based on the theme of bullfighting. The game is spread across 5 reels and 3 rows, serving up 25 fixed paylines on which wins can land. Symbols include a matador, a rose, a bull, a guide, and various card suit symbols as the lower-paying icons.
There are special symbols as well, including the wild symbol, which can replace all other symbols in a bid to create a winning combination as well as the scatter symbol, which triggers the game’s free spins bonus round. The game also comes with a hold and spin feature, which is only activated when landing six or more bull symbols. The maximum win that can be achieved in the Raging Bull pokie is $250,000. The game comes with a payout percentage (RTP) of 96.05%.
A similar pokie to Raging Bull is Buffalo Power by Playson. This game is based on the theme of the Wild West and is built across 5 reels, 3 rows and 20 paylines. While the game still comes with wild and scatter symbols, it also boasts a hold and win feature, which can land you a maximum win of $500,000. It has a slightly lower payout percentage of 95.04%.
Dragon’s Riches
Dragon’s Riches is yet another popular pokie forming part of the Lightning Link series. This online slot game is built on 5 reels and 3 rows. It comes with scalable bonus prizes, cash on reels and a hold and spin jackpot feature.
As the game’s main symbols, there is the wild symbol represented by the dragon and the scatter symbol, which is represented by the rose. During the Dragon’s Riches feature, wild multiples of x2 are added to reels 2, 3, 4 and 5. This game’s payout percentage stands at 96.31%. When it comes to the design of the game, it is intricately designed to impress and appeal, with an Oriental theme that has been expertly designed by the team at Aristocrat.
A similar online slot game is Dragon’s Fire Megaways by Red Tiger Gaming. This game is based on the theme of dragons and features special symbols such as dragons, dragon eggs and eyes, as well as card suit symbols. Since this is a Megaways game, it offers up to 117,640 ways to win and is built across a 6×7 reel setup. The game’s payout percentage stands at 95.72%, which is slightly lower than that of Dragon’s Riches.
Wild Chuco
Wild Chuco is a leading casino game found at most Aristocrat online casinos. This cowboy-themed slot features various symbols, including a horse, a cowboy, a cactus, a guitar and card suit symbols.
The game is played across 5 reels and 3 rows and comes with a payout percentage of 96.05%. Like other games in this list, it also features a wild symbol as well as a scatter symbol. Furthermore, it comes with a hold and spin feature, which can be activated when six or more bull symbols land on a single spin. There is a maximum win of $250,000, which is available to all Aussie players.
A similar slot game is the epic Dead or Alive 2 by Swedish game developer NetEnt. While it still boasts a 5×3 reel setup, this game only comes with 9 paylines. The maximum win that can be achieved in this game is a whopping 111,111x your bet. It also comes with a slightly higher RTP of 96.82%.
Tiki Fire
Tiki Fire is one of the more popular slot machines forming part of the Lightning Link network. This online play pokie is based on the theme of Polynesian culture and features symbols such as a tiki mask, a guitar, a drum and a pearl. It is built on a 5×3 reel setup and comes with a payout percentage of 96.05%.
In terms of in-game aspects, you can access the cash on reels feature, wilds, scatters and a hold and spin feature. The maximum win that can be achieved in this game is $250,000.
A similar themed online pokie is Tiki Vikings by Just for the Win, which is widely available at online casinos. It comes with the same theme, and reel layout and offers 20 paylines. The main feature of this game is the Symbol Lock Repspin feature, which can be activated when hitting a winning combination. It comes with a payout percentage of 96.01%.
Heart Throb
Heart Throb is another Lightning Links online pokie that comes with a hold and spin option, cash on reels and scalable bonus prizes. Players also have the chance to scoop up an x2 multiplier on wilds when triggering the free spins bonus round.
This online slot game comes with a romance theme, with symbols including hearts, roses, diamonds and moons. The soundtrack complements the theme very well, and there is a maximum win of $250,000 up for grabs.
A similar game that you may want to check out is Queen of Hearts Deluxe by software game developer Novomatic. It still comes with wilds and scatters, but there is also a gamble feature that you can use to try and increase the value of your payouts. While it comes with a slightly lower payout percentage of 95.31%, there is a maximum win of $500,000 up for grabs at online casinos, making this a great option for anyone looking for big wins.
Sahara Gold
Sahara Gold is another Lighting Link pokie that is built across a 5-reel and 3-row setup. It comes with 50 paylines, and the game is set in the wild Sahara Desert. Enjoy imagery of camels and pyramids as you spin your way to big wins. Amongst some of the symbols available in the online slot are pyramids, dancing girls, palm trees and scorpions. Like most games in this list, this online slot comes with a maximum win of $250,000 at online casinos in Australia.
