This is one of several games in Aristocrat’s new Viridian RFX stepper series. Games in this series were on field trial in February, and were expected to be ready for release and sale by the end of March.

The Viridian RFX stepper was the result of an intense development effort in which, Aristocrat officials say, every aspect of the reel-spinning game style was broken down and examined, and redesigned with player comfort in mind. The platform uses five normal-sized, back-lit reels, with LCD monitors in the top box (listing the pays) and just over the reels for second-screen bonus rounds and breakout animation. Full stereo sound was added, with layered sound effects and original music recorded live.

Aristocrat plans to apply all of its game styles to the new format. “Big Ride,” carrying a beautifully executed Western bull-riding theme, is the first stepper game using the “Reel Power” pay method, in which wagers activate each reel and all wins are paid as scatters, for a total of 243 possible winning combinations on each spin.

In the base game, the wild bull symbol is wild, substituting for all but the “Red Bull” symbol, which triggers the bonus round.

Three Red Bull symbols trigger 15 free spins, with an intriguing feature added: Before the spins, several stop-watch timer symbols appear on a “challenge screen,” each with its dial pointing to a number. The player selects a timer. If the timer symbol lands on the reels in the free spins at least as many times as shown on the clock, the player is awarded a corresponding added bonus. Free games can be retriggered within the free spins, using the original challenge selection.

Manufacturer: Aristocrat Technologies

Platform: GEN7/RFX Stepper

Format: Five-reel scatter-pay slot

Denomination: .01, .02, .05, .25, .50, 1.00

Max Bet: 125, 200, 250, 500

Top Award: 96,000 times reel wager

Hit Frequency: 33.21%

Theoretical Hold: 4.99%—12.01%

By Frank Legato

Frank Legato is editor of Casino Connection and also editor of Global Gaming Business magazine. He has been writing on gaming topics since 1984, when he launched and served as editor of Casino Gaming magazine. Legato, a nationally recognized expert on slot machines, has served as editor and reporter for a variety of gaming publications, including Public Gaming, IGWB, Casino Journal, Casino Player, Strictly Slots and Atlantic City Insider. He has an B.A. in journalism and an M.A. in communications from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the author of the recently published book on gaming, How To Win Millions Playing Slot Machines... Or Lose Trying.