Based in Malta and in operation since 2012, Habanero are a small to medium sized software developer with a lot of skin in the game.
They are understated in their approach but their games are expertly crafted and extremely high quality, which is probably why they have managed to win a stack load of awards in their time.
You might well call Habanero a complete software developer, because they offer more than just slot games to players, and are more than just a bog standard game supplier to their B2B clients.
They have positioned themselves in such a way that they have clout as a brand and with a large game portfolio too, but have not grown so big that they lose their ability to stay nimble and agile, giving clients and customers a best of both worlds service.
Games by Habarno
Habarno are a multi genre game developer, so as well as slots – which do make up the bulk of their portfolio – they also have a healthy number of table games and video poker on offer.
Let’s cover them one category at a time, with a little more time given to slots since they are the company’s bread and butter.
Online Slots
If there was one word to describe the slots that Habanero develop, it would be detailed – and that goes for their appearance as well as the gameplay.
With over 150 slots to their name the company have plenty to choose from and an awful lot of variety in terms of game theme and game features, but what they all have in common is attention to detail.
Looking at appearances first, Habanero’s slots put every inch of the screen to good use, not just what is happening on the reels themselves.
The backgrounds are intricate and do more than just support the visuals of the game, they are often part of it.
The symbols are thoughtfully created, no generic paint jobs here, and wins are highlighted with maturity rather than having the screen go crazy for a return that is less than your initial stake. Other developers should take note.
In short, they look great, and every time you play the games you notice something in the artwork that you didn’t see before.
They don’t really shout about their unique game features, but you might notice things like splitting symbols which can turn a winning payline into two or four winning paylines – something other developers have tried to claim as their own simply by giving it a trademarked name.
Another interesting one is sort of a cross between a walking symbol and a sticky symbol, but it never leaves the reels.
For example, in Naughty Wukong, a high paying Naughty Wukong symbol moves around the board on each spin to help create paylines. He will always be on the board somewhere, you just don’t know where he will end up from one spin to the next.
These unique little extras, added to the standard wilds, freespins, bonus rounds etc., as well as the way the games have been designed to pay out, make them eminently entertaining.
The studio are also not afraid to tackle themes and game styles at completely opposite ends of the spectrum which is great to see, and makes them one of the most well rounded slot developers in the industry.
Table Games
There’s a definite style to Habanero’s table game selection. They are all set in what seems to be quite a plush casino establishment, perhaps a quiet private members club, and with moody lighting.
They have blackjack, roulette, sic bo, dragon tiger, war, baccarat, Caribbean stud, hold’em, and a coupe=le of variations on some of these too.
It’s a brilliant selection actually, and what’s great about all of the games in this category, is that they all play fairly quickly.
The player can take as much time as they like to make their decisions of course, but the games don’t drag out the process of dealing the cards, spinning the roulette wheel, or rolling the dice, etc.
This means players can play at their own pace without being slowed down by ill thought out game programming.
Video Poker
An often ignored game category these days, so it’s good to see a youngish developer giving video poker some love.
It’s fair to say these games are the most underdeveloped of all Habanero’s portfolio, but that’s usually the case with video poker and arguably part of the appeal for a lot of players.
Similarly to to table games, once the player hits ‘draw’ the game doesn’t hang about, giving you your results nice and quickly so that you can get on with things, and usefully highlighting wins on the pay table.
The great thing about these games is that you can choose to play 1 hand, 50, hands, or 100 hands at a time, and the bet stake is then split evenly across all hands, so it’s possible to cover a lot of ground without spending any extra.
You can also set the games to auto hold so you are always playing optimally.
So while the games might not be much to look at, they are very user friendly.
About the Company
With their games and their RNG certified in 22 different countries, including the UK, it’s fair to call Habanero a brand with global reach, despite not being a ginormous company.
They have achieved this thanks to partnerships with the likes of Aspire Global, SoftGamings, EveryMatrix, and around 20 other platform providers who all tout Habanero’s wares to their casino operators.
Hundreds of them choose Habanero too, and not just because of the quality of their games.
Their powerful back office is incredibly user friendly, with versatile game configuration, unified reporting for all currencies, plus player, jackpot, and bonus management tools.
Game integration is super simple thanks to their API, offering transfer or a seamless wallet approach to controlling the flow of money, giving their clients options.
This goes for the games themselves too, which can be toggled to different RTP levels to fit the casino operator’s needs, not to mention configurable jackpots and bet settings for each game.
In short, they have made everything as clear and simple as possible for their clients, and can react lightning fast to any issues, which means 5 star customer service on top.