The online game developer Slotmill has created a handful of games which have the appearance of an old three-reel slot machine, but Wildfire is the first one I have found that really IS modelled on the three-reel games of old. I say “modelled on” because there are several key differences between Wildfire and older three-reel slots, and I don’t think that is a bad thing – the reason video slots developed into the bigger five-reel format with extra mods and features was a direct result of the limited scope of their predecessors. Wildfire has a 96.11% RTP, which is much better than an old fruit machine but just about average for an online slot. The game uses five fixed pay lines and has a jackpot of 1,875x your stake.
Slotmill have chosen not to cram too much in here, allowing their Wildfire online slot to effectively straddle the line between the styles of the old and the new. There is a “near win re-spin” feature which will kick in when you have two full reels of matching symbols and just need the third reel for a win, a Joker wild symbol, and a free spin-based bonus round that is triggered by hitting two scatters on reels one and three.
When was the last time you played an old school three-reel slot machine? Are these games a mystery to you, or are you having pangs of nostalgia? Either way, why not fire up our free demo slot of Wildfire and give it a try for yourself?
| Provider | Slotmill |
| Reels | 3 |
| Rows | 3 |
| Paylines | 5 |
| Bonus Rounds | 1 |
| Bet Range | 0.20 - 50 |
| Volatility | High |
| RTP | 96.11% |
| Our Rating | 6.8 |
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Wildfire Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
Slotmill have paid attention to all the smaller details whilst creating the Wildfire slot game to ensure it resembles one of the first-generation video slots as much as possible. Fans of the fruit machines which used to be found in every public house and social club will no doubt also appreciate the styling of this game with its flashing LED’s, fruit/bell/BAR symbols, and free spin wheel located directly above the reels. Games are very rarely made in this style anymore; Microgaming used to create one or two each year but seem to have lost interest completely nowadays. Despite this, I suspect there is still a market for three-reel games and that group of players will love the convincing package that Slotmill has put together here.
I can’t say I was as impressed with the paytable at first glance, unfortunately. The highest-paying symbols are the regular and golden jokers which both return 20x your stake for a full line of three-of-a-kind, which seems extremely low for a five pay line game. I may be judging this incorrectly, however, as there are so few of these three-reel games to make comparisons to. Worse still, the next symbol down the ladder is the lucky seven which pays just 5x your bet for three-of-a-kind, followed by the bell with a return of 4x, and the bar which pays 3x. To get anywhere near the games jackpot of 1,875x your stake you are going to need a full screen of matching symbols with a decent multiplier, and that is only possible during the bonus round.
Bet limits are comparable to a five-reel game with a minimum bet per spin of €0.20 and a maximum of €50.00. These limits should be flexible enough to satisfy all the but the craziest of super whales; how many people can there possibly be with the cash to risk over €50 every five seconds? I seriously hope to find such a player at some point who will agree to an interview for publication here at demoslot; Keep coming back and who knows, perhaps you may have the chance to read it yourself!
Base Game & Modifiers
If you haven’t seen a three-reel slot machine before then Wildfire should have some level of immediate novelty value for you, even if you find that it isn’t your type of game in the end. The base game of Wildfire online slot uses a tiny 3×3 playfield, so the fact there are only five pay lines isn’t as big an issue as it might be on a typical 5×3 machine layout.
The arrangement of the five pay lines is exactly as you would guess – top row, middle row, bottom row, along with the two diagonals. The reel strips are filled with typical fruit machine symbols such as cherries, plum and melons, along with a selection of other classic icons including the bell, BAR, X, and lucky 7. You’ll need a full pay line of three symbols to score a win. So far, so basic, but Slotmill have thankfully included one or two additional features which ensures Wildfire is far more interesting than the ancient slots that it is based on:
Near Win Respin
This feature will kick in when you have two reels fully set up for a win but manage to miss a matching symbol on the remaining reel. The paytable says that you need six identical symbols on the two full reels, however this is not technically true; The near win re-spin will also activate if you have a full reel of matching symbols plus another full reel of jokers.
If you meet the requirements, the text “re-spin” will appear using the faux LED lighting on either side of the reels and your mismatched reel will then be spun independently whilst the other two reels remain stopped in place. You will be awarded a win if you hit at least one matching symbol when the re-spin completes.
Wildfire Slot Free Spins Feature
Most old school three-reel slot machines did not feature a free spin bonus round. If those games had any feature at all then it would usually be something separate to the reels such as the ladder-based jackpot trees that was commonly found on fruit machines at the time. Slotmill have wisely decided to buck tradition by including a free spin bonus in their Wildfire video slot, and it is triggered by hitting a scatter symbol on the first and third reels.
The number of free spins you will receive is determined by a bonus wheel located directly above the reels. Before your feature begins the camera will pan out and focus on this wheel which contains segments for 3, 4, 5, 7, or 10 free spins. The scatter symbols are removed during this mode, which prevents them from blocking other winning combinations, but also means that you cannot hit them again for a retrigger.
During free spins an extra “Golden Wild” symbol is added to the reels. The golden wild looks like the regular joker wild but will also increase your bonus multiplier by 1x each time one appears on screen. Hitting a golden wild on reels one and three simultaneously will also award you one additional free spin.
One thing I found a little confusing here: the game states that the jackpot prize is 1,875x, but a full screen of wild symbols returns 100x your stake. No matter what multiplier you reach during the bonus round, how can you ever end up with 1,875x? Because of this, I suspect that 1,875x is actually a winnings cap, and that is a disappointingly low number for a cap on winnings.
Wildfire Slot Review Final Thoughts
I haven’t played a three-reel machine for a few years now, so it was a bit of a novelty to be spinning one again when I first begun to test Wildfire. The feature set is excellent for this type of game, and I can see it appealing to players who have a nostalgic view of older slot machines and styles.
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