Outback Ridge Slot Review

Outback Ridge is one of the featured games in yet another new slot series from Aristocrat, leading the pack known as Sparkling Jackpots. The game is a real eye catcher and, as you’d expect from any recent release from the developer, packs in plenty to keep the action and excitement flowing. Perhaps our favourite part of the slot overall is the fact that it crams in some absolutely classic Aristocrat features and gameplay while bringing everything right up to date with some brand new additions, all of which you’ll discover in full below.

Aristocrat itself has high hopes for the game as it is one of only a handful of slot titles to be launched simultaneously across all states in their native Australia. Most games only reach a certain state or possibly two as a soft launch before being introduced around the country, but Aristocrat went all out with this launch and if you’re reading this in Australia then there is every chance that you’ll already be able to find Outback Ridge in your local club or casino. If you’re not in Australia, or simply want the convenience and higher returns of playing online, then you certainly don’t have to miss out on any of the action as this slot has received the exact same treatment as the games that came before it, with a full feature on the best online alternatives, right here at Mr Gamez. You’ll find them on the dedicated page, which we’ll also cover in much more detail at the end of the feature.

Outback Ridge Theme

Every now and then, Aristocrat comes along with a slot that makes use of an animal theme and simply blows the games that came before it out of the water with new graphics and animations. All time classics like Big Red did that before, and now Outback Ridge has done it all over again with some impressive visuals that make for a stunning atmosphere. You can almost feel the levels of detail that have gone in to all of the main symbols, most notably the highly valued tiger and bird icons. We also mentioned that the game mixes the traditional with the new, and that is best demonstrated by the fact that the often used playing card icons return triumphantly once again in their usual role of the lower paying icons on the reels.

Gameplay and Prizes

Tradition continues when it comes to the standard gameplay on Outback Ridge. While you may be overwhelmed by the various varieties of Reel Power games and hundreds of win lines on the latest releases, Outback Ridge scales things back to a simpler time when 25 win lines were more than enough to keep players ticking over. Indeed, the very same betting options and strategies that you’ll have used as far back as on the likes of Queen of the Nile will work just as well here, making this a slightly simpler yet no less lucrative slot than all of the other new releases.

With a series name like Sparkling Jackpots, you’d expect some particularly handy prizes to be on offer on this title and you definitely won’t be disappointed. Three tiers of jackpot action await players, and with one, two and five cent options available, you’ll see the dynamic prize pools increasing before your eyes as your stake increases. The best part about this is of course the fact that whether you play for small stakes or at the top end, you have an equal chance of scooping a prize that is in line with your bet. Best of all is the fact that the jackpots are won based on symbols that land in view rather than a random chance, so you know exactly what you’re aiming for!

Features and Bonuses

Jackpots aside, there is plenty more action to enjoy on this game than simply spinning the reels relentlessly. Aside from everything that you’d expect from any Aristocrat slot, such as wild cards, there is also a great bonus round that serves as a worthy substitute if you don’t find yourself with a jackpot win on your hands. Naturally, it comes around far more often than jackpot wins and even though 25 win lines is a little lower than you may be used to nowadays, it measures up well to any other Aristocrat slot. More scatters make for more spins during the bonus round, with three, four or five scatter symbols awarding ten, fifteen or 25 spins respectively. Any prizes that you win during the bonus game are subject to a random multiplier – you’re guaranteed to at least double the base value of any prize, but could just as easily be on the end of a three, five or even ten times increase!

Outback Ridge, like all of the Sparkling Jackpots slots, was designed specifically for the Australian market and released under license by Aristocrat. This adds up to it being unlikely that we’ll see it hitting online casino screens in the near future, if at all. However, that certainly hasn’t put us off creating the definitive selection of Outback Ridge alternatives, which is treatment that we bestow on all of Aristocrat’s top titles no matter where they’re targeted. Whether you enjoy the free spins, jackpots or basic gameplay of this title, you can recreate it all in the comfort of your own home on our dedicated Outback Ridge Alternatives page.