Wild Run Slot Review

Who fancies a safari? Roaming the open plains; gathering at the waterhole at nightfall as the creatures congregate to drink. NextGen are certainly up for a safari and they invite you to join them for the mother of all adventures, one set in deepest, darkest Africa. Only, it ain’t so dark here after all thanks to the grasslands where the action takes place.

Wild Run is a light and airy slot, one that almost inspires you to get outside and see the world – or at least that part of it that lies between you and the corner shop. But first, there’s a game to be played. Wild Run is a 243 ways slot that gives you, that’s right, 243 ways to win – or 243 ways to lose if you’re a pessimist. But that ain’t gonna happen. You’re a born winner and this jackpot has your name on.

Wild About Slots

NextGen slots tend to kick ass, or at the very least to look the business, and Wild Run is no slouch. There’s a lot to look at in this game and most of it is good. Not omitting the soundtrack either, which has a jungle rhythm to it – the same sort of rhythm that pervades all such safari slots – but it’s one that helps to set the ambient mood if nothing else. Set your bet, between 0.3 and 750, then hit spin and let the fun begin.

There are animals everywhere in this game – well, on the reels at least – including all of the big game for which the African savannah is famous. In real life many of these creatures are sadly endangered but in Wild Run you’ll be seeing no shortage of them including leopards, buffalo and a rhino which is worth 80 for five. The elephant commands 100 for five and then there’s the wild, played, fittingly, by the lion.

African or African’t?

The wild symbol will substitute for all other regular symbols, while five of them on a payline will award 800 coins. In terms of features, Wild Run’s greatest boast is On-A-Roll, one of NextGen’s favourite proprietary features. This grants players a respin after each successful win. At this point, a wild will appear on the first and fifth reel and a 2x multiplier will be applied if they help to generate a win. If you’re successful in notching up a win here, you’ll get to spin again, with wilds now appearing on all reels except for 3 and a 3x multiplier added.

On-A-Roll isn’t just about topping up your bank balance; it paves the way to greater things, for after two successful On-A-Roll wins you will trigger free spins. Here, five wilds will be introduced at random and a 5x multiplier will be applied to any wins they generate. After four free spins in a row without winning anything, the round will end.

Try Cash Stampede, Too

Wild Run isn’t the only slot Wild Run have designed in this manner. If you’d like to try something similar, one option is Cash Stampede, which is another 243 ways slot with an RTP of 95.27%. It awards free spins but has no multipliers to go with them. There’s also Fiesta Cubana by the same developer, which has exactly the same characteristics.

For something a little further from home, try IGT’s Gong Xi Fa Cai, a 50 payline slot with an RTP that can rise as high as 98%, making it an inviting proposition. Alternatively, if you’re simply looking for another safari slot, there are plenty of contenders including Big 5 Safari, a Nektan effort with gorgeous graphics and plenty of animal action.

Good Effort, NextGen!

Wild Run is another stellar effort from NextGen, one that’s sure to provide some stiff competition to the existing safari and African themed slots out there. Thanks to the 243 ways specification and the imaginative use of wilds throughout, this game doesn’t feel like just another run-of-the-mill slot. Sure, within the NextGen stable it doesn’t innovate, but in the slots world as a whole, the On-A-Roll feature is refreshing and cleverly implemented, making this game one to savour.