Several articles on this site have looked at the huge number of casino games that are based on popular movies. It’s quite a substantive trend, with multi-million-dollar contracts being signed between casino games developers and movie studios to create games based on Hollywood flicks. Playtech, for instance, signed a massive deal with Warner Bros. a few years back, with the agreement ensuring that Playtech could release officially-licensed games based on the DCEU, leading to games like Wonder Woman and Justice League. In a sense, the casino is another merchandising arm for the big studios.

But while there are some great games out there, we might argue that the art of the movie-based game has been perfected with The Goonies: Never Say Die slot by Blueprint Gaming. The Goonies, of course, doesn’t need an introduction. The movie is as beloved today as it was back when it was released in 1985. The word “timeless” is bandied about a bit too often when it comes to movies, but it applies here. The Goonies has aged well, and its story and themes still resonate with kids (and adults) today.

Blueprint Gaming buoyed by success of The Goonies

Blueprint Gaming released The Goonies slot in 2018, and in the fast-changing world of online casino games, it has retained its huge popularity. It’s not the world’s most popular online slot, as that honour goes to Starburst, which you can see here at www.casino.com/uk/slots/starburst/, but it is certainly up there with the top games of the last decade. A smash hit, you might say.

So, what makes it a smash hit? You need to look beyond the attraction of the game’s subject matter. It’s important, of course, as a player will inevitably be attracted by The Goonies’  pop-culture standing compared to, say, a non-descript slot game. But that’s only enough to get players in through the proverbial door, not to keep them there. It is arguably the fact that The Goonies packs so much fun into the gameplay that has held it at the top of the casino charts.

By packing in gameplay, we mean just that. The Goonies is not the type of slot machine where you spin the reels and hope to match a few symbols on a line. There are several unique bonus features, all of which incorporate footage, characters and scenes from the movie. For example, you can play the Skeleton Organ Bonus, or another fun game in Fratelli’s Hideout, or the potentially lucrative Sloth’s Free Spins. Keeping in tandem with the movie, the main goal is to reach the top bonus level – One-Eyed Willie’s Treasure. As you might expect, this part of the game has the biggest prize potential.

Game has caught lightning in a bottle

Sometimes casino games have to have an unquantifiable element to make them popular. We mentioned Starburst above, and it – while simple to play – manages to catch the kind of lightning in a bottle to keep players interested. The Goonies has a similar quality; just feeling fun even though you can’t always put your finger on the reasons. However, we would say that players are kept on the edge of their seats due to the fact that a special bonus can be awarded at any time.

While nothing is certain in the world of casino, it’s almost a certain bet that The Goonies will remain popular for years to come. You only have to look at YouTube or Twitch, where you find many professional players streaming their casinos sessions, to see how popular the game has become. Indeed, it’s so popular that viewers of those streaming platforms demand that it be played by the account holders. It might just be the best movie-based slot ever made, and that’s high praise indeed.