Canadians go wild for new wildlife slot machines at online casinos.
Of all the different genres of casino games, there’s nothing that quite compares to slot machines. They are the most popular of all games in the world, occupying vastly more floor-space than all other gambling amusements combined, despite the fact that a slot cabinet takes up far less space than any single blackjack, baccarat, craps or roulette table ever could. More importantly, slots are so unique that they are capable of being developed with limitless styles, themes and payout schedules. They are the only casino games available that can pay out millions of dollars for a single play, for a cost of nothing more than pocket change.
New Wildlife Slot Machines at Canada Online Casinos
Slot machines with a wilderness motif have long captured the hearts of Canadian gamblers. Not only do we love the outdoors, we have access to an abundant variety of nature’s finest; for many of us, right outside our doorstep. IGaming studios like IGT, the world’s largest creator of physical and digital slot machines, are catering to that distinct love with more new wildlife themed slots than ever.
Kodiak’s Roar Slot by WMS / IGT
Kodiak’s Roar is a new 5×4 reel, 1024 ways video slot from the creative minds of WMS, subsidiary of IGT. It’s loaded with features, has a max payout potential of x2,500, and offers a medium-high volatility that any true slots fan can appreciate. Its 96.2% RTP is on point with today’s average for online slots.
Aesthetically speaking, Kodiak’s Roar has a lot to offer wildlife fans. It’s main symbol is, of course, the roaring Kodiak bear. A calmer, watchful Kodiak is the wild. Other nature-themed symbols include a moose, owl, red fox, and the bear’s favorite afternoon snack, salmon.
Safari Sam 2 by Betsoft
If you prefer something a little more off the beaten path – or at least, farther from home – Betsoft’s new Safari Sam 2 might do the trick. Launched in April 2021, it’s a suped-up sequel to the original 2012 release. This 5×3-reel video slot takes players on an adventure into the wild plains of Africa. It comes with a medium volatility, max payout of x505, and an average RTP of 96.3%. All this can be yours for a bet range of $0.20 to $100 per spin.
The game’s 3D animated graphics are a big selling point, following the adventures of Safari Sam and his trusty female sidekick. It comes with two main features – Call of the Wild and Free Spins. Call of the Wild is random, filling up to 4 reels with all wilds. 3, 4 or 5 Acacia Tree Scatters award 7, 12 or 20 free games, during which Call of the Wild triggers on every spin.
Shimmering Woods Slot by Play’n Go
Step into the Shimmering Woods, where magical crystals grow, delighting the enchanted creatures of the forest. Released in March 2021 by Play’n Go, this traditional 5×3 reel slot comes with 243 ways to win, a medium-high variance, and a profit-potential of x25,000 the bet size. Unfortunately, the RTP comes in on the low side at just 94.2%.
The base game is all about the beauty of the forest and the radiant crystals that grow from its foliage. During free spins, the reels have the potential to split from 5×3 to 5×6, boosting the paylines to as high as 7,776 ways to win, multiplied by a Cascading Wins feature.
Buffalo Hold and Win by Booming Games
Netxt up on our wily wildlife-themed slots list is Buffalo Hold and Win, an adventurous 5×3 reel, 25 payline video slot with the ability to pay up to x1,000 coins in a single play. This is a high volatility slot, so the wins don’t come often, but when they do, they tend to pay in large amounts. However, it does have a slightly below average RTP of 95.91%.
The buffalo theme is one the online slots industry has put through the ringer more times than just about any other theme. It’s a simple matter of supply and demand – players demand it, so developers keep on supplying it. This one’s packed with free spins, a hold and win bonus game, and a quick hit feature.
Jaguar Super Ways by Bad Dingo
Bad Dingo is a small, independent studio that teamed up with Yggdrasil to build interactive slot with the latter’s patented SuperWays slots feature. Jaguar Super Ways draws players deep into the jungle, where wild cats and exotic creatures rule the land. It’s default 5×3 reels can expand up to 9×9, increasing to as many as 387,420,489 ways to win. A relatively generous 96.25% RTP combines with a medium volatility to award a massive max win of x22,457 on a single spin, costing anywhere from $0.40 to $10 per play.
