Wild Gambler Arctic Adventure Slot Review
When you release a slot and it performs very well and has instant appeal with gamers, then the temptation is always there to release a similar slot. In some cases, a sequel slot is released and that is exactly what happened with the Wild Gambler slot. Ash Gaming’s title proved so popular with customers that it was followed by Wild Gambler Arctic Adventure which swapped the African desert heat of the original, for the icy Arctic wilderness.
The slot, playable now at Leo Vegas Casino, is set, somewhat obviously, in the Arctic and it is coloured in a mix of cool blues and whites to enhance the icy feel of the game. The reels sit in the middle of the screen and are capped with a fresh dusting of snow, which is a nice touch and there is a jaunty soundtrack that plays along as you spin the reels and unlock the various features of the game.
There are five reels and a total of 20 fixed pay lines in play and there is also an innovative feature called the Lock and Spin button. You can use this feature when you land one or more Wild symbols on the reels, however the position and number of the Wilds will determine how much that spin will cost you. The better the position of the Wilds and the greater the number of the Wilds, then the more that a spin which locks the Wilds in place will cost you.
The key strategic decision you need to make on each spin therefore is whether you want to risk paying the extra cash to lock any Wilds in place on the reels for the extra price, or whether you should just spin the reels anyway. It’s a nice addition to the game but it can prove to be an expensive option if you misuse the feature too often and pay too much for your Wild Locked spins as they are not always guaranteed to be a winner and if they do win, they may not cover the cost of your more expensive bet.
On the reels are the usual five playing card low symbols, which are the 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace and they offer payouts from 10 coins up to 150 coins. There are then four cartoon styled animals that are the higher value symbols, the penguin, the Arctic fox, the moose and the walrus. These offer payouts ranging from 70 coins up to 800 coins.
The other symbol on the slot is the White Tiger, which is the Wild symbol and can substitute for any of the high or low value symbols outlined above to create additional winning lines. Furthermore, if you can land five of the Wild Tiger symbols across a single pay line you will win a 1,000 coin prize. The Wild symbol is also the trigger for the Lock and Spin feature as we have already outlined above.
Wild Gambler Arctic Adventure Key Features
The Lock and Spin feature does have some value attached to it as any win achieved with a Lock and Spin wild comes with a multiplier which can be increased up to 5x the original amount by adding more Locked Wilds to the spin. If you have multiple Locked Wilds on the screen, you can even adjust how many you want locking or unlocking by clicking the buttons, which will also adjust the stake you need to pay. You can also see how much you could win if your spin is the best outcome by hovering the mouse over the Lock and Spin button.
You can even go through the potential patterns available of Locked Wilds and choose to lock certain patterns in place and unlock others (meaning they won’t be automatically held), which can speed up the game play while playing but does take a little time setting up initially before you play.
However, it would be wrong to assume that the Wild Gambler Arctic Adventure slot is simply about the Lock and Spin bonus. There is an additional bonus available in the game and this is the Free Spins game.
Three of the Free Spins coin scatter symbols will unlock the game, though you can trigger more free spins with more scatters landed. Three lands you 7 free spins, four lands you 12 while land all five scatters and you win 20 free spins. Best of all, on your triggering spin, any Locked Wilds you land on the reels for that spin are locked in place for the duration of the Free Spins bonus round.
As you spin through your free spins, any Wilds you land will automatically lock in place for the remaining free spins too and in this way, you can create some potentially massive wins during the bonus round.
The key to unlocking the best of what the Wild Gambler Arctic Adventure slot has to offer, as in the original game, is knowing when yo use the Lock and Spin feature most effectively. The more Wilds you unlock, the greater your potential win, but the more you pay per spin and even with lots of Wilds unlocked and even with a multiplier on some Wild wins, you won’t win as much back as you bet on some spins.
It is knowing when to cut your losses and start building another set of Wilds with a £1 spin that is the key to making the most of this game.
Editor's Review
There’s certainly a lot going on in the Wild Gambler Arctic Adventure slot and if you enjoyed the features of the first game in the series (Wild Gambler) then you will certainly enjoy the sequel. The Lock and Spin option for Wild symbols does take a little time to get to grips with, and there is a sense of jeopardy with this bet, but it offers an alternative to standard games and that is always a positive. The Free Spins bonus is decent and can be the source of some big wins when Wilds are landed on the reels too. All in all, this is a fast, fun and enjoyable slot to play.
Where can I play? | Leo Vegas Casino | |||
Number of paylines: | 20 Non-Selectable Lines | |||
Number of reels: | 5 | |||
Is autoplay available? | Yes | |||
Game manufacturer: | Ash Gaming |