Aloha Christmas

Netent has a knack for commemorating special events with the introduction of special slots. Surely, that is what the software developer's creative staff had in mind when they created the new Aloha Christmas video slot. It's interesting to note that somehow they slightly missed the mark by creating a slot game that is decidedly tropical but lacking the Christmas touch.

That's not to say the game doesn't have its appeal. Aloha Christmas is an attractive addition to the Netent line of Christmas themed games, which includes Fruit Shop Christmas and Flowers Christmas among others.

Honestly, there is nothing wrong with enjoying a little Christmas spirit from the Islands of Hawaii. The graphics on this game are quite nice. While there is nothing particularly special about the gameplay section, you gotta smile when you see the smiling Santa Tiki God grinning at you on the right side of the game screen. The presents loaded up on the left side do serve as a reminder it's Christmas time everywhere. So let's find out how Aloha Cristmas works and at what online casinos offer this slot!

How Aloha Christmas Works

Aloha Christmas is yet another Netent production that features the cluster pays format. The term cluster pays refers to the payout of jackpots based on the clustering (connecting) of like symbols across the gameplay matrix. In this case, the gameplay matrix includes six rows and six lines. From a betting standpoint, players can wager as little as 0.10 credits and as much as 200 credits per spin. With 50 betting options in the mix, this game is suitable for players at all levels.

The low paying symbols are represented by a coconut, pineapple, seashell, and a pink tropical flower. The higher paying symbols are represented by a blue Tiki God, a green Tike God, and a red Tiki God, which stands as the highest paying standard symbol. The Tiki God symbols do appear as stacked symbols during the base game but not during free spins.

The list of Aloha Christmas special symbols includes the game's wild symbol, which is represented by the "mystery" red question mark. While it appears as a red question mark during the spin, all applicable wild symbols will convert to one of the standard symbols after the spinning has come to a halt. What players are hoping for is the wild symbols will add to a cluster, creating bigger payouts. Note: The mystery symbol can turn into any other symbol with the exception of the scatter symbol.

The game's scatter symbol is represented by the "free spin" logo. The logo comes stacked. If a player lands a cluster of three scatters, they get rewarded with a trip to the free spin round. If they land four scatters, wins are multiplied 10x. If they land five scatters, wins are multiplied 25x. If they land six or more scatters, wins are multiplied 50x.

The last special symbol is the starfish. While this symbol only appears during free spins, it's a symbol that does offer extra value (see below). Clusters are paid at a minimum of 9 symbols clustered together up to a maximum of 22+ symbols clustered together. Looking at the game's paytable, the payouts aren't that lucrative.

Aloha! Christmas: Special Features

Aloha Christmas gives players access to a number of bonus features, which open the door to larger payouts.

The first bonus feature is the Free Spin feature. As stated above, the game's scatter symbol is represented by the Free Spin logo. When three connected scatters appear, the player is rewarded with free spins. Each time this occurs, the player has two choices. They can choose the Tiki Bar Free Spin option (10 spins with a multiplier ranging from 2x to 4x) or the Tiki Bar Max Free Spin option (6 spins with a multiplier ranging from 4x to 7x). Note: the accumulation of three starfish during a free spin round will result in two more spins.

The second bonus feature comes compliments of the mystery wild symbol. As stated above, mystery symbols will convert to other symbols when the spinning stops. As a special feature, the wild symbols can also convert into multipliers ranging from 2x up to 7x. When this occurs in the main game, the winnings on that spin will increase by the amount of the multiplier. Multiplier symbols can also appear during the free spin rounds. During the Tiki Bar Free Spin round, the multipliers can range from 2x to 4x. During the Tiki Bar Max Free Spin round, the multipliers can range from 4x to 7x.

The final bonus feature is the Sticky Respins feature. During any base game spin, the Sticky Respins feature can be initiated at random. When this occurs, the symbol with the highest density will stick while the respin function is initiated. After the spinning comes to a halt, a multiplier is applied to total winnings based on the number of symbols in the winning cluster.

Aloha! Christmas: RTP

Aloha Christmas is a high volatility game, which translates to fewer but higher payouts. The game is rated with an RTP of 96%, which is a little bit higher than the average Netent video slot. What is interesting, is the fact that the RTP is smaller than in the original game that featured a 96,4% Return Per Player percentage.

Verdict

While the Aloha Christmas game does have some appeal, this reviewer is perplexed by the fact Netent did not follow through much with the Christmas theme.

• The game is visually appealing and fun to play based primarily on the inclusion of some decent bonus features.
• What's most disappointing is the low payouts attached to the base game.
• When all is said and done, Aloha Christmas is worthy of some consideration, at least during the holiday season.