Those were the days, huh? Not very long ago, it seemed like every other new game was either an Irish or Egyptian-themed mechanical or ‘book’ mechanized affair. It seems that fishing (or fishin’, as it’s more commonly called) themed slot machines have come into their own at this time. No matter how you feel about it, software developer Jelly and slot machine manufacturer Yggdrasil have released a new game called Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways. Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways features a money symbol collect feature that fits in well with the theme, but Jelly has shaken things up by modifying the collecting mechanism and dropping in an enlarged ways, and reels function.
Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways is full of little (and major) irregularities that deviate from the standard fishing slot protocol. If you can’t break the rules, at least bend them, right? One is that the game’s initial setting is above water, in the vicinity of a charming coastal town as the sun rises on what promises to be a lovely day. The main attraction is a seaweed-covered 5-reel, 3-row gaming grid, with a counter at the top indicating a base value of 243 ways, which increases as the panel grows. Jelly has created a pleasant scene to house the fishin’ action, giving the game a vibe reminiscent to Pixar’s Finding Nemo, especially when the free spins feature activates and the action shifts to the ocean floor.
To begin the fishing shenanigans, choose a stake between 25 percent and £/€100 every spin, and cast off from any gadget. Keep in mind that the maximum return to player percentage in Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways varies between 95.1% and a lower value. Hit frequency is around 1 in 4 or 5 spins depending on the RTP model, and volatility is considerable although maximum win is not.
Even though reeling in fish is more thrilling, the most common way to win is by getting three or five of a kind. The four lower-paying wooden J through A symbols are followed by the four higher-paying fishing rods, worms, boats, and birds. For the lower paying symbols, a successful combination of five of a kind returns 0.5x to 1x the wager, while a winning combination of five high pays returns 2.5x to 10x the wager. Wild symbols, shown as a fisherman, can stand in for any other icon outside the Bonus one.
Features of the Slot Game “Wild Fishin’, Wild Ways”
The wild can also activate the Wild Fishin’ option. This happens when reels 1 and 2 both have wild symbols. If a fish is captured on Reel 3 during the Wild Fishin’ function, then Reel 4 becomes active for catching fish. Reel 5 can be used to make a catch if fish appear on Reels 3 and 4. Wild Ways refers to the reels being activated from left to right. Prizes for reel 3’s fish range from 0.5x to 4x, reel 4’s from 4x to 15x, and reel 5’s from 15x to 250x.
No Risk Turns
There are two different ways to acquire bonus spins. While the Wild Fishin’ feature is active, one way to win is to get a bonus symbol on reels 3, 4, or 5. The second is to get three bonus symbols anywhere on reels 3, 4, or 5. Both outcomes grant ten bonus spins. When the Wild Fishin’ feature is triggered during free spins, reels 3, 4, and 5 can extend to cover up to 6 rows, giving players a maximum of 1,944 possibilities to win. For the following free spin, the extra reels will expand again. Finally, a retrigger of the feature within a Wild Fishin’ sequence results in +5 more free spins.
Casting a Wide Net: The Fishing Slots Decision
Jelly is certainly unique. Since their debut with Savanna Roar, they’ve toyed with convention while still injecting their own style into each of their games. Another case in point is the book Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways. A fish symbol/money gather thing occurs, as one might expect in a fishing game, but the way it interacts with the Wild Ways feature and the expanding grid is novel. You may find an Egyptian-themed variant of these mechanics in the slot Cairo Link & Win by Gold Coin Studios, in which two Eye of Ra symbols on the first two reels expanded the other three reels.
Now that we’re back on the subject of fish, I’m happy to report that Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways more than delivers on the promises it makes to anglers. There is a nautical vibe, the fishermen dress the part, and you can catch fish worthy of prizes. You may take a few spins to get acclimated to the Wild Fishin’ approach if you’re used to collecting symbols that bring in money symbols everytime they land. Although the rules specify that Wild Fishin’/Wild Ways should activate more frequently in free spins, this is not the case in practice. However, in other fishing slots, the collect function is only available during the bonus round. This strategy likely contributes to Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways’ high volatility by allowing players to experience a “snowball effect” if they collect rewards on reels 3-5 in rapid succession. However, its maximum potential is just 2,000 times the initial wager. Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways may have benefited from a more alluring top prize if it had been offered when the game first came out; however, fishing slot potential has been slowly rising as of late, so this may no longer be the case.
Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways is only worth it if gamers who are interested in fishing don’t mind that amount. It has the required fish/money gather activity, a salty atmosphere to enjoy it in, and behaves in an unusual fashion.