Lightning Link Pokie Review

Lightning Link pokies made by Aristocrat Gaming offer large-scale pokies experiences with beautifully themed variants, tons of features, and progressive jackpots. Each version has interesting graphics, cool sounds, and features such as Hold & Spin, free spins, and jackpots. The blend of accessible gameplay and high-reward potential is why the series has become a successful industry staple.

Lightning Link Editor’s Verdict

I give Lightning Link online pokies a 4.7 out of 5 largely because it has a lot of fun gameplay mechanics and good rewards. The biggest negative I could find is the low RTP rates, just 95% on some titles.

Tried several variants such as Moon Race and High Stakes, and felt completely confident in recommending them. The blend of unique themes, combined with the thrilling Hold & Spin feature and huge jackpots, elevates the gameplay. Moreover, all of the titles have free spins bonus rounds (some give up to 20 free spins), which is a big plus.

Variants of Lightning Link Pokies

From my experience reviewing different versions of Lightning Link, all of them seem to have certain elements like paylines and grid in common, while embodying different experiences. Here are the most famous ones.

Lightning Link: Magic Pearl

This is an underwater Aussie pokie, taking you just below the deep surface, played on a 5×3 grid with either 5, 25 or 50 paylines. The game has medium volatility with an RTP of 95.93% and wagers range from 0.01 to 2 AUD, appealing to both casuals and some high-rollers. Unique symbols like seaweed, starfish, seahorses and turtles display the mysterious depth of the ocean, while the 6 free spins bonus provides endless time to play.

Lightning Link: Moon Race

A space-themed starry adventure is played on yet another 5×3, 50 payline format. With a moon-landing backdrop, you will find yourself immersed in what is the most vivid and visually appealing title in the series. Moon Race has medium to high volatility with around 95% RTP. The poker machine logo acts as a scatter and grants you 10,15, or 20 free spins. Of course, there are Hold & Spin features, which can grant you up to 3 respins

Lightning Link: Dragon’s Riches

Dragon’s Riches is an Asian themed title featuring golden dragons and golden orbs. It uses the same 5×3 grid with 50 paylines, has 96.45% RTP and medium volatility. If you like cultural themes, this version will be especially appealing with Buddha, Dragon, Pig, and bonsai symbols. It also has 4 levels of progressive jackpot options and free spins rewards.

Lightning Link: High Stakes

Bring the glamour and glitz of Las Vegas on-screen! The symbols include golden suitcases, Las Vegas chips and cars. It has a high volatility and a slightly lower RTP of 94.85%. Offers a bonus suitcase scatter that unlocks free spins for players. The Hold & Spin unlocks progressive jackpots when collecting six Casino Chip symbols.

Lightning Link: Bengal Treasures

Visit India and the Taj Mahal as you try to win Bengal Treasures. It’s beautifully themed with tigers, elephants, exotic birds and bright Indian graphics. It has a medium volatility with an RTP of around 96%. You will also notice the Bengal tiger symbols are used as wilds, and the Taj Mahal scatters unlock free spins. You also have a chance of getting progressive jackpots when you are in the Hold and Spin jackpot round.

Payout Symbols of Lightning Link

If you know the symbol lineups of online pokies Lightning Link, you can easily estimate your payouts. Below is a quick table of base symbols in Lightning Link: Magic Pearl and their payout details.

Lightning Link Paytable For Winning Combinations

The Lightning Link pokies paytable across different variants is user-friendly and very intuitive. When playing on a 5×3 grid, you match symbols on up to 50 paylines. Payouts will elevate as the rarity of the symbol ascends in any combination you land. There are special symbols, such as wilds that can substitute many symbols and scatters that trigger bonuses, that will enhance your chances of winning.

Your payout tables will also indicate jackpot triggers from Hold & Spin. In my experience, taking the time to read the paytables will let you quickly find high-value combinations, estimated jackpots especially in variants that don’t have low-payout symbols in bonus rounds (like Moon Race).

Lightning Link Bonuses Available

Since there are many titles of the game, for the sake of this review, I will only focus on talking about bonuses from one of the Lightning Link versions. I will explain all about Magic Pearl and its excess of bonus features.

Hold & Spin Bonus

If you land 6 pearl symbols, you go into the Hold & Spin round with six free spins. When the bonus symbol becomes “sticky”, you will get an additional 3 respins, but you also have the opportunity to fill the reel grid with that symbol.

If you can fill that reel grid with the same symbol, you could win one of 4 jackpots: the Mini (fixed), Minor (fixed), or the Major and Grand (both progressive). The Grand one is up to $10,000.

