Do Not Be Scared of the Zombie Queen
Zombie Queen is an online pokie by the publishing house Kalamba Games that is packed with features. The game has been available in online casinos for a few months now, and remains popular.
Kalamba Games consider Zombie Queen a horror-themed machine, but it is anything but scary. That is until you look at the house edge for the smallest bets, which is quite horrifying.
Zombie Queen Fundamentals
The Zombie Queen poker machine plays out on a 6×4 layout, which makes for a welcome change from the norm. There are 50 paylines to keep those wins coming, although the majority of wins on the base game are small. More on that later.
You find a wide range of bet sizes from $0.30 all the way to $180. The bet amounts differ drastically depending on the HyperBet value you set. Again, more on that in the next section.
Kalamba Games states the volatility of Zombie Queen is eight out of 10. It lays claim to an RTP of 97.70%, but that only tell part of the story.
RTP for Bet Level 1 is a mere 93.9% to 94.73% which is scarier than the machine itself. It is only when you chose to purchase the bonus does the RTP increase to 96.67%.
What Are The Zombie Queen Symbols?
We have to admit that we were expecting a much more frightening experience with Zombie Queen. Kalamba Games missed an opportunity to create some scary zombie-related symbols. Instead, they went with a Skull bonus scatter on the main board, and some goo related to the bonus round.
The table below shows what each symbol pays on Bet Level 1 using $1.50 per spin.
| Symbol | Match 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 through Aces | $0.04 | $0.10 | $0.20 | $0.30 |
| Blue and Green | $0.10 | $0.24 | $0.40 | $0.60 |
| Red and Yellow | $0.20 | $0.30 | $0.40 | $0.60 |
| Wilds | $0.40 | $0.90 | $2.00 | $20.00 |
| Bonus scatter | $3.00 | $15.00 | $30.00 | $60.00 |
What Are This Machine’s Features?
Zombie Queen relies heavily on the HyperBet feature, which is unique to Kalamba Games. HyperBet gives players the choice of four bet levels, each with better rewards and RTP. However, each level costs more and more money per spin.
| HyperBet Level | Wild Multiplier | Free Spins | RTP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1x | 5 | 93.91-94.74% |
| 2 | 2x | 7 | 94.22-95.04% |
| 3 | 3x | 8 | 96.52-97.34% |
| 4 | 5x | 9 | 96.52-97.35% |
Playing HyperBet Level 4 means you wild multipliers, which walk down the screen on each spin when they land, are always 5x. Always play the highest level your bankroll can afford if just because the RTP is better.
Landing three or more Golden Skull Bonus scatter starts the Free Spins Bonus. The number of spins you receive depends entirely on the HyperBet Level you choose. The Zombie Queen awards one extra free spin whenever an eyeball symbols lands during the free spins round.
It is possible to trigger the free spins round by filling the tube with green goo from brains that randomly appear. This is a slow process, but it does fill up eventually and awards one of four levels of spins.
- Bronze – collect 40 symbols
- Silver – collect 60 symbols
- Gold – collect 80 symbols
- Platinum – collect 125 symbols
The free spins round is where you can hit the maximum possible payout of 1,930-times your bet. More and more sticky wilds land during the free spins and can take up almost all the reels and rows. We hit a 196-times payout on our free spins round, although we were playing HyperBet Level 4.
Conclusion
Let us get something straight, Zombie Queen is a half decent pokie, but it is not a good zombie-themed pokie. Kalamba Games’ designers must have got the brief wrong because there are very few zombie-related symbols or sounds.
We are not fans of being coerced into playing for higher stakes just to improve our chances of winning. Nor are we happy about the extremely low payouts of the symbols during the base game. However, prizes soon rack up during the free spins, the walking wild multipliers are great, and big wins are possible.
Try Zombie Queen for yourself and let us know your thoughts.
