As for the audio and visual elements, it is a game that delivers wonderful seasonal joy. It is developed with 178 winways, producing payouts on a 5×4 playing field.
While the variance and the maximum potential are not publicly disclosed, we reckon (due to our BNC internal calculations and analysis) that this is a Low Volatility slot with 890x the total bet topmost winning promise (via a full screen of snowman symbols).
Check out Plank Gaming’s Santa Goes Wild slot first for free before placing real money deposits at any casino.
Personal Testers’ Opinion about Santa Goes Wild slot
Design-wise, the game is charming – we have no complaints or recommendations.
However, we have a host of other issues with this game:
- This game is a reskin – Plank Gaming Studio already had released the same game in 2018 – Puffer Goes Wild, where the design is ‘fishy’, but all other attributes are unmistakably identical. 99% of all players (our team is also in this category) do not appreciate clones/reskins/imitations/replications/copies etc. We continue to insist that such practices tarnish the reputation of an otherwise top developer and give grounds for painful criticism from informed disappointed parties.
- There is a lack of clarity about the technical attributes of the game
- The game is advertised with 96.29% RTP, but as it is a full reskin of the ‘Sharky and Puffer’ slot, we are inclined to believe that the real RTP is 96.12%.
- The provider doesn’t disclose the Volatility, but judging by the difference in value between the 5OAK and 4OAK of the top symbol – the snowman – we can label this as a Low Volatility slot.
- The ultimate game prospect is unworkable – The publicly announced max potential of 12500x the total bet seems unbelievable – there are no Multipliers and no Jackpots. So, we fail to understand how the game can produce such a high prize (maximum exposure) in just a single spin. We challenge you, dear reader, to calculate and think if such a high bounty is possible. Please, write to us via the comment section (at the bottom of this review).
- The number of betways seems irrational because 178 is too big a number to show all paylines separately with graphical lines. When you try to describe them (as Plank Gaming did in the game menu), they make no sense – ‘Only the connected symbols are part of the winning way.’ No wonder people don’t grasp this concept. Even worse, a lot of stacks of symbols appear every time, but they still don’t create any combo! Rather than being generous – providing a holiday atmosphere with presents, the game gives the impression of steady losses and robbing opportunities. Please Plank Gaming, make your next game with 243 winways!
- Looking at the paytable, the disbelief of this game only grows
- It is displayed in coins (which is unnecessarily confusing).
- Wilds have no value, and there are no FS, but instead, 5 (always) Re-spins.
- The paying symbols can come stacked, but their value is insignificant.
In 2021 there is simply no need for the ‘coins delusion’ to trick the players. Everyone wants to see it plain and simple: I bet 0.40 cents, and I get 5OAK snowflakes – how much is that worth? And the answer is 0.20 cents. Imagine that!
The paytable consists of only 6 paying symbols. The 3 lowest-paying symbols (candy cane, bauble, and snowflake) for 5OAK pay amounts lower than the stake! Come on now!
What other game pays 5OAK twice as little as what you wagered on that spin? This is just looting. Sorry Microgaming, sorry Plank Gaming – this paytable stinks.
All in all, Santa Goes Wild can be an option to play for fun. But all regular gamblers will be immediately put off by the list of disadvantages we have made above, plus the deficient paytable and the low payout capacity of the 178 winways scheme. As a result, we are skeptical about using this game for bankroll increase and tend to give neutral advice when it comes to playing for real money.
Bonus Features
- Wilds – The gift box with a green ribbon is the Wild factor in the game. It is a non-paying symbol that can drop only on reels 2/3/4. It substitutes for all other symbols.
- Additional Wilds & Re-spins – Reindeer and Santa are additional Wilds – also replace all other icons on the paytable. If they land simultaneously in 1 spin (Reindeer only can appear on the 1st reel, Santa – only on the 5th), they initiate the Re-spins action. Santa will start moving left 1 reel at a time, and within 5 spins, will evade the grid. If during Santa’s walking, Reindeer drops again on reel 1, Santa will expand to a Mega symbol of 2×2/3×3/4×4.
Settings
- Provider – Plank Gaming (Microgaming)
- Winways – 178
- Volatility – Low
- The default range of bets – 0.20 to 20 CAD
- Playing field – 5х4
- The maximum winning is – 890x the total bet
- Bonuses – Wilds, Expanding Wilds, and Re-spins
- Free Spins – No
- RTP – 96.12%
