Pac-Man Wild Edition Slot Review – a Generous Gameplay Experience
With a licensing agreement between the company Namco Bandai and the software developer Ainsworth, the Pac-Man Wild Edition slot game was released in 2017. When slot players worldwide witnessed it, they were impressed not only by the timeless charm of the titular character himself but also by the innovative slot features found here. In today’s Pac-Man Wild Edition slot review, our readers will discover how this game manages to withstand the challenges of the constantly changing iGaming trends, but also everything about the title’s many incredible bonus features and mechanics!
The Entertaining Storyline of the Pac-Man Wild Edition Slot Machine
If you’re not aware of the Pac-Man story, it can be summarised in one particular phrase – hunting and eating ghosts! That’s right, while the arcade game from the 1980s presented Pac-Man in a maze where the yellow sphere was chasing ghosts, in the slot version of the story, players will try to land as many Pac-Man symbols as possible in order to get better wins. As a licensed title, you can clearly see the effort Ainsworth had put into its development – the design of the characters, and even the sounds that are used for the different effects, stay true to the original game!
The Pac-Man Wild Edition Slot Game Offers Innovative Features
The first thing that needs to be mentioned about the Pac-Man Wild Edition slot game, is its new reel layout. Essentially, it is a classic 3×5 pattern; however, on the top of it, there is another reel strip made up of one row and five reels that act as an additional bonus enabling mechanic, with its own set of symbols.
The regular reel layout has 13 symbols, one of which is a high paying one (the Power Pellet), six mid-paying ones (Pac-Man, Scared Ghost, Red Ghost, Blue Ghost, Orange Ghost, and Pink Ghost), and six low-paying symbols (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9). While most symbols here will serve only to form winning combinations and perform payouts, a few select symbols are used to enable the game’s main bonus features.
The Extra Reel Strip Is the First Bonus Feature
The silver reel strip that you see above the main gameplay layout is the one that has a major contribution in enhancing the main game. As a separate game mechanic, the strip will spin alongside the main reels and will stop shortly after the main spin has been concluded – once the silver strip has come to a stop, it will produce one of three symbols: the Pac-Man, a Key, or a Pattern (Ghost Outline).
The interesting fact about it is that none of those symbols will provide a “payout prize”; however, they will enable additional functions within the Pac-Man video slot Wild Edition. If you land a small Pac-Man symbol, it will drop down to the bigger reels beneath it and turn it into a full wild reel! A Pattern symbol is the most commonly appearing one, and it doesn’t do anything; however, things change if the silver strip produces the Key symbol in its second, third, and fourth position.
Instant Prizes and a Chance for a Bigger Win
Once three keys have shown up at the very top, the game will enable a special bonus wheel that will form in the middle of the playing field. You will notice that some of the fields will have a multiplier value that can go from x2 up to x50 a player’s bet! Not only that, but if the bonus wheel stops turning on the “Extra Chance” field, then you will be able to take another turn on the wheel. When engaged in Extra Chance mode, the wheel will feature the higher multiplier values, but also some of the jackpot types which are present in the game.
This Is How the Multiplier Prizes Work
After the slot has successfully engaged the “Key Bonus” mini-game, the bonus wheel will present the following multiplier fields – x2, x3, x5, x10, and x15. Hitting any of these fields will produce a win that is based on the players bet, multiplied by the value itself. In “extra chance” mode, the multiplier fields will be substantially elevated, presenting values such as x10, x20, x30, and x50!
The Free Spins Offer More Winning Possibilities
If you’re lucky enough to score three scatter symbols (Power Pellet), the game will engage in bonus rounds mode, giving you eight free spins (FS). Once it does, the entire game will transform into a 9×5 reel layout that will still have the additional bonus silver strip on top! When the reels transform, the number of paylines is going to triple from 25 to 75, providing players with a lot more winning opportunities within the slot. It should be mentioned that while in free spins mode, the silver strip will not produce Key symbols (meaning that the bonus game during FS mode is going to be disabled); however, you will still be able to land smaller Pac-Man symbols that will produce large, full wild reels!
The free spins mode will have a separate and unique paytable, which will feature the same symbols as those in the base game, but with different payout values. Also, if you are lucky enough to collect at least three additional Power Pellets during FS mode, the game will grant you five additional free spins on the ones that you already have. Since there is no limit to the amount of FS you can receive, if you’re lucky, the FS mode can run indefinitely, potentially scoring many wins for you!
Winning a Pac-Man Wild Edition Jackpot Happens Randomly in a Feature
When it comes to jackpots, Pac-Man Wild Edition doesn’t have one, but four of them! From smallest to largest, they are Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand. Players will notice that all prize values are fixed and won’t change regardless of the total bet’s size. The Mini will grant a win of €20, the Minor – €100, the Major – €2,000, and the Grand – €10,000.
