Out at midnight: Area 777 is a slot machine with a side order of alien invasion

Area 777 is described by creator Adult Swim as part tower defence and part slot machine. Which isn't quite right.

From the time I've spent with it, it seems to be all slot machine.

And what's more concerning is that by slapping Adult Swim's (and to a lesser extent Cartoon Network's) label on it, it seems to be aimed at teenagers or maybe younger.

The idea is to hit the 'Spin' button in order to send the 3x3 grid of reels spinning. If you match three symbols you earn some coin. And, just like real slot machines, it's all based upon luck.

The tower defence part comes in as the casino this is taking place inside has become host to an alien invasion.

So, occasionally, aliens hop across the reels to attack Chazz the magician. You must stop them by matching three symbols on the row the aliens are travelling across.

But, as said, there's no strategy here as it's all based on luck. The only whiff of strategy there is comes in the form of a 'Wild' chip.

You can place these chips anywhere on the reels and it will match up with any symbols to create a row of three. So, if you have two matching symbols in a row, the Wild chip becomes the third.

Once you run out of chips, you have to spend gems on them, and when you run out of gems you need to buy those with in-game coins or real money.

Later on, other chips are added that have other effects, and it seems you can also bet the coins your earn on the outcome your spins. That 3x3 grid also gets bigger, giving the gamble a higher risk by having four or more symbols to match.

All of this is a way of saying that Area 777 seems to be a teen-friendly version of gambling. There's little strategy to be found here, and it's the kind of game that seems to be making a dive for the contents of your wallet.

You can see for yourself by downloading Area 777 for free on the App Store at midnight.