Overview
The rise of Konami to the helm of the video game development industry is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Originally founded as a repair shop, the Japanese casino software provider has made quite a name for itself in the world of online gambling. It’s well-known for offering high-quality slot games with captivating graphics, impressive storylines, and compelling themes.
With a growing list of titles that have achieved cult status, it continues to expand its presence in the online casino gambling industry, especially in Northern America and Asia. Konami Gaming certainly lives up to its tagline “Born from Fun”; it produces 100’s of highly entertaining slots games with equally rewarding bonus features. They combine distinct features, cutting-edge gameplay, and exciting animations.
History of Konami Gaming
Konami Gaming was founded in 1969 by the trio of Kagemasa Kozuki (the current Chairman & CEO), Yoshinobu Nakama, and Tatsuo Miyasako. It may not seem obvious at first, but the name Konami results from combining the first two letters of the founders’ surnames. It also happens to be the Japanese word for “small waves” or “tiny ripples.”
Konami was originally a jukebox rental and repair shop nestled right in the heart of Osaka in Japan. In 1973 it ditched jukeboxes for a much more exciting endeavor: designing arcade-style gaming machines. If you grew up in the heydays of the late 1980s and early 1990s, you probably are familiar with their flagship arcade games like Scramble and Cobra, both of which were launched in 1981.
Until 2015, when it relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, Konami called Tokyo, Japan’s largest city, home, Tokyo. They already had two US satellite offices, one in the capital of gambling, Las Vegas, Nevada, and the other in California, the home of software engineering. Indeed, Konami has been marketing computer software from as early as 1982.
Prior to switching headquarters to Las Vegas, Konami designed and marketed a few slot machine models. They also had a few home gaming consoles on the market, mostly for the Japanese market. In Nevada, the company cut a niche for itself making slot machines, as well as trading cards, arcade games, and arcade cabinets.
Konami’s entry into the casino gaming sector kicked off with its Pachinko machines in late 1992. After years of innovation, the firm made its foray into the Australian market, establishing Konami Australia in 1996. This division saw the expansion of the brand into Australian and New Zealand markets followed by the overall Asian niche market a few months later.
With a 360,000 square foot campus in Las Vegas, Konami Gaming has made huge strides and achieved major milestones, expanding further into the North American, South American, and European markets in the last two decades. Their slot and arcade games have achieved immense success both online and offline. Even though most of its advanced slot machines are still geared towards the land-based casino market, you’ll find a wide variety of scintillating online versions designed for the avid internet player. Chili-Chili, Dragon’s Law Twin Fever, and Rocky Slots continue to keep Konami Gaming on the online casino gaming map.
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Konami Gaming Casino Software Review
Konami Gaming has gained a reputation for its stunning animations, visual effects, and overall game design. The designers did a bang-up job adding a clean, contemporary look and amazing graphic updates to the classic slot machine design. Its software innovations have allowed Konami to bring out the best of its traditional Roku reels, switch up symbols, and present the player with one of the most exciting gameplays in the world of online gambling.
Konami software doesn’t have much in the way of separate bonus rounds. Instead, the folks at the gaming developer decided to enhance the conventional slot machine look. This unique approach to casino software has allowed them to integrate lucrative jackpots that can be triggered during ordinary play. Thanks to this smart move, players are likely to come across all sorts of mini and mega jackpots, including community-shared progressive jackpots, stand-alone jackpots, and intra-casino jackpots.
In recent years, Konami has made a full turn-around, offering players skill-centered slot games with upped payouts and lower house edges. Despite this, most of the provider’s slot games make use of random number generators (RNGs), with an arcade-style appeal to them. As such, their gameplay and payout tables are instantly familiar.
Moreover, Konami Gaming boasts some of the most exciting and unique features, such as Action Stacked Symbols, the Balance of Fortune (which gives players the chance to choose how their bonus rounds will payout), and the Mirror Reels Bonus feature that adds some pace and a new twist to the idea of free spins. Like other mid-tier software providers, Konami has chosen to focus almost exclusively on slot games, and don’t have much in the way of table games, video poker, or other game offerings.
