Red Hot Wild Slot Review

It’s time to take it back to the old school in Barcrest’s 3-reel classic Red Hot Wild. Prepare to nostalgia hard as you roll the reels for cherries, lemons and all the other fruits that were synonymous with a misspent youth.

Back when video slots were just slots – or fruit machines, as the cabinet versions found in pubs and arcades were known – Barcrest ruled the roost. The company have been churning out fruit-based slots for decades, and their wares could once be found in a great many pubs the lengths and breadth of the British Isles.

Times change and companies rise and fall; it would be fair to say that Barcrest are no longer the market leader they once were. They’re still more than capable of crafting a cracking slot however, even if theirs favour old-school aesthetics over new-school.

The fact that there are just 3 reels alone makes Red Hot Wild a retro slot, but in truth 3’s more than enough reels with which to rustle up some mayhem and usher in some riches. Barcrest’s fruit machines came of age in the era when all slots came with a hold button and it was common practice to crouch down in an attempt to scrutinise what symbols were next in line. Those days are gone – squinting won’t do you any favours when you’re facing a flat screen – but in every other respect, Red Hot Wild resembles the slots of yore.

Five Paylines

The game has just 5 paylines, which seems quite quaint in an era when slots can boast up to 100 paylines. The stake per line starts at 0.20 and can be adjusted using the oversized red and green arrows. In terms of the maximum bet possible, Barcrest have done something a little different, giving you the option to make Big Bets, as they’re known.

These will cost you either 20 or 30 credits in return for 5 spins, with 20 credits providing nudge wilds and 30 bet providing locked wilds. There’s not much else in terms of playing controls to be aware of; just the oversized arrows to the right of the reels that control spin and auto spin. The maximum stake per line, incidentally, is 100, which means that each spin will cost you 500.

Nice to Play

There’s not much in terms of sound effects; just a few chirps and bleeps as you’d expect of an old-school slot. It’s all perfectly inoffensive though. When the game loads (which can take some time depending on the browser you’re using) you’ll be given a choice of active wilds to choose from. Take your pick from red 7s, bells, stars, BARs and all manner of retro symbols which each has a multiplier attached; 7s are the pick of the bunch with a 10x multiplier.

If you’re playing with the settings on maximum, there’s some serious cash to be won; even lowly cherries are worth 2,500 for 3 in a row. At the top of the heap, 3 wilds – if you’ve chosen red 7s with their 10x multiplier – will fetch you a cool 250,000. Another neat feature of the game is the fact that you can change your designated wild in play. Not feeling it with the red 7s? Switch to a different wild instead that’ll hopefully bring you more luck.

Plenty to Do

There’s no feature game as such – this is a basic retro slot after all – but there’s still plenty to do and multiple ways to win. For example, if two wilds appear on the same line, they’ll be multiplied by each other, significantly boosting your cash.

In the Big Bet game, there are also stepping wilds in which the reels will step down, with any wilds that appear being awarded. The RTP for Red Hot Wild is anywhere from 94-98%, depending on the stake.

Simple, but Fun

It may be a simple game, but Red Hot Wild is a whole lot of fun to play. There’s some major cash to be won in this no-frills game, one that’s sure to appeal to players over a certain age. Barcrest certainly aren’t reinventing the wheel here, but for nostalgia alone, Red Hot Wild is hard to fault.