Joker Split

Joker Split: Slot Overview

Prepare for some potential side-splitting as we join Relax Gaming on a trip back to the Middle Ages to be entertained by jokers, those jesters of the court in the online slot Joker Split. Splitting is an apt verb, too, because Joker Split is all about splitting its joker wild symbols then flinging them back onto the board through respin sequences. It's also got free spins, a bonus buy, and a tightrope of a post-bonus round feature that can really make or break a day. And so, for a joker-filled peek at an earlier time period before mobile phones and penicillin, come take a look at Joker Split with us.

Depending on the source, in the year 1,000, the population of Europe has been estimated to be approximately 40-60 million people. Whatever the exact number, there were significantly fewer people than now - a reality reflected by Joker Split's empty town square setting. The game's visuals reinforce the journey back to the Middle Ages, where a 6x6 grid sits in the middle of an urban location surrounded by charming Middle Agey buildings. It's hard to put a finger on, yet there was something a little retro about Joker Split. Not so much in the graphics, but some of the sound effects, perhaps, or the constant meandering of the music? It's nothing like Hellcatraz or Banana Town, obviously, but there's a touch. Maybe it's got something to do with the sound wild symbols make when they don't do anything and turn grey or some of the UI button sounds. A small touch, anyway.

Joker Split is a cluster paying slot which means wins are created when clusters of at least 5 identical pay symbols land, connected in horizontal or vertical directions. The game does not use ways or paylines. Nor does it use any sort of tumble feature. A highly volatile game, Relax Gaming has rated the volatility as 5 out of 5, whilst also offering two RTPs. One is 96.1% when wagering 10 p/c to $/€50 on individual spins, the other is 96.5% when buying free spins, which cost 100 times the bet.

The game lists 7 regular pay symbols on its pay table. For its low pays, it's got a red gem, a blue gem, and a green gem, then balls, juggling instruments, and dice as the mids, then a crown as the high pay symbol. Landing a winning cluster consisting of 5 identical symbols pays from 0.3 to 1 times the bet, while a 15+ cluster win awards 10 to 30 times the bet. The joker wild symbol substitutes for all pay symbols on the gaming board. Wilds may have multiplier values which are applied to any cluster win the wild is involved in. If more than 1 wild is involved in a win, then the multiplier values are added together before being applied to the cluster win.

Joker Split: Slot Features

A few more features remain to be covered – Splitting Wild Respins and free spins with a special buy extra spin feature.

Splitting Wild Respins

Any wild symbol that is part of a winning cluster jumps out of the reel area, duplicates itself, and triggers a respin. On a respin, the wilds from the previous spin jump back onto the gaming area. If a wild jumps onto a position that already contains a wild, their multipliers are added together.

Free Spins

Scatter symbols are collected when they land. Collecting 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols awards 5, 6, or 7 free spins, respectively. Respins can be triggered in free spins. In free spins, any wild not used in a winning cluster is stored outside the reels. On the first respin of each free spin, all stored wilds become regular wilds and jump back onto the reels. Landing a scatter symbol awards an extra free spin.

Buy Extra Free Spin

When free spins end, players may buy an extra free spin for the cost displayed on the screen. This is possible as long as the total multiplier of the stored wilds is less than x200. When bought, one free spin is played where the stored wilds from the last free spin round remain and are reactivated by landing a new wild that forms a win. Any wilds stored from the bought extra spin are kept. The theoretical RTP for buying extra free spins is 96.5%.

Joker Split: Slot Verdict

It's interesting, whilst total faith remains in Relax Gaming's ability to turn out some of the most frighteningly good slots ever made, the studio's releases have been a little patchy of late. Perhaps Money Train 4 looming on the horizon (at the time of review) was hoovering up the lion's share of Relax Gaming's resources and ideas, so supporting acts like Joker Split ended up getting less love than they might have done. Of course, this speculation might be way off the mark, but just a thought.

Joker Split has its moments, though, when stacks of wilds are flying around the gaming board, landing on top of each other, increasing multipliers and creating winning clusters and so on. It's got some good ideas, and the action can get hectic at times. Joker Split is helped along in free spins since non-used wilds are collected off-screen, just waiting to be flung back onto the reels. The buy extra free spin is a double-edged sword, similar in spirit to the one found in Wild Yield. Excellent when it all pans out, potentially expensive when it doesn't, and tempting to hit the 'Yes' button to buy it to see what happens in any case. Maybe tread carefully with it, as the price could quite quickly ratchet up, and the limit kick in rather soon, too.

Gamblers who liked the way they could push their luck at the end of a round of free spins in Wild Yield might have their interest piqued by Joker Split, which offers a similar ride. Its splitting wilds idea has positives, and few would complain about the 20,000x the bet max win. And so, Joker Split has its upsides, but it also feels like it's struggling to step out of the shadows cast by Relax Gaming's finer stuff.