Slot machine

Slot Machines (パチスロ) are large machines that are part of a casino or other themed zones. When the player hops in the slot machine, he or she has the chance to gain or lose Rings, or get nothing, depending on whether they get double or triple matches of the pictures on the wheels. As they are seen in casino-themed zones, they are featured above or in the middle of a pinball table.

Even since their debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, slot machines have become a recurring gimmick in the Sonic the Hedgehog games. The rules of slot machines have usually been the same while some addictions and changes have been in different games.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Slot machines make their first appearance in the Casino Night Zone of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, where they are seen as part of the zone's colorful pinball tables. In order to activate the slot machine, the player must jump into the three parallel bars. These parallel bars are identical to ones around the zone. The player can press the A, B or C buttons to stop the wheels. If the player does not get any matching pictures, the character will fall out of the bars. The results from various combinations on the slot machines are listed below:

Sonic & Knuckles
A single slot machine appears only in the Slot Machine type of Bonus Stage in Sonic & Knuckles, which the player can access by gathering over 20 rings and passing a Star Post. This Bonus Stage functions similarly to the Special Stages of Sonic the Hedgehog, as the camera rotates while the player navigates a large arena with a colorful looking slot machine in the middle with several bumpers and jump stands set around the machine.

The slot machine has the traditional three wheels with golden arrows pointing to the middle. Instead of parallel bars, it has a glass dome the player enters to activate the slot machine. It functions the same way as it did in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but now formations are somewhat different and expanded further. Also there are now also icons with Knuckles added to the slot machine wheels. Getting rings makes the machine glow and spin around the arena faster. The results from the various combinations on the slot machine are listed below:

Sonic Adventure
Slot machines are only seen in Casinopolis in Sonic Adventure. There are smaller ones in main hall that the player cannot enter. The player can jump or do a Homing Attack on one of them, which will reward the player with 5 rings only once. There is also a traditional slot machine featured in the middle of the Sonic-themed pinball table, which the player can activate by hopping into the middle right pipe on above part of the pinball table.

The slot machine functions differently than in previous games, as while the player can get triples on the straight line, he or she can also get a diagonal match, if the player gets same pictures on wheels on that formation. Some formations can affect the pinball table as well. The player can press to make the wheels stop from left to the right. After this, the player either gets rewarded with something depending the formation or nothing. The light of the side triangles on both sides can help the player time the wheel's stopping. The results from various combinations on the slot machines are listed below:

Sonic Pocket Adventure
Slot machines in Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure are similar looking and functioning as ones from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. They are featured in Cosmic Casino Zone, where they are seen as part of the pinball tables of the zone and have similar results and rewards after playing them.

Sonic Heroes
In Sonic Heroes, there are two variations of slot machines in Casino Park and BINGO Highway along with giant slot machines seen in the background of both zones. In the game, both variations are light-green machines that can only be found in pinball table sections of both zones. Each team is able to enter by being launched with a flipper either below the hatch (where team usually comes out after playing the slot machine) or the upper hatch that is right of the machine.

The first, smaller variant only has one slot wheel on the machine, but it functions somewhat similar to the second variation depending the result on the wheel. The second variation is a more traditional three slot-wheel machine, which works like in previous games. However, this time around, the player must have a sharp eye for fast moving slots, because after pressing /, slots do not slow down but stop immediately.

If the player gets a red X on the wheel, the player gets nothing and rolls back to the pinball table. The player is also able to lose Rings by getting Eggman icons on the slot machine wheels. If the player gets triple Sonic, Tails, Knuckles or Ring icons, the player wins 200 Rings. The player is able to win more Rings if all team members are on the same slot machine and get triples. The player can win 600 Rings.

Shadow the Hedgehog
One of the bosses in Shadow the Hedgehog called Egg Dealer is a large four foot tall robotic vehicle created by Doctor Eggman. Egg Dealer has a slot machine-like mechanism. All of its attacks are determined by the results on the wheel, which the player can take advantage of and use against the machine.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
Slot machines appear in Casino Street Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I. They are only seen in the first act and also in the second act in the mobile phone versions of the game. Similar to ones from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, slot machines are part of the pinball arena of the zone and are activated by entering parallel bars below or above the slot machine. All the results are also identical to Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with the exception of replacing Tails icons with ones of Ring.

Sonic Colors
In Sonic Colors, slot machines are gimmicks that appear only in the Sonic Simulator. In order to activate it, the player must Homing Attack or Spin Jump into the lever on the left. If three identical slots appear when they stop spinning, the machine "dances", and the player receives that item.

Sonic Generations
Slot machines have made appearances in both the console and Nintendo 3DS versions of Sonic Generations, featured in Casino Night. Slot machines in the Nintendo 3DS version are similar to ones in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The slot machines in the classic act are placed in the exact same locations as they were in the original Casino Night Zone of Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Slot machines in the console versions are part of the Casino Night pinball table. The player has to proceed to higher levels of thepinball table in order to play with the slot machines.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, slot machines appear on the loading screen before each race. If the player has at least five All-Star coins, he or she is able to spin the slot machine. Should the three slots match, a new item is obtained. The player can win an item at the start of every lap or start with an item at the start of the race. If the pictures do not match, the player does not earn anything, and can spin once more if he or she has the required number of coins.

Sonic Lost World
In the upcoming Sonic Lost World, slot machine wheels appear to be rolling around the casino act of Frozen Factory.