Jaguar Super Ways runs on the Cacading Wins mechanic, exploding all winning symbols to fill the reels with new ones, creating up to 15 simultaneous wins on a single spin. While that’s enjoyable to watch when luck befalls, this game really falls back on its Super Ways feature – by far the most prominent aspect of the game. Jaguar paws randomly appear across the reels to trigger the feature, highlighted by a 3×3 Mega Paw symbol and the ability to open up all 9×9 reels and max pay ways.
Jaguars Super Ways was launched exclusively at Unibet Casino on April 1, 2021, and makes its way to all Yggdrasil powered online casinos on May 21.
Mega Moolah (Safari) by Microgaming
This last one’s not new. In fact, it’s one of the oldest surviving slots on the iGaming market today, released by Microgaming circa 2006. It’s the industry’s most celebrated, highest-paying, millionaire-making progressive. The Mega Moolah is the harbinger of safari-style wildlife slot machines at online casinos, responsible for paying more than $1 billion in progressive prizes to date.
You can learn more about Microgaming’s famous Mega Moolah and other progressive online slots here.
A detailed
review of Yggdrasil Gaming’s new sumo wrestling themed online slot,
Yokozuna Clash.
Sports-themed online slots come a dime a dozen. Wrestling themes are
less common. Sumo wrestling? Now that’s virtually
unheard of! Leave it to Yggdrasil to find a new avenue to draw
slots fans into the arena – in this case, a crowded Dohyo hidden
among the bustling streets of Tokyo.
The game is called Yokozuna Clash. It features the
ultimate battle for supremacy as the world’s greatest sumo wrestlers
compete for a chance to take on the mighty Yokozuna. Released this
morning at all Yggdrasil powered online casinos, it’s optimized for
desktop, mobile and tablets, employing the brand’s intuitive
interface platform, iSENSE 2.0+.
Yokozuna Clash, Sumo Wrestling Themed Online Slot
Yokozuna Clash is a 5×3 reel video slot with 243 ways to win, running
left to right, and right to left. But the reels aren’t the primary
focus of the game. They spin in the background to produce wins while
the two fighters, Riku (in blue) and Haru (in green),
take to the center ring, preparing to face off in the first round of
the tournament for the Yokozuna title.
During the base game, Riku and Haru each have a special power that
can be randomly triggered. Riku (left) has the ability to add 1 or 2
wilds to the reels in the base game, increased to 1, 2 or 3 during
free spins. Haru (right) is capable of randomly throwing out a x2 or
x3 multiplier in the base game, x2, x3 or x4 in the feature, applying
it to the outcome of the current spin.
Sumo Clash Feature
Any time a 5-on-a-line combination wins, between 2 and 4 extra
symbols, matching the 5-line winning symbols, are added to the reels.
Although not guaranteed, this feature is capable of producing an epic
sized win when triggered.
Free Spins Feature
When a Free Spins symbol appears on the left-most and right-most
reels in the same spin, free spins are awarded. The free spins will
continue until the player’s champion wins the tournament, or loses a
match. The winner of each match is decided by a 14-point meter at the
bottom of the screen.
Fight in the Tournament
Each time a winning combination lines up from the left, the fighter
on the left will push his opponent further to the right, earning one
more spot on the meter. A win lined up from the right side does the
same for the fighter on the right. The fighter’s attack power
determines how many points the meter moves per hit.
Riku and Haru have an attack power of 2, Daisuke and O’Conner 3, and
Yokozuna 4. When the free spin features activates, the first round of
the tournament begins.
First Round – Riku vs Haru
The battle between Riku and Haru is a quick one. One will throw the
other from the ring to start, bringing up a semi-final round before
the reels start spinning.
Semi-Final Round – Player vs Daisuke or
O’Conner
The player’s champion will now face off against a semi-final
contender. If Haru is fighting, he will face the Japanese sumo star,
Daisuke. Haru will face off against the formidable Scottish foe,
O’Conner. Similar to round one, Daisuke (left) is able to add 1, 2 or
3 wilds to the reels at random, while O’Conner can unleash
multipliers of x2, x3 or x4.
If the player’s champion loses, the total winning are awarded and the
base game mode resumes. If the player’s champion wins, the third and
final round of the tournament begins, and the free spins continue.
Final Round – Player vs Yokozuna
In the final round, the player’s sumo will face off against the
defending champion, Yokozuna. You can’t miss him – he’s a
red-skinned, forked-tongued troll looking character, and by far the
most powerful in the game. He also features the most powerful random
trigger feature, capable of unleashing 2 to 4 wilds and a
multiplier of x2 to x4 on the current spin.