If you are interested in this game, there are many Egyptian-inspired online slot games available, including Book of Dead by Play’n GO. In Book of Dead, you can join forces with intrepid explorer Rich Wilde to unlock free spins and wins that can deliver a maximum payout of 5,000x the bet and an RTP of 96.21%.
Moon Race
Moon Race is a Lightning Link slot that comes with a space theme. This casino game is built on 5 reels, 3 rows and 50 paylines. The game’s design and theme have been inspired by space exploration, so expect symbols to include spaceships, astronauts and planets. When it comes to special symbols, this casino game comes with a moon symbol, which acts as the game’s wild and a special scatter symbol, which activates the game’s many bonus features. The game’s maximum win is also capped at $250,000.
If you are after space-themed online slot games, you are spoilt for choice. A popular option is the online slot game Starburst by NetEnt. This game is similarly set on a 5×3 reel setup and comes with 10 active paylines. This game’s main special symbol is the Starburst symbol, which acts as the game’s wild. Another popular symbol is the bar symbol, which triggers the game’s main bonus feature. Starburst is one of the most popular slot games in the world, and it comes with a payout percentage of 96.09%.
Happy Lantern
Happy Lantern is an Asian-themed online game from Aristocrat. Once again, it joins a long list of Aristocrat games that form part of the Lightning Link game series. Like other pokie games in this series, it is set across 5 reels, 3 rows and 50 paylines.
In terms of symbols, you can expect Asian culture-themed icons, including gold coins, lanterns and dragons. The emperor symbol acts as the game’s wild symbol, while landing 6 or more golden palace symbols on a single spin triggers the hold and spin feature.
A similar Asian-themed online pokie is 88 Fortunes by SG Gaming. This game is also built on a 5×3 reel setup but comes with 243 paylines. It comes with a maximum win of $250,000 and an RTP of 96%. There are many Asian-themed pokies available on the market, so finding an online pokie with this theme is a breeze.
Fire Idol
Fire Idol is a leading online pokie forming part of the Lighting Link jackpots series. It is spread across 5 reels, 3 rows and 50 paylines. Like other games in this series, it is inspired by Polynesian culture and features symbols such as drums, fire idols and tiki torches. The main special symbol in this game is the Fire Idol symbol, which acts as the game’s wild and offers the chance to win some of the jackpots on offer. Similarly, landing six or more of this symbol on a single spin triggers the hold and spin feature.
If you are looking for thrilling and vibrant online pokies of a similar nature, you should check out the online slot game Aloha! Cluster Pays by NetEnt. This game works a little differently from Fire Idol. It is spread across 6 reels and 5 rows but comes with no paylines. It is inspired by the Hawaiian culture and symbols peppering the reels, including coconuts, pineapples and seashells. One of the game’s main symbols is the substitution symbol, which is the game’s wild. Another popular symbol is the free spins symbol which activates the game’s free spins bonus round. It comes with a payout percentage of 96.42%.
Magic Totem
Magic Totem is a leading online slot game by Aristocrat, which, like most games in the saga, comes with player-selectable multi-denomination options and a hold and spin jackpot model. This game is based on the theme of indigenous cultures in North America. Unlike other games, it gives you the option to pick between 25 and 50 paylines, putting you in control of how many winning ways are in play at any given time.
Among some of the most interesting creatures available in this game, you will come across an eagle, a buffalo, a tribal chief and a colourful totem. Besides the hold and spin jackpot feature, you can also land into the free spins bonus round and benefit from expanding wilds. In the base game, the wild totem symbol can only crop up between reels 2 and 5. In the free spins bonus round, though, it can land in stacks, which can lead to explosive wins.
A similar North American wilderness-themed slot game is Wolf Gold by Pragmatic Play. it comes with a similar reel setup and 25 paylines and offers a respectable RTP of 96.01%.
Final Thoughts
If you want to play any of the Lighting Link pokies, you only need to head on down to your favourite pub or casino and sample all of the Aristocrat pokies in their full glory. Alternatively, you can sign up for an online casino and enjoy the online alternatives of these popular games.
The reason that we love these casino games is that they offer excellent in-game features and prizes, and are expertly designed with diverse themes and styles. Overall, play Lightning Link pokies today from Aristocrat to enjoy some of the most popular online casino games in Australia and win up to $250,000 as you spin the reels.