The reels in the Cats slot machine are framed in ornate gold and set in front of a sunset scene on the African plains. Burnt orange, yellow and gold colours are used to create an atmosphere of exotic heat. It’s a simple backdrop that does not use too much detail, but it works well to set the scene and immerse the player in the action. You bet totals and an I tab are lined up along the base of the reels so you can keep track easily, as well as access the Cats slot pay table and other information.
The music and sound effects have a bright and fresh feel, but also a little bit jarring at times. They sound very much like the kind of effects and music that you would find in a cabinet based game from a couple of decades ago. If you enjoy retro-themed games you will probably quite enjoy it. We would expect most players to use the mute button after a while, though. The reels make a satisfying clicking sound as the symbols fall into place, which we thought added a touch of class to things.
You Can Almost Hear the Symbols Roar
The lower value symbols on the reels are the letters J, Q, K and A, and are nothing remarkable. The higher value symbols are some pretty detailed renderings of big cats. You’ll see a leopard, a black panther, what looks like a North American mountain lion, and the king of beasts himself, the mighty male African lion. There is also a tiger, so there is no geographical limitation to where the big cats in the game originate. The symbols look good without being outstanding, but are pretty detailed in fairly simple way. They all match the Cats slot theme perfectly.
Some of the animals appear twice on some symbols, and we’ll take a closer look at why this happens in the next section of this review. You need to look out for the paw print scatter symbol, which triggers the feature, and the game logo, which is the wild symbol. This can substitute for all other symbols apart from the paw print scatter. The scatter can also appear as a double symbol, just like the big cats. It’s important to note that 4 of the scatter symbol on the payline will trigger a win but not the free spins feature. You can find out how many scatters you need to do that in the next section of this review.