Sidewinder Slot

Graphics

When it comes to online slots, Microgaming has done it all. It’s got a huge portfolio of slots to draw inspiration from, but something that never gets old is the classic idea of the old time fruit machine.

Bars, Lucky Sevens, Golden Bells, Horseshoes, Four Leaf Clovers – symbols of old - only this time they’ve been given a makeover and feature as the high paying symbols on this slot. Thankfully, it’s not just a case of revisiting old themes for the sake of it.

These symbols offer more than just a lick of paint. Each symbol is so crisp we’re worried that they’ll snap on the reels. And the shiny, twinkling gleam given off adds elegance to the slot. Which is remarkable considering the graphics appear in 8-bit! The floaty arrows across the top and bottom reel speed up during the Free Spins feature to add urgency into the game.

Gameplay

Sidewinder’s standout features are its reel layout and the capacity for the paylines to increase. But first we have to take a look at the Wilds which really live up to their name on this slot.

There’s the Regular Wild which can be triggered on horizontal reels; the Top Wild which comes in to play on the second reel; and the Bottom Wild showing up on the fourth. When either the Top or Bottom Wilds come in to play that’s when the magic happens.

If one of them is triggered, we zoom from 243 to 576 Ways to Win, and with both activated we enjoy a huge 1,125 Ways to Win! While the paylines expand, more Wilds can come in to play, giving us more chances to win. This is exacerbated even further when we trigger the Free Spins feature.

Three or more of the Scatter symbols need to appear on the second and fourth reels for us to get six or 10 free spins. Combined with the extra Ways to Win there’s the chance to win up to 2,720 times our stake. On each free spin. Now that is wild.

Verdict

With such a massive portfolio of slots, Microgaming doesn’t tend to disappoint. Even if it did, with so many great slots to choose from, any underachievers can get swept under the carpet.

Sidewinder doesn’t just stay on top of the carpet, it takes pride and place on the mantelpiece. It meets the need for the current desire for retro 8-bit graphics and vintage designs and balances the huge paylines on offer without going too over-the-top.