The free spins payout is awarded at the end of the battle. However,
beating Yokozuna will award a x2 multiplier to the total for winning
the tournament.
Final Thoughts…
Yggdrasil put together a truly unique game here, and one I think a lot of players will appreciate. Comparatively speaking, yes, it’s kind of boring between free spins rounds, but the action gets really intense, and very rewarding, once the feature triggers. Kudos to the developers of Yokozuna Clash for building a fresh sumo wrestling themed online slot with genuinely exciting game play.
Yggdrasil mobile slots portfolio gets vicious with new Untamed Wilds online slot.
Yggdrasil has been awfully busy these
last few months. This summer alone, four new games have come to
market, with another set for release less than two weeks from now.
Just this week, we reviewed their latest release, The
One Armed Bandit. Today, we’ll step back a few weeks to
the June 1 release of their new Untamed Wilds Slot.
At first, I wasn’t sure how this one slipped
past my radar for so many weeks, then I realized it’s only available
to players in the Nordic region of Europe – the same area for which
the game’s thematic setting is derived. Yggdrasil built this one
especially and exclusively for their Swedish fans at Svenska Spel.
I’d be willing to bet the majority of my
readers are not Swedish, but that doesn’t make the game any less
worthy of review. For one, it’s by Yggdrasil, one of the best slots
designers on the planet in regards to immersive iGaming. Plus, it’s
got vicious, wild-eyed predators unleashing their fury beneath the
full moon, catering to the special place in my heart reserved just
for horror themed slots like this one. And who knows how many of more
Canadian-majority readers might be visiting the Alps soon?
Yggdrasil Mobile Slots Portfolio Gets Predatory!
Its creators have dubbed Untamed Wilds a
“ferocious adventure slot”. Packed with three vicious beast, each
is capable of unleashing a unique, predacious feature. Players are
invited to explore the Nordic outback, where the tranquil landscape
hides a terrifying tale. Taming the vicious beasts can come with
invaluable rewards.
The Untamed Wilds Slot takes place on standard 5×3 reels, with betways spanning 20 lines from left to right. It carries a bet range of 0.08 up to 100.00 per spin, a max payout of 2,500x the line bet, a medium variance, and an RTP of 96.1%.
Symbolically, it’s the beasts you’re looking
for – the bigger the better. The special symbols are the bear,
moose or wolf, each being wilds that appear individually depending on
the current game mode. High payers are the lynx, boar, fox, owl and
squirrel, followed by runic playing cards suits on the bottom. The
majestic Northern Lights are the scatter symbol.
Untamed Wilds Features – Bear, Moose and Wolf
The game mode changes randomly after every 10+
spins. When it does, a new animal takes charge of the forest –
bear, moose, or wolf – and becomes the games wild. Each of these
wilds has its own special ability. The bear wild expands outwards in
a cross pattern. The moose wild applies a random multiplier that
boosts all payouts on the screen. The wolf wild duplicates itself,
appearing not in a random position, but the best possible position to
create the highest payout on a single line.
Free Games Feature w/ Frequent Wilds
Landing 3, 4 or 5 scatter symbols on the reels
will award 7, 15 or 30 free spins respectively. During the free games
feature, wilds are programmed to appear more frequently, delivering a
higher rate of wins. The game’s beast mode can change during free
games, just as it does in the base.
Unleashing the Raw Power
Yggdrasil’s Senior Product Strategist, Jonas
Strandman, was especially enthused by their design team’s latest
creation – and for good reason. “As a Swede myself, the theme is
very close to my heart. Players enjoy a perfect blend of tranquility
by being close to nature combined with the raw power of the Nordic
wilderness.”
He goes on to commend the team’s “high-quality
production” of an exclusive game he’s certain will become “a big
hit” for his own native Swedish market.
Irony on the Range: The One Armed Bandit Online Slot by Yggdrasil.
For nearly a century, slot machines have
undertaken the infamous nickname of “one armed bandit”. The title
was derived from the lever players pulled to initiate a spin of the
reels – that lever being the arm, and the machine – oh so prone
to taking a player’s money – the bandit. Even today, with computer
chips, buttons and touch screen taking the place of mechanical reels
and levers, the term is universally recognized as a cognomen for slot
machines.
