Agent Jane Blonde Max Volume

Agent Jane Blonde Max Volume: Slot Overview

You might think in the woke era we are allegedly ploughing into with brakes removed that a character like Agent Jane Blonde might have been quietly phased out. Then again, perhaps the golden-haired secret agent has become a sort of role model, inspiring players to stand up to the shadowy forces trying to take control of the world. Maybe it's simply a case of not being able to keep a good spy down. Whatever the explanation is, Agent Jane Blonde has returned, again, in a slot from Microgaming partner Stormcraft titled Agent Jane Blonde Max Volume.

At first, you might be a little unsure which slot has popped up on screen since Max Volume has a very similar look to the previous one, Agent Jane Returns. One difference is the blurred city background in this game has a predominantly purple hue, compared to the previous one's cooler blue tones. Perhaps the colour shift alludes to a moving from night-time to sunrise symbology, like the series has passed through a dark night of the soul moment and emerged out the other side, stronger than ever. As to 'Max Volume', Jane doesn't explain what this means, but the music is pretty cool if you're into the Retro/Synth wave thing. However, like the visuals, the soundtrack is basically the same one as before, too.

Fortunately, the math model and features have been updated, even if the audio-visuals are largely the same. Volatility has moved from a low to a medium setting, and players have further influence over this when they choose which free spins bonus round they would prefer. Roughly one in three spins results in a win, while the overall default return value is 96%. Players who have bought into the Max Volume concept, whatever it may be, can play this Agent Jane game on any device, selecting bets from 25 p/c to $/€25 per spin.

Landing three or more matching symbols left to right from the first reel triggers a payout, and there are eight regular paying symbols on the table. Four are low pay card suits; the remaining four are high pay gadgets, cocktails, necklaces, and cars – premiums are worth 3.2 to 6 times the stake for a five-symbol winning way. The logo is wild, appearing on reels 2-5 to replace any paying symbol. Wilds can also be stacked on reel 3.

Agent Jane Blonde Max Volume: Slot Features

The features in Agent Jane Blonde Max Volume are a mix of Microgaming familiars such as Rolling Reels, free spins with a multiplier trail, and three jackpots.

Rolling Reels

Rolling Reels triggers on every ways win. It removes winning symbols from the game grid, making way for the remaining symbols to roll in. If this creates a new win, the feature will continue until wins no longer appear.

Free Spins

Landing at least 1 scatter on all 5 reels triggers the free spins selection sequence. There are three choices here:

• 15 free spins with an initial x1 multiplier which rises by +1 with each spin.
• 10 free spins with an initial x2 multiplier which rises by +2 with each spin.
• 5 free spins with an initial x5 multiplier which rises by +5 with each spin.

Free spins are retriggered if the Jane scatter symbol lands on all five reels, however, the multiplier is capped at x100.

Jackpots

The jackpot feature has a chance to trigger when at least 5 scatters appear anywhere on the screen. When it activates, one of three jackpots will be awarded - Gold, Silver, or Bronze, worth 100x, 25x, or 5x the bet, respectively. If won during free spins, the jackpot is increased by the current free spins multiplier.

Agent Jane Blonde Max Volume: Slot Verdict

This slot and the previous Agent Jane game might look and sound the same, but there the similarities end. Agent Jane Blonde Returns was a classic case of all-flash, little substance, whereas Max Volume has at least dialled up some substance. The question remains - what's up with 'Max Volume'? A playthrough provided no further illumination, so by the end of our test sessions the title still didn't make sense. Also, Jane continues to feel slightly miscast. She looks like she'd kill it in a corporate environment, yet there are questions as to whether she's too conspicuous to be a secret agent.

But hey, let's not judgmentally cast aspersions on Jane's fieldwork; agents no doubt come in all shapes and sizes. Despite possible plot holes, Agent Blonde Max Volume is a lot better than JB Returns was. One of the most striking differences is max win, which has increased from the sad 300x of JB Returns to the 10,000x available in Max Volume. Another improvement is the fact players get a full-blown bonus round this time. Even better, you can pick the bonus game with the risk/reward ratio which suits your temperament best.

Another nice touch is the way the multiplier grows the jackpots in free spins to juicier levels than their starting values. It must be said none of the features here is particularly new. Max Volume feels like it might be a clone, yet there are so many similar games it's hard to pinpoint the one. Anyway, the features we get in Max Volume are an improvement on the weak respins thing the previous one had.

So yes, Max Volume is better, but it would have been an extraordinary feat of design fudge uppery to make it worse than Agent Jane Blonde Returns. It's still not the greatest game since it looks so much like the last one, and the extra bits have been borrowed from elsewhere. Still, Max Volume functions okay, and the potential is decent, so for a bit of spy-themed gaming with the sort of features that have stood the test of time, why not.