Hellcatraz Slot Review
Take a trip to a pixelated version of the most famous prison in the world. The Hellcatraz online slot is a retro-style game set in San Francisco Bay, where the island of Alcatraz holds guards, prisoners, sharks, and other symbols. This is a six-reel, six-row slot where you have 46,656 ways to win.
Cascading reels unlock mystery symbols that transform into paying icons at the end. If you collect enough keys, these open up a free spins round where the transformations happen right away.
A vast maximum payout of 51,840x the stake is up for grabs when you play the Hellcatraz slot online.
Go 8-Bit on PCs and Mobiles
The blocky graphics give this game a retro charm that makes it look like a console game from the 1990s. There is no need to dial-up a connection to the Hellcatraz slot machine though, as it’s fully mobile compatible and found at some of the best online casinos.
High-value symbols include a prison guard, prisoner, and gold-toothed shark. Mid-range prizes are yours when the handcuffs and badge cross the reels, with playing card suits paying out the least. The 6x6 grid of symbol is held in place by sturdy stone walls, with the Golden Gate Bridge and towers of San Francisco forming a nice backdrop.
The Hellcatraz online slot is the work of Relax Gaming, and it joins famous slots such as Temple Tumble and Jackpot 20,000 in the range.
Choose Your Mode
You can wager between 0.20 and 20.00 per spin, winning when three or more matching symbols land on adjacent reels from the left. With an impressive 46,656 different ways to win, you would think this is a low variance game. But that’s not the case, as blocker symbols can stand in the way of winning combination.
You get to play the Hellcatraz slot online in two modes. In Lockdown mode, these blockers result in high volatility gameplay, and average returns of 96.46%. In Mixed mode, you have a very high volatility, and payouts average out at 96.30%.
Our paylines table shows you how many times your stake you win from each combination across the six reels –
Any symbols in a winning combination vanish, and a cascading reels mechanism sees symbols drop from above to fill the voids. If this creates a new combination, the cascades repeat. Completing a winning sequence is helped by the orange W, which is the wild symbol of the Hellcatraz slot machine.
Reveal the Mystery Symbols
Mystery symbols appear in each spin. These hold numbers which drop towards zero throughout any series of cascades. Once the counters reach zero, the mystery symbols transform into multiple examples of another type.
If you select Lockdown mode, all mystery symbols start with the same number. In Mixed mode, they hold different values so that you can unlock some symbols before others throughout a series of cascades.
It sounds a little complicated, but play Hellcatraz for free on this page, and you will see that it’s pretty easy to follow. Although the difference in average returns is just 0.16%, Lockdown mode pays back a tiny bit more than Mixed mode.
The Keys to Free Games
Golden keys overlay some symbols. Each awards between one and ten points, which collect in a meter to the left of the reels. Once you have 2000 points, five Super Free Games begin.
During the free spins, Mystery symbol reveal right away, with no need to wait for them to count down during a sequence of cascading reels. You can also land Golden symbols that, after two cascades, add one extra spin to the total before revealing another symbol type.
The Hellcatraz online slot has an optional ‘Buy’ feature. This gives you instant access to the free games, but it will cost you 200x your stake.
Break out Other Prison-Themed Slots
An Escape From Alcatraz is an online slot from Belatra Games where a cartoon prisoner and his pet rat make a run for it across five reels and nine paylines. In the Tunnel bonus round, you need to plan your escape route to avoid falling rocks and break out with the biggest prizes.
Lions, tigers, and monkeys are the stars of The Great Escape From City Zoo slot from Portomaso Gaming. These cute critters include a wild panda and a zebra who earns his stripes by awarding you with up to 50 free spins.
Escape to Hellcatraz
You could either love or hate the 8-bit retro graphics of the Hellcatraz slot machine. We think it looks great. The choice of Lockdown and Mixed modes is unusual, and the difference in average returns is so small that you are unlikely to notice any change.
In Mixed mode, you are more likely to see at least some symbols transform before no winning combinations appear, and the cascades come to an end. Try it out for yourself when you play at our top-rated online casinos.