Curiosity begs to ask how it is that it took
all these years for a slot machine manufacturer to come out with a
game simply titled, The One Arm Bandit Slot? At least,
that was my original thought when I saw Yggdrasil had released a new
game by that very name. Upon further investigation, it turns out it
has been done before, and more than once, but more as novelties than
anything else; literary works of life-sized art that stood within old
country stores, much the way wood-carved Indian Chief stood outside
the doors of a cigar shop.
Up until now, however, I can say it’s never
been done in the digital realm. Thanks to Yggdrasil, the one armed
bandit is finally glorified within its very own online slots game.
The theme corresponds with the novelty slots of old, mimicking the
ways of the old west, where revolvers decided disputes, and laws were
only guidelines.
The One Armed Bandit Online Slot by Yggdrasil
In typical fashion, Yggdrasil has infused its
game with a backstory that breathes life into the player’s
experience. The One Armed Bandit deputizes players into a role of
assisting the local sheriff (a young Clint Eastwood type) in his
mission to bring down the town’s notorious gang of outlaws. Rounding
up the bandits awards bounties of cash.
The setting, music and symbols all match the
theme perfectly, with cowboy hats, pistols, flasks and spurs paying
the highest; playing card suits the lowest. The bandit is the
scatter, the sheriff’s badge the wild, and the leader of the band of
outlaws – the bearded one armed bandit – the bonus symbol.
Each time one or more bandit scatters appear on
the reels, the sheriff fires his gun, targeting the outlaws and
triggering one free respin per scatter. The scatters turn into a x5
Wild multipliers that hold in place for the extra spins. The scatter
is collected as a badge above the reel on which it landed. Once a
scatter is collected on each of the 5 reels, free spins are awarded,
wherein the sheriff challenges The One Armed Bandit to a duel amid
the town’s dusty thoroughfare.
During free games, the Bonus one armed bandit symbol can appear. When he does, the sheriff fires off a round, this time collecting +1 free spin and 1 bullet in the overhead multiplier meter. The first bullet is already in place, granting a 5x multiplier to start.
Collect two more bonus bullets and the multiplier rises to 10x. Maxing out the meter with 5 bullets boosts the pays to 20x. Combine that with 5x multiplier Wilds that can land naturally on any of the 5 reels during the free spins feature, and players can strike gold with up to 100x multiplier wins.
All in all, this game has an entertainment
level that’s as high as its variance. Yggdrasil’s The One Armed
Bandit Online Slot features a 96.3% RTP and a max payout of up to
472,000 coins. Built in HTML5, it’s compatible with all computer and
mobile operating systems.
Yggdrasil introduces new real money blackjack games in 2019.
Yggdrasil broke the digital gambling mold in mid-2018 with the release of its very first interactive table game. It was unlike anything the iGaming community had seen before; certainly not typical of the RNG-based table games released the last two decades by their competitor brands.
It was, instead, a perfect meld of the more modern live dealer casino tables, featuring multi-player capabilities and a professional dealer, except that all of these features are visualized in HD-quality, 3D animation—even the not-quite-human, avatar of a dealer.
That dealer’s name is Sonya (hence the game’s title, Sonya Blackjack), and she’s become quite the popular little lady. So popular that Yggdrasil has decided to expand upon that success by introducing a new Lucky Blackjack game—a similar concept but with an Irish theme—and enhance its original release with side bets.
Yggdrasil’s New Real Money Blackjack Games
Lucky Blackjack is the newest game launched on Yggdrasil’s trademark REDUX gaming platform. Like Sonya Blackjack, it blends RNG and Live Dealer aspects. The game itself is RNG-based, while the dealer’s actions utilize motion-capture technology derived from the body language and gesticulations of a real life, professionally trained dealer.
The new Lucky Blackjack game closely mimics its first-born sibling, Sonya Blackjack, in a number of ways. Most notably, it is capable of supporting multi-player access. The game supports up to 3 individual human players at once, proffering what Yggdrasil calls, “a truly interactive, shared casino experience”.
Lucky Blackjack is an immersive new table game that abides by all the traditional rules of blackjack, with two thematic side bets available. These include the Lucky Lucky side bet, and the Lucky Ladies side bet; both honoring the game’s beautifully rendered dealer of the same name.
