Another week has passed and a flurry of slot releases have hit the CasinoBeats inbox. Put your feet up as we guide you through a selection of what the industry has to offer, including a Day of the Dead sequel from Thunderkick, another Relax Gaming jackpot title and a fairytale-themed Slot of the Week. 

Slot of the Week

I Hate Fairytales – Swintt & ELYSIUM Studios

Swintt’s studio subsidiary ELYSIUM Studios placed its own spin on several fairytales in its latest slot I Hate Fairytales, which saw princesses offering an abundance of features to claim Slot of the Week

Featuring the Little Mermaid, Snow White and Rapunzel, I Hate Fairytales presents a 5×4 reel slot with 1,024 ways to win and a maximum win worth x33,934 the player’s bet. The slot has high volatility with an RTP worth 94.04%. 

David Mann, CEO at Swintt, commented: “As players and operators will know by now, the games in our Elysium Studios – Driven by Swintt line-up are pushing the boundaries in terms of what’s possible from an online video slot – and I Hate Fairytales is certainly no exception.

“Boasting a twisted folk story aesthetic, punk rock princesses that grant big base game rewards and an interactive Smash Bonus that adds an extra level of immersion for mobile players, the game really does have it all and we’re really excited to see how it performs at our casino partners.”

Free spins text scatters can appear on the first, third and fifth reels, if three land on the same turn then eight spins will be awarded. 

Bonus text scatters are also available on these reels, activating the ‘smash bonus’ when three appear on the same turn. 

Snow White wilds can drop into play during the Snow White feature, which is randomly activated throughout the base and bonus game modes. These wilds are 1×1 in size and will substitute for all symbols other than free spins scatters. 

Aria, the Little Mermaid, wilds can also land on the reels during the Aria feature, which is randomly activated throughout the base and bonus game modes.

These wilds fill full columns on the reels and grant free respins while they move one reel to the left until they have shifted off of the reels. 

A randomly activated Rapunsell feature can be triggered throughout both the base and bonus game modes, causing reels to randomly expand while gaining a win multiplier that will apply to any wins occurring through that reel. 

This feature increases the number of ways to win while granting free respins with each expanded reel decreasing in size by one row for every respin. These respins will continue until the board reaches its initial 5×4 size. 

Each multiplier displayed on the expanded reels will also decrease in value as the expanded reels shrink. 

During the free spins game mode, the fairytale character features are more likely to occur and can each appear on the same spin to increase the win potential. 

Featured slots 

Esqueleto Explosivo 3 – Thunderkick

The Day of the Dead was celebrated by Thunderkick as it turned its Esqueleto Explosivo series into a trilogy. The new slot has 5×5 reels with cluster-pays and a maximum win worth x7,500 the player’s wager, while using high volatility and a 94.22% RTP.

This slot uses cluster-pays, with winning combinations being formed when five-or-more identical symbols land in adjacent clusters on the reels. 

Winning combinations will cause avalanches to occur, with the winning symbols disappearing from the reels to allow new symbols to drop in from above the grid. 

Clockwork skull scatters can also land on the reels, awarding the bonus game mode when three or more appear on the same turn. Landing three, four or five scatters on the same spin will award 10, 12 or 14 free spins. 

Moreover, glasses-wearing skulls can drop into play, acting as either standard wilds or exploding wilds. These wilds can also appear after winning combinations have been formed, appearing in positions where winning combinations had occurred. 

These wilds substitute for all symbols other than scatters, and exploding wilds will explode after forming winning combinations, which makes more space on the reels for new symbols to drop into play. 

Each consecutive win that occurs will cause a win multiplier that appears below the board to increase in value, starting at x1 and increasing to x2, x4, x8, x16 or x32 if two, three, four, five or six avalanche wins occur on the same spin. 

In the free spins game mode, this multiplier can reach up to x1,024 if up to 11 avalanche wins occur on the same free spin. 

When three exploding wilds appear across different spins in the free spins game mode, one extra free spin will be awarded. This can occur up to five times in the same free spins feature. 

Mike Collins, Game Product Owner at Thunderkick, commented: “Every iteration of the Esqueleto Explosivo series has been bigger and better than the last. From x32 multipliers and x700 win potential in the original to x1,024 multipliers and x7,500 win potential in the latest release, we continually strive to optimise the player experience.

“The series is undoubtedly our most successful, and we hope that Esqueleto Explosivo 3 will resonate with fans of the first two titles, as well as attract new players to Thunderkick games on behalf of our global partners.”

Bill & Coin Dream Drop – Relax Gaming 

Relax Gaming extended its Dream Drop series by transforming Bill & Coin into a jackpot game for its latest release, presenting a 6×4 reel slot with 4,096 ways to win and a maximum win of x10,000 the player’s bet. The slot has an RTP of 96.1%.

Shelley Hannah, CPO at Relax Gaming, commented: “Bill & Coin quickly established itself as a player favourite since launching in January, so much so that we saw it as the ideal opportunity to make it available as our next Dream Drop product.

