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The making of Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx

By William - 1 November 2019

Microgaming is set to announce the return of Jungle Jim in his second epic quest for lost treasure. Developed exclusively by Stormcraft Studios, the independent studio behind successful Microgaming titles such as Fortunium, Agent Jane Blonde Returns and Dragon Shard, the latest Jungle Jim slot is set to return on 6 November 2019. Ahead of the iconic character’s next outing, Stormcraft Studio’s Executive Producer, Terence Igesund, details the backstory of Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx, including its inspiration and creative direction, and what operators and players can expect from the sequel.

Jungle Jim is back and ready for his next adventure! What can you tell us about the inspiration and creative direction behind the game and the Jungle Jim brand?

Would you believe that I invented Jungle Jim as a character all the way back in 2005! He looked very different back then. Ten years later, we decided to dust him off and give him a makeover for Jungle Jim – El Dorado. We wanted to create a charming, fun and adventurous character that Microgaming operators could connect with and that players would find entertaining. We knew how Jim was going to behave before we knew what he was going to look like. Inventing his back story and personality helped to define his physical appearance and personal style. Being prone to the occasional selfie meant that he definitely needed an Instagram account where he could share pics of his adventures with his fans!

It is clear that a lot of careful thought, consideration and attention to detail went into the creation of this game and its storyline. What can you tell us about this process?

Craftsmanship and entertainment are at the core of everything we do at Stormcraft Studios. Regardless of whether the game is modelled in 3D or has a flat vector style, every visual detail and dynamic is carefully considered. With decades of collective industry experience behind us, we understand the importance of sometimes taking things out, instead of adding more into a game.

Based on the success and popularity of El Dorado, we knew that Jungle Jim had strong brand potential, so we began working on an intriguing story arc and narrative for him that will play out over a series of games in the future. Jim will narrate his own story through a number of video interviews which will be shared online and on his social media accounts.

Did you experience any specific challenges during the making of Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx, and if so, how did you overcome them?

Creating a sequel to a popular game is very challenging, as expectations from the marketplace as well as our stakeholders need to be considered. We set out to take all the fun and excitement from the popular original game, elevating it with even more rewarding features, engaging visuals and an enhanced user experience. We set very high standards for ourselves from the beginning, which was in itself a challenge! We regularly found ourselves back at the drawing board to ensure the games engine, mathematics and design dynamics were in line with what we had envisioned for the sequel. Despite the challenges, our focus was on delivering the next instalment of a highly successful slot series to Microgaming, and I’m very proud of the team’s professionalism and determination in getting behind the vision for the game.

What can fans of the original and new players expect from the game? What core mechanics and features set this game apart? What was the thinking behind this and how did you build them into the game?

One thing that we chose to do differently was not to have Jim persistently on screen like we did in the first game. In this version he is positioned off screen but regularly appears to celebrate wins and participate in the launching of the game’s features.

The base game starts off as a 5×4 reel grid with 35 paylines and a multiplier trail. When a player achieves three consecutive wins, the game instance upgrades to a 5×5 configuration and unlocks an additional 15 lines, turning it into a 50 line experience! Microgaming’s popular Rolling Reels™ mechanic returns for the sequel, with the multiplier trail of up to 10x visible above the reels.

What really sets this game apart is the innovative way in which the Win Booster works. Boosting the game not only increases the RTP, but it also significantly improves the frequency of the free spins being triggered. The 12 free spins are played out across a 5×5 50-line configuration with the multiplier trail increased to 20x.

Another innovative addition to this game is the collectable Golden Sphinx symbol. Every time it lands on the reels it permanently removes the lowest multiplier value in the trail, helping players get closer to that 20x multiplier. There is huge win potential in the game, with wins of up to 6,300x the player’s bet available.

Stormcraft Studios encompasses a multi-talented team of slot enthusiasts, including artists and musicians, developers and statisticians. Can you tell us a little bit more about your team’s involvement in creating this game?

There’s a wealth of talent and industry experience in Stormcraft Studios, from concept artists and animators to senior developers and quality-assurance experts. Over and above that, the team has incredible drive and determination to develop and deliver legendary gaming experiences to the industry.

With this being a character-driven game, many late nights were spent meticulously crafting Jim into being. The 3D model was engineered from scratch in order to give him much more movement potential and personality. Special attention was given to the rigging of his face so that he could lip sync to the voiceover narrative that we had recorded in collaboration with a talented English actor. We had a lot of fun acting out all of Jim’s movements for our 3D animators to use as reference in the creation of the in-game animatics as well as marketing materials.

The musical score was composed to combine authentic Middle Eastern instruments and ethnic percussive beats to capture the adventurous nature of the brand. The symbols explode with a satisfying pop and new symbols drop in with weighty thuds, adding so much gravity and enjoyment to the gaming experience.

What other adventures are on the horizon for Jungle Jim?

Well, I think Jim said it best during his Q&A session with online fans… “Egypt is just the beginning and the tip of the iceberg from what I’m told. There are many more puzzles that need solving and secrets that need finding.