This latest edition is endowed with swifter animations, speeding up the pace of the games. It also gives players the option to make ‘pre-decisions‘, such as choosing to Hit or Stand before it becomes their turn to act. This also helps to speed up game play.
Fans of the Sonya Blackjack game will find these expedient features now available. The updated version includes both the swifter animations and pre-decision functions described above, and also comes with its own pair of optional side bets. They include Perfect Pairs and 21+3.
The Perfect Pairs side bet pays out bonus winnings when a player is dealt a pair as their first two cards. The rank and suit of those cards will effect the size of the bonus payout. The 21+3 side bet plays out similar to a 3-card poker hand that is completely separate from the blackjack game. Players use their first two cards, plus the dealer’s up-card, to create a 3-card hand. If this hand ranks within the range of winning hands on the 21+3 pay table, the player wins the corresponding pay out.
Yggdrasil Head of Table Games, Marcus Honney, comments:
“The release of Lucky Blackjack and the new Sonya Blackjack features is really exciting for us as it marks the evolution of our interactive table game offering.”
Honney goes on to praise the company’s new real money blackjack games for providing a superior level of “player engagement in the form of side bets,” ranking them among “the most engaging, immersive table titles on the market today”.
The wait is finally over! Yggdrasil‘s first contractually branded online slot machine, Nitro Circus, was released today, November 20, 2018. The game depicts the biggest stars and actual footage from the popular daredevil stunt tour, and it’s now available in a compact 5×3 reel, 25 payline version that’s blasting away the competition on desktop and mobile.
Branded Online Slots All the Rage
Only the industry’s largest and most recognized companies have been delving into the branded online slots business for the last few years.
Microgaming brought us games like Tomb Raider, Phantom of the Opera, and Halloween, based on the original John Carpenter horror classic. Playtech built online slots mimicking things like Top Gun, Grease, and all your favorite Terminator movies. NetEnt has the largest portfolio of branded slots, spanning television, film, and musical talents like Jimi Hendrix, Guns and Roses, and Spinal Tap.
Yggdrasil has followed in the footsteps of all these great creators. They’ve entered the digital slots arena with a mobile-centric template, focusing on superior graphics, animations, and innovative features—all of the things that made their largest rivals so successful. Now, they’ve taken a huge leap, being the smallest iGaming software company in history to get ink on the paper alongside a major production company. And boy-oh-boy did they choose a good one!
Nitro Circus Online Slot is Here!
After months of rumors and speculations, we finally got a crack at the new Nitro Circus Slot this morning. I’d have to say its energy level matches that of the televised series, but not the live experience. I’m not sure anything could match the experience of visiting their live show!
The main cast of characters are present, as are their favorite stunt items—rocking horse, LazyBoy, bathtub on wheels. Oh yes, it’s all included! Nitro Circus is packed with so many features, it almost plays more like a video game than a slot machine.
In the base game, you can hit winning combinations the usual way – lining up matching symbols left to right. At the same time, you’re collecting items that lead to special features. 5 Rocking Horses, Recliners, Mini Cars or Bathtubs will trigger 1 Nitro Jump in that “vehicle”. Landing all the letters of the word N-I-T-R-O in one spin awards the full Nitro Jump, complete with vehicle selection and a trio of practice jumps that award special items.
With vehicle selection, you’ll actually have some control over the feature. There are three vehicle stats—tricks, boost and size. Tricks award more coins (credits), boost gives a higher chance of a good prize multiplier, and the larger the vehicle, the more items you’re likely to collect from the air during jumps. All the items you collect will be used on the final jump, where the real prizes are awarded.
There’s a lot more to this game as far as cinematics and features go, but I don’t want to give away too much. If you’re already a member of any Yggdrasil-powered online casinos, such as LeoVegas, log in and give it a go. If not, you can demo the Nitro Circus Online Slot for free at YggdrasilGaming.com.
Fans of the Sonya Blackjack game will find these expedient features now available. The updated version includes both the swifter animations and pre-decision functions described above, and also comes with its own pair of optional side bets. They include Perfect Pairs and 21+3.
The wait is finally over! Yggdrasil‘s first contractually branded online slot machine, Nitro Circus, was released today, November 20, 2018. The game depicts the biggest stars and actual footage from the popular daredevil stunt tour, and it’s now available in a compact 5×3 reel, 25 payline version that’s blasting away the competition on desktop and mobile.