Although the conditions under which the jackpots can be won are completely random, the game must go through two main stages before a jackpot possibility can be presented. First, the game must enable its “Key Bonus”, and after that, the next step would be to engage the “Extra Chance” mode. In addition to the highest multiplier fields, additional ones will correspond for every one of the four available jackpots.
Basic Instructions – The Pac-Man Slot Is Easy to Play
Although the game might look like it has many “bells and whistles”, it all comes down to simply adjusting your preferred bet amount, and you will be ready to spin. Since the game has 25 fixed paylines, there won’t be anything else to adjust, besides your bet per spin value, which will have a min-max betting range between €0.02 and €0.80. Since the value selector is displaying “per line” values, you can either adjust it through the game’s settings, or use the “plus and minus” buttons to set your total bet value. Essentially, the smallest BPS value here will be €0.50, while the largest €20.
The RTP of the Pac-Man Wild Edition slot game is listed by the developer to be 94.20%. By no means this is considered to be a high RTP game; however, anything above 94% is usually defined as being the standard for slots that have been modelled after licensed franchises. This particular slot title has been listed as having low volatility, and if you’ve managed to play it for a little bit you’ve probably come across the full-sized reels at least once or twice.
Moving onto the single line symbol wins – if you’ve scored a successful five symbol win from the lowest ranking symbol in the game (which is the Nine), you will receive a reward of €0.20 (based on a min value BPS). On the other hand, the largest singular line win, will come if you successfully manage to score five Power Pellet symbols. They will grant a €200 win if the player has landed the combo with a maximum BPS value.
An Ordinary Auto Play Mechanic
The Pac-Man Wild Edition slot game does have an autoplay function; however, many have defined it as being “too simple”. What this means, is that players will be able to set a maximum number of 25 spins, and that’s pretty much it. There will be no additional conditions that can be set, meaning that once a special feature or a bonus game is activated, the game will automatically pause the autoplay mechanic.
Maybe the Most Platform-Available Slot in Ainsworth’s Portfolio
The Pac-Man Wild Edition slot machine is remarkable for being available on physical gaming cabinets, all types of computers, and Android and iOS mobile devices! The game’s popularity has prompted the developer to make it fully available on a variety of platforms. You should note, however, that depending on what type of platform you’re playing it in, there will be a few differences in both the form and function of the slot.
When comparing the PC version to the one used in gaming cabinets, players will notice that the design of the mid-paying symbols will be a bit different. Additionally, the way the Key bonus game appears will also be unique. Perhaps the most notable difference, is the fact that cabinets are often incorporated to use “credits” rather than direct currency. The mobile version of the game, on the other hand, has a custom-made gaming interface that allows the game to be played in vertical mode!
The Slot’s Originality Makes It Future-Proof
The slot continues to be famous not only because it does justice to the titular character it was based on, but because of the high-risk-high-reward mechanics it offers. As a renowned developer, Ainsworth has successfully implemented their philosophy for quality into the Pac-Man Wild Edition slot machine. This is why, the game continues to remain as one of the most famous slot examples in both online and offline gambling establishments.
If we were to define some of the game’s characteristics as being “drawbacks”, we would say that the overall RTP rate does seem to be a bit lower than we would like it to be, but that isn’t something to obsess about. We believe that this slot is truly made to be fun, whether you’re playing it in demo mode or for real money – check it out if you can!
FAQ
Why Do the Wild Symbols Appear More Often Than the Scatter Symbols?
If you’ve noticed something like that, there might be some merit to your observation! While this information is unconfirmed, wild symbols have a greater frequency for appearing, when compared to the Power Pellet scatters. This is perhaps due to the fact that the game’s free spins mode (which results from the collection of scatters) has a lot more paylines.
Why Isn’t the Maximum Bet Value a Bit Higher Here?
It is true that Ainsworth slots have been known for their availability to high rollers. On the other hand, the developer wanted to present a slot title that would have maximum exposure to the community, which is why the maximum BPS value isn’t that large. It is known that slots with higher limits often have a “turn off” effect on beginner slot players, which is what Ainsworth wanted to avoid with Pac-Man Wild Edition.
Is There a Way for Me to Play the Game on a Much Higher Wager Setting?
Unfortunately, there is no evidence to support that the game allows bets that are larger than €20 (or equivalent in other currency or credits). Although there are jurisdictions that allow slot play with higher bets, the top-rated casino sites in the UK adhere to the laws set forth by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, which is another reason why Pac-Man doesn’t seem to have been developed by Ainsworth with higher bet limits.