I've now talked about the summary, intro, graphics, music, and sound effects. Next up, I’m going to cover the key game features which will help you create an impression of the game.
At OLBG we create slot games reviews that include up-to-date info about essential features such as the theme, paylines and reels, bet range, and bonuses. I’ll complete the review by talking about my play experience, first impressions and expert verdict.
Theme – Food
The good ol’ U.S. of A. is the backdrop for the Hot Potato! game. In the base game, you’ll see a typical American street complete with skyscrapers, fire hydrants, sirens and yellow taxis. The Bonus Game flips to a restaurant kitchen setting which is covered in red-hot-flames. The saying ‘If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen’ springs to mind. Ouch, it’s scorchio in there.
The reels are cheery and are filled with vivid-coloured visuals of food. In order of value from the highest first there’s a chef, a burger, some fries, a can of drink, a doughnut and a pickle. You've got yourself a tasty meal right there.
The Bonus Symbol is depicted by the writing HOT! And you can't miss Mr Hot Potato himself who is the Exploding Wild Symbol.
Reels
The Hot Potato! game is made up of 7 reels and 7 rows to play with.
Paylines
Hot Potato! is a Cluster pays game, wins take place when 5 or more identical symbols connect horizontally or vertically. The Bonus Symbol can not be one of these 5 symbols.
RTP
You've probably seen the acronym RTP on slot sites, the full meaning of this is ‘return to player’. It’s a way of telling players theoretically what percentage of their stakes they will see returned to them over the long term. So of course, the higher the percentage the better! Nowadays I’d expect to see 96% or more. Hot Potato! has an above-average RTP of 96.16%
Thunderkick uses this RTP figure as a default value so if you shop around you’ll discover several RTP rates. To save you some time. We’ve identified a few at some of the popular UK online casinos and added them to the table below.
RTP is just one consideration when deciding which site to play at. You should also think about payment options, game library, customer support and welcome bonuses and deals. Our casino reviews analyse this info and much more.
Do you fancy playing more than one game? If so, you should visit this page with the slot sites we recommend.
Stake Range
There’s a decent bet range for the Hot Potato! game which starts at £0.10 and goes right up to £100.
Max Win
You can win 10,000x your total stake when playing the Hot Potato! game.
Wild Symbol
The Wild for this game is provided by the Exploding Wild Symbol which can randomly land and explode during the spin or avalanche. Or it can be automatically generated and explode in a Cluster Pays area. The Exploding Wild removes all symbols in a 3x3 Multiplier Grid around and under the symbol.
Free Spins
When 3 Bonus Symbols land, the Free Spins Bonus Game will be triggered. This gives you 10 Free Spins. Multiplier Grids are activated in the base game and reset upon the start of the Bonus Game. The Multiplier Grids in the Bonus Game are sticky and remain active throughout the Bonus Game.
Jackpot
Like most slot games nowadays, the Hot Potato! game doesn't have a jackpot element. If jackpots are your bag you should visit our page with the best jackpot slot games.
Play Experience & First Impressions
The Exploding Wild Symbols were a bundle of fun and could randomly land and explode anytime. Visually it looked strong and it triggered frequently. The Bonus Game is the headline act and is a solid mix of Free Spins, Retriggers, and Sticky Multiplier Grids. The Multiplier Grid Feature involves cells in the underlying grid having a multiplier with an initial value of x2. If any new Exploding Wild Symbols land and explode on top of an existing Multiplier Grid, the multiplier will double (up to a maximum of x128) on the grid cells that overlap it. The gameplay was straightforward which is appealing when you want to enjoy a game without constantly checking paytable information.
An Avalanche feature works well in any slot game and Hot Potato! is no exception. When a win occurs, the winning symbols are removed. New symbols are then ready to fall from the top and cascade down. This process continues until winning combos are created. This was an extra layer and looked striking on the grid.
