Many people are aware that Stockholm syndrome refers to the condition where hostages (victims) develop a bond with their captors (abusers). Not many, however, know the origins of this concept. Well, the origins date back to August 1973, when bank employees held hostage in Sweden refused to testify against their captors, choosing instead to raise money for their defense.

In August this year (2024), NoLimit City chose to remember the origins of the Stockholm Syndrome concept by designing a game aptly titled Stockholm Syndrome.

The Stockholm syndrome slot offers thrilling gaming action, which commences when players click the Spin button (or Auto Spin button). However, before spinning any of these buttons, players are recommended to adjust the game settings to suit their preferences and bankroll.

The most important settings relates to the bet options. An extensive range of options range from a minimum of 0.20 coins up to 100.00 coins. There is also the turbo mode, which players may activate for faster, hence more pulsating gaming action. Sound effects are turned off by default, but players may turn them on to enhance excitement. 

Set against a bank backdrop whose front yard is filled with police cars, we can only assume that both the captors and hostages are still inside. Players need to start their gaming session to see what will transpire afterward. As they watch the action unfold, they also stand a chance of winning handsome payouts which can rise to 28,873x the bet.

Wins emerge when players land at least three identical symbols on any of the 432 ways to win integrated into the game. A standard five-reel grid coming in a 3-4-4-4-3 format is where players must line up their symbols.

• Cascading Reels: All winning combinations once landed will necessitate the winning symbols to vacate their positions once pays are awarded. New symbols then land to fill vacant positions, making it possible to claim successive winning combinations once after the other.

• Multiplier Symbol: Any of the regular character symbols will receive a multiplier value ranging from 2x to 10x. When the symbol features in a winning combination, its multiplier value is applied to the payout.  

• Con Man Wild: The icon representing the con man wild is the scruffy man. When appearing on reel 3, it always appears as a full reel wild. On any other position, if the wild lands as a partial icon, it nudges to become a full reel wild. After the nudges, any one of the regular symbols transforms into wild. All other instances of the transformed regular symbols also land as wild.   

• xBomb Wild: Acting as the xBomb Wild is the red timer. The substituting powers of this icon enable it to substitute for all symbols except the scatter. During the cascading reels, each successful tumble where the xBomb wild is present on the reels increments the multiplier by one. After incrementing the multiplier, xBomb wilds disappear from the grid for the next spin.

• POLIS Feature: Landing the ‘P’, ‘O’, ‘L’, ‘I’, ‘S’ letters in a sequence help players trigger the feature. The first four positions occupied by the triggering symbols receive coin values ranging from 5x to 5,000x. Alternatively, the max win symbol may be placed on the positions. The last position receives a key icon, which may unlock any of the coin values or the max win.  

• SOS Feature: This feature activates when letters ‘S’, ‘O’, ‘S’ land on the grid simultaneously. In the base mode, the feature activates only on non-winning spins; in the free spins feature, it activates on any spin. When the feature starts, the middle letter transforms into an xBomb wild. 

• Piss Feature: Landing the letters ‘P’, ‘I’, ‘S’, ‘S’ in a sequence help players trigger the Piss Feature. In the base mode, the feature activates only on non-winning spins; in the free spins feature, it activates on any spin. Upon activation, all triggering symbols transform into xBomb wilds. 

• Respin: Two scatters landing on a non-winning spin help trigger this feature and award one respin. The chances of landing a third scatter during the round are enhanced. 

• Hostage Spins: This feature activates, and seven free spins are awarded when three scatters land simultaneously. Con man wilds landed increment the win multiplier while at the same time upgrading any of the regular symbols. When the con man wild lands as a full stack symbol, it unlocks one extra free spin. Moreover, each scatter landed adds another free spin. All xBomb wild multipliers persist till the end of the round. 

• Syndrome Spins: Players trigger this feature and receive eight free spins when they land four scatters simultaneously. The con man wild, whenever it lands as a partial icon, is nudged to become a full wild reel. Moreover, all character symbols on the same reel as the partial con man wild are collected. Once an associated character-meter fills up, a special syndrome feature activates. The features are as follows: 
  • Reel 3 Wild: Reel 3 is persistently wild and carries a multiplier value starting at 2x. 
  • Reel 4 Infectious xWays: A random symbol double the size of the standard icons is randomly placed on the reels and affects all other instances of the same symbol. 
  • Reel 2 and 5 xReelSplit: All symbols on reels 2 and 5 are split into two.

• Bonus Buy – Polis: Enable this mode to gain immediate access to the Polis feature by paying a stipulated feature purchase price. 

• NoLimit Booster: For 1.5x or 10x the bet, players land the scatter on reel five or the con man wild on reel 3, respectively. 

What I loved the most about the Stockholm Syndrome slot machine was the sheer high number of bonus features incorporated. This eliminates the monotony of base gameplay, as bonus features are frequently triggered.