Wild Wishes Slot Review

Aladdin is the first word that springs to mind upon glimpsing Ash Gaming’s Wild Wishes, and there’s no disputing that the game has an Arabian vibe to it. The inspiration for this game, which features lamps, jewels and a hook-nosed protagonist, is in fact One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales known in English as Arabian Nights.

Think of a Middle Eastern or Arabian trope and the odds are you’ll find it in this game. Slots are a beacon for cultural stereotypes and instantly recognisable symbols, and Wild Wishes certainly has its share of those.

1,001 Reasons to Play

An ancient Middle Eastern city forms the backdrop for Wild Wishes complete with dusty streets and red sandstone walls. From rug sellers to snake charmers, this game is rich in Eastern imagery including five genie’s lamps which sit above the reels. In terms of graphics, Wild Wishes certainly isn’t the strongest game Ash Gaming have ever put their name to; the playing controls in particular look cheap and nasty, complete with an unconvincing shimmer effect and garish purple and gold colours.

There are 15 paylines to this 5-reel slot, with a line bet that can be set between 0.15 and 90, making for a maximum bet of 1,350 per spin. Options at your disposal include the ability to enable or disable the feature game; turn it on and the first of the five lamps will be lit up in gold. There’s a turbo mode button for those in a hurry and auto play which can be set at up to 99 spins.

Light a Lamp

Game symbols include a boy, girl and evil looking figure clasping a crystal ball-topped staff. There are also gemstones which form the game’s low value symbols and a pair of scimitars and a cobra rising from a stone pot. The most valuable of these symbols is the boy, who’s pictured clasping an apple and is worth 750 for five. Wild appears as a blue pot-bellied genie and can appear on reels 2-4 as a stacked wild.

If you’re wondering where the lamps above the reels come into play, they’re used to award free spins. If you win any amount during a free spin, another lamp will light up and the sequence will keep going, granting up to five consecutive wins. If you make it that far, you’ll be awarded 10, 15, 20, 30 or even 50 free games. To activate free games, you’ll need to light up four or more lamps.

Careful What You Wish For

Ash Games have neatly integrated the free spins generated by the lamps with the game’s wild symbols. While collecting free games spins, a cloud of magic smoke will be released from one of the lamps and will cloud the reels. If the smoke covers a wild symbol, it will turn every symbol in the cloud wild. It’s a neat feature that goes some way towards atoning for Wild Wishes’ lack of rich visual imagery.

Despite the fact that Wild Wishes is an unexceptional looking game, it feels like one blessed with a generous RTP. It isn’t hard to activate free spins, and every time you do, there’s every chance that they’ll snowball into a series of lit lamps, culminating in four or five lamps which usher in a windfall.

What’s Similar?

Wild Wishes is a medium variance game whose closest imitator is probably Stardust from Microgaming or Nextgen’s Wolfpack Pays. Both of these slots have free spins as an integral element, as does NYX Gaming’s Egyptian Rise.

If you’re looking for a slot on a similar theme, there are plenty of Aladdin games out there to try including Aladdin, Aladdin’s Wishes, Aladdin Hand of Midas, Aladdin’s Loot and Aladdin’s Legacy, the latter by Gamesys and arguably a better game than Wild Wishes.

Cheap, But Cheerful Enough

Wild Wishes is a reasonably enjoyable game, whose free spins feature is undoubtedly the best element. It’s a shame that Ash Gaming couldn’t apply a similar degree of creativity to the imagery deployed in this slot. The graphics look cheap and tacky, despite being festooned with jewels and golden lamps. Wild Wishes: looks lacklustre, but plays mighty nice.