Some of its popular titles include Africa Diamond series, Action Staked Sevens, Rocky Slots, China Shores, Ancient Dragon, and Danger Inc. they are all kitted out with user-friendly gameplay features, excellent animations, and great sound effects paired with striking 3D graphics. You’ll find these slots available in leading-edge online casinos like Golden Nugget Casino NJ, SugarHouse Casino NJ, PlayUK Casino, and Spins Royale.
Konami Gaming software is versatile and agile, allowing players to enjoy their fantastic titles on mobile, desktop, and tablets. They don’t have to download any Adobe Flash plugin or desktop client.
Unique Features
Aside from incorporating stunning graphics, Konami Gaming has worked some of the most enticing features into its slot games and software. Perhaps the most notable feature is what’s called Konami Code, a set of cheat codes released by the developer for its classic games.
The first cheat code to be released by Konami was Gradius that helped Nintendo gamers circumvent the system and find easy ways to win or reach bonus rounds. The next one was meant for the popular game Contra. Players would push a given set of console buttons when the game was paused. The player then got some help walking around difficult levels, thereby enjoying more pleasant gaming experience.
In the online slot realm, Konami Gaming has integrated awesome features like the Balance of Fortune along with bonus features, multipliers, and classic free spins. This system provides winning players with the option of choosing how their bonus game will play out. You can either choose a riskier route in a bid to garner a bigger win or go down the easy road for a smaller payout. It’s all up to you.
Stacked scatters or wild symbols are not new in the video slot realm, but Konami has gone a step further with an action-stacked symbol system. This is a feature you will almost certainly come across when playing Konami Gaming slots. It gives you an opportunity to choose a specific symbol that acts as a stacked symbol for that particular spin. If you are so lucky that the said stacked symbols appear across a payline or several paylines, you will strike massive wins. These symbols can take the place of lower-value symbols, setting you up for a big win.
Another unique feature you will confront when playing Konami slots is the special Mirror Reels Bonus system. This is a mainstay feature in bonus rounds during which the two opposing reels mirror each other, one on the extreme left and the other on the extreme right. This increases the chances of getting a straight payline of 5 symbols.
Of course, some Konami slots feature progressive jackpots, mostly in addition to bonus rounds and other special features.
Konami Gaming Casino Software Pros and Cons
Pros
- A reputation that speaks for itself: Konami Gaming has been producing leading-edge video game technology and equipment since 1978.
- Wide variety of slots: Konami offers a wide variety of arcade cabinets and online slot games
- Exciting special features: Konami slots are never dull. They flaunt some of the most exhilarating and rewarding bonus features available, including Action-Stacked Symbols, Progressive Jackpots, Mirror Reels Bonus, and the Balance of the Fortune.
- The developer is already well-known for cult-favorite slot machines like Dungeons & Dragons.
Cons
- Konami Gaming offers little else outside of slot games
- Most of its efforts and innovations are focused on offline casinos
Top Konami Games
Rocky was Konami’s debut slot game adapted from the highly popular film of the same name featuring Sylvester Stallone. It was originally a penny slot. Konami Gaming has churned out some of the best slot games, with each next one better than the last. These include Solstice Gold, Karaoke Revolution, A Big Payoff, Coinopolis, Pro Evolution Soccer, Lucky Dice, Cash Inferno, Billionaires, African Treasure, Dance Dance Revolution, and Money in the Bank.
Other hot slots by Konami Gaming include Dragon’s Law Twin Fever, Chili Chili Fire, Castlevania: Labyrinth of Love, Lion Festival: Boosted Celebration, African Beat, Animals’ Gold, Celestial Moon Riches, Dragon’s Glory, Dungeons & Dragons, Eyes of Riches, and Fan-Tastic Gold. Part of the reason these slot titles are so popular is that Konami Gaming invests a great amount of resources into R&D.
If you want to strike a life-changing fortune, you might want to try out some of Konami’s most sought-after progressive jackpot slots like Pharaoh’s Wish, Pirate’s Jackpot, Boost Inferno, Beat the Field, Barrier Reef Paradise, and China Shores.