“We’re wholly confident players will enjoy this lucrative jackpot offering with its engaging gameplay and medium volatility particular highlights. The addition of five progressive Dream Drop jackpots can only strengthen the appeal of the game.”

Bonus text Bill & Coin scatter symbols are available, triggering the choice of three bonus game modes when three land on the same spin. 

Additionally, Bill & Coin ‘super bonus’ text scatters can appear, activating one enhanced version of the three bonus game modes. 

Throughout the game, cascading wins occur, causing winning symbols to disappear after providing their payout and make way for new symbols that drop in and increase the win potential. 

Each cascading win that occurs will also cause a ‘sure win’ multiplier feature to become active, starting at x1 with the first cascading win and increasing by a value of one with each consecutive cascading win that occurs. 

This can happen up to five times, leading to a maximum multiplier of x5, which is then applied to the total win for all consecutive cascading wins that occurred. 

One of the three bonus game modes is the ‘sure win’ game mode, which triggers five free spins in which the ‘sure win’ multiplier feature is guaranteed to occur on every spin.

The super bonus version of this game mode will cause the game to begin with eight free spins, rather than five. 

Another bonus game mode option is the ‘coin track’ game mode. This takes players to an empty 4×3 reel set that is surrounded by a coin trail. 

This coin trail begins with four coins on the left-most side of the trail that depict multiplied bet amount values, while players are given 10 spins. 

In each spin, the coins will move one step forward on the trail to edge closer to the end of the trail. 

While the coins travel across the trail, each space in the 4×3 grid can present game-enhancing symbols that can collect the coins into a prize pot, or enhance the coins that are available on the trail. 

To collect the coin values on the trail, ‘single collect’ symbols can appear, choosing one coin at random to be collected into the prize pot. ‘Triple collect’ symbols are also available, choosing three coins at random to be collected. 

Additionally, ‘collect all’ symbols will collect all coins on the trail, while single and triple collect symbols can also appear locked on the reel set for between two and four spins, performing their feature on each of these spins. 

As part of the grid sits next to the coin trail, if a ‘triple collect’ symbol lands adjacent to a coin, it will be guaranteed to collect that exact coin.

Furthermore, additional ‘single plus’ symbols can add between two and 20 to one random coin on the trail, ‘all plus’ symbols add between two and 20 bets to each coin on the trail, ‘single multiplier’ symbols can enhance one random coin with a multiplier between x2 and x20 and ‘all multiplier’ symbols can do this to all coins on the trail. 

Players can also gain extra spins when ‘re-spin’ symbols drop onto the grid, which awards one extra spin each without impacting the coins’ positions on the trail. 

If coins reach the final section of the coin trail, they will disappear and cannot be collected. 

The third and final bonus game mode that can be selected is the multiplier ladder game mode, awarding five free spins. 

During these free spins, a win multiplier will start at x1, increasing by a value of one on every subsequent spin, or whenever a cascading win occurs. The multiplier in this feature can reach up to x500. 

Relax Gaming has implemented its Dream Drop jackpot mechanic into this title, with giant Dream Drop symbols able to drop into play. Just one of these symbols is needed to trigger the jackpot game mode. 

This will cause two jackpot wheels to appear for players to spin, with jackpots awarded once the two wheels land on identical jackpot prizes. Five jackpot prizes are on offer in this feature, each offering progressive prizes from rapid to mega – which typically offers millionaire prizes. 

Roman Spins – Tom Horn Gaming 

Ancient Rome provided the backdrop for Tom Horn Gaming’s new title as the studio launched Roman Spins, a 5×4 reel slot with 40-paylines and a maximum win worth x510 the player’s stake. This title has low volatility with a 95.05% RTP.

When shield wilds land on the reels, they will stay sticky in their positions for subsequent spins, expanding downwards to fill one extra cell in its reel per spin. This ‘flux spins’ feature will repeat until the shield wild has reached the bottom row. 

Eagle wilds will award a number of free respins, depending on the number of eagle wilds that have appeared on the reels. For example, four eagle wilds appearing on the same spin will award four free respins. Each eagle stays sticky in their positions throughout these respins. 

These eagle wilds can also activate the free spins feature. Above the base game grid sits a 5×4 grid of eagle symbols. When eagles land on the main grid, their corresponding position on the eagle grid will light up. 

Once the eagle grid has become completely filled with highlighted eagles, meaning that all positions on the base game grid have contained eagles at least once, the free spins game mode will be activated. 

When the free spins game mode begins, players get the choice for either the expanding shield wilds feature or the eagle wilds respin feature to be active throughout the game mode. 

Katarina Slaninova, Head of Marketing at Tom Horn Gaming, added: “Roman Spins brings the grandeur of the Roman Empire to life on the reels. Players will love the dynamic features like flux spins and sticky wild respins, all while battling for big rewards. It’s a truly epic addition to our portfolio, blending thrilling gameplay with stunning visuals and cinematic soundtrack.”