Red Hot Wild Slots
SG interactive have reinvigorated the 3-reel slot population of late. Red Hot Wild is closely related to recent existing titles such as Crown Gems High Roller, Lucky 5 Reeler & Hot Frootastic, all from the Barcrest stable. What it shares with them is the usage of modern video slots features, such as improved game mechanics and visuals, whilst still staying true to the simplicity of the classic fruity.
The fruit machine, of course, has a very specific market, and to succeed it has to have several key elements, those being a generous RTP, a wide bet range and a higher than usual amount of volatility. Can Barcrest combine the look, feel and playstyle of a modern game with those classic elements? Read on and find out if this game is red hot, or simply lukewarm.
Theme & Layout
Graphically, this is right up there with the best releases from SG, simple though it is. The animation is decent, the flaming background fits well with the theme and the audio effects are encompassing rather than irritating. True, there isn’t a host of fancy bespoke icons, they are all traditional fruit machine but, that is rather the point.
The layout is good too, a far cry from the older slots where full mobile compatibility wasn’t in the thought process at the time the game was designed. Although this is a 3-reel game unlike it’s siblings, all the games do share a built in pay-table, free to play and cash modes and auto-spin. Red Hot Wild keeps all this and the large simple buttons which make the game so playable on the smaller screen.
Features & Gameplay
Although the game has only 3 reels and 5 pay-lines, there’s plenty of action to be found. In fact, the game almost has two distinct sides. For both high and low limit players the initial game choice is the same, you decide before the start which of the games symbols will be wild. There are ten on offer with each having its own unique multiplier. Picking a high multiplier wild will increase the variance, selecting a low one will decrease it.
Given you can play per spin up to a fairly large limit, this base game has enough action it through the Red Hot Wild multiplying mechanics to keep all kinds of players entertained. It really adds some spice to the old school 3-reel format. That said, this is a Barcrest game, so the high roller, or big bet mechanic is available also.
With this you select to play either a big bet of a 10.00 credit stake or a super big bet of 20.00 credits plus, over a fixed 5 spins. In doing so, not only is the wild you selected at the beginning in play, it’s either a stepping, or locked wild, depending on the stake you went with. It’s clear that this again elevates the variance, but the RTP is so high that a single spin can pay out several times your bankroll at any moment, or, burn you badly.
Summary
This is a stealth hit, Barcrest released this game without fanfare, but it is a clever and unusual slot. The level of player choice here effectively allows you to setup the game to your desired playstyle, volatility and bankroll requirements. If you turn the heat up all the way, the pay-out potential becomes massive. Though, this does carry a corresponding increase in risk. Both smaller stakes and higher stakes players will love this slot for the fact it allows you to truly gamble, when this slot runs cold though, it will be brutal!
