Introduction
Wild Hatter is a fresh release for 2020 from Red Tiger Gaming, a big hitter in the online pokies arena. This pokie has 5 reels and 30 fixed paylines, with an estimated 95.75% RTP and high variance. It falls within the fantasy and movie theme and is based on the book Alice's Adventures In Wonderland.
The symbols are familiar, with items and characters inspired by the Wonderland story. The base game symbols include the bright-eyed Cheshire Cat, the stop watch, a blue top hat, a tea pot and a knight chess piece. There are also lower-value card symbols of 10, J, Q, K and A. The Mad Hatter himself is the Wild. The green hat with a multiplier written in gold is the Multiplier symbol.
User controls are minimalistic in order to blend into the aesthetics in a more seamless fashion. Beneath the reels, you’ll find the stake and autospin buttons to the left, then turbo and main spin buttons to the right. Information and sound are at the top right.
Theme, Graphics & Soundtrack
Lewis Carroll’s fictional masterpiece, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, has become a favourite of adults and children alike, seeing its way to the silver screen and popular culture. With much-loved characters featuring on everything from t-shirts and wall art to mugs and candle holders, it’s perhaps unsurprising to find this tale has provided the inspiration for many wonderland-themed online pokies.
The wonderful magic of Wonderland is bought to life in this particular offering in a way that will leave you grinning like the Cheshire Cat. The graphics are beautifully rendered, with vivid colour and intricate detail. Players are transported to the heart of Wonderland, with giant toadstools and lush greenery all around. The reels themselves are set within golden gates and the symbols fit the theme well, having been given a contemporary makeover. Animated light sparkles add a little magic and depth to the pokie.
An enchanting soundtrack with chirping birds plays in the background, and more mechanical sound effects accompany reel spins, adding a touch of mystery while being quite soothing as you play. The pokie has a sense of fun-loving grace to it thanks to the combined graphics and sound, making it a joyful and uplifting game to play.
Wild Hatter RTP & Volatility
There’s some uncertainty about the RTP, with estimates between 92.14% and 95.79%, but we imagine that a return to player of around 95.75% is more accurate. This may seem a little disappointing being just shy of the 95% average we’d like to see, but it’s also a highly volatile offering. There are likely to be bigger but less frequent prizes up for grabs.
How to Play Wild Hatter
1. Get familiar with the rules and paytable, and toggle sound on and off to your preference with the functions at the top right.
2. To place your bet, simply use the < and > buttons to choose the value.
3. Hit the main spin button and keep your fingers crossed!
4. Turbo spin and autospin options are also readily available.
Bet Sizes & Paytable Wins
Bets start from just 0.20 coins. The maximum bet is 20.00 coins.
Symbols pay for combinations of three and above. The Cheshire Cat is the most valuable, paying 60x, 150x and 300x for three, four and five on a payline respectively, prior to multiplying by line bet. This is followed by the stopwatch at 240 for five of a kind.
The lowest-value symbols are the card symbols. A is the most valuable at 60x for five, down to 24x for five-of-a-kind 10 symbols.
Wild Hatter Bonus Features
Features are rather thin on the ground in Wild Hatter, with the main bonus being the respins round with multipliers, as detailed below.
Respins - Wilds will trigger at least one respin, where one symbol type will be locked and a respin multiplier will be awarded, increasing by 1x for any consecutive respin. If you land a wild during a respin, the locked symbols will be swapped for higher-value symbols to boost the wins in the Upgrade Feature!
Overall Review
This is a beautiful pokie, and the gorgeous graphics capture the magic of Wonderland brilliantly. The aesthetics make it an enjoyable and entertaining pokie, showcasing the skill behind the Red Tiger Gaming team.
Unfortunately, the gameplay is a little lacklustre, with only the respins with multipliers and upgrades to shake things up. Given the rather bland base game, players who relish a multitude of features may be somewhat disappointed. Furthermore, while the RTP isn’t known for certain, it’s estimated at 95.75%, which is just shy of the 96% average we’d like to see. Nonetheless, the high volatility suggests there are some lucrative prizes to be found here, even if they’re few and far between.
This pokie allows for low bets from just 0.20 to suit casual gameplay. The maximum 20.00-coin wager may not satisfy the highest of rollers, but some generous returns from this bet level are still possible.
Continue the magical fantasy with Adventures Beyond Wonderland, a 5x3 offering by Ash Gaming from Playtech. Colourful graphics greet you in this magical wonderland, with 243 ways to win and some exciting bonus features. The Caterpillar Bubbles Bonus could land you an instant cash prize, up to 10x multipliers or a jackpot win, and there’s also the progressive jackpot, expanding reels and free spins to keep players entertained throughout.