Free Spins Bonus

Landing three dolphin pictures triggers six free spins. In this round of play, wilds can be made into giant wild symbols.

Giant Symbol (Big Reel)

When this special Big Reel is triggered (usually by scatter or bonus), one big 3×3 icon appears. These big symbols can connect with adjacent regular symbols for some large payouts.

Expanding Wilds

In any of the base or free games of online Lightning Link pokies, wilds can expand to take up the entire reel, which obviously adds more winning routes.

Mystery Reveal

Mystery symbols can appear during the free spins round (Magic Pear), which then ‘reveal’ either standard symbols or Hold & Spin symbols. If enough Hold & Spin symbols appear following the reveal, the bonus feature could trigger.

RTP & Volatility Across Variants

Lightning Link offers a variety of RTPs and levels of volatility, which are consistent across variants:

• Magic Pearl- 95.93% RTP, medium volatility.
• Moon Race-95% RTP, medium-to-high volatility.
• Dragon’s Riches-96.45% RTP, medium volatility.
• High Stakes-94.85% RTP, high volatility
• Bengal Treasures-96% RTP, medium volatility.

Overall, you’ll find a range of medium to high risk volatility titles when you play Lightning Link online real money pokies. Expect some quick wins and occasional high-value payouts.

Mobile Functions and App Experience

The Lightning Link series is a retail exclusive; you can only find demo play online. There is also the Lightning Link app published by Aristocrat’s subsidiary called Product Madness, where you can play, but can’t win real money.

• Android: Available through Google Play as “Lightning Link Casino Slots” developed by Product Madness. Rated around 4.2 with 10 million downloads.
• iOS: Same in the App Store, the game has a rating of 4.3 with 53.5K reviews.

Bear in mind that the games featured in the app are not identical to those in this series. That said, you’ll still find other pokies by Aristocrat. In other words, it’s an authentic experience mobile players can enjoy.

Related Games Worth Your Spin

If you enjoy Lightning Link pokies free online play, here are two other similar pokies you may enjoy:

Fire Link / Dragon Link (Aristocrat)

Offers the Hold & Spin jackpots, a Chinese theme with vibrant dragons, elaborate visuals, and free spins bonus rounds. The game mechanics are similar, although it has a different feel and a more mythical, intense presentation.

Buffalo Gold (Aristocrat)

Iconic buffalo game with Hold & Spin respins and a jackpot tier. It’s more nature-themed, but you will still enjoy it very much if you like animal or Western visuals and prefer strong symbols with frequent smaller wins.

Both offer similar bonus mechanics (Hold & Spin, jackpots), and are aesthetically almost identical in quality. So you will be pleased with a similar overall experience with a slightly more novel aesthetic.

Techniques for Winning with Lightning Link

Here are some techniques that you can make use of when playing Lightning Link pokies online.

Focus on the Volatility and RTP

Magic Pearl and Dragon’s Riches (medium variance and around 96% RTP) are suitable if you would rather have many little wins. High Stakes is appropriate if you want bigger prize returns and can tolerate extended periods of play without wins.

Don’t Forget Demo Mode

Use demo mode to track the frequency of free spin triggers. I normally put in $50, cycle through the variants and keep track of how many times Hold & Spin is triggered. I leave if I have not had it trigger after 200 spins.

Track Bonus Timing

Take note of when the bonus triggered. Variants like Moon Race strip lower-value pay symbols from the screen, so betting pretty aggressively before the bonus triggers might help with winning probability.

Bet Level Strategies

A larger bet will potentially mean a larger-sized jackpot and more bonus triggers. Start with a small bet to get a feel of the machine, then significantly bump up after the bonus triggers, especially with High Stakes and Dragon’s Riches.

Understand Symbol Removal Mechanics

In Moon Race, free spins remove kings, queens, jacks and tens, so you get a better chance of five of a kind wins. If you’ve secured the bonus, you can be a little more aggressive during the free spins round to maximise the impact.

Pick a Variant Based on Jackpot

Choose your chosen variant based on the jackpots. The Grand jackpot is identical across all Lightning Link variants, but the Major jackpots may be different. If you’re going for bigger jackpots, pick game versions that have higher Major jackpots shown on the casino screen.

Final Thoughts on Lightning Link Pokies

Overall, Lightning Link pokies have an entertaining theme and polished features with exciting jackpot mechanics. Whether you are drawn to luxurious bling (High Stakes), cosmic adventure (Moon Race), exotic visuals (Bengal Treasures, Dragon’s Riches), or those mythical ocean vibes (Magic Pearl), there will be a game designed for you.

Play responsibly, and refer to our in-depth review to find your play style so you can enjoy thrilling combinations, strategy and potential for big wins too.