Jelly Slice

Jelly Slice: Slot Overview

Depending on which side of the Atlantic you reside on, the word 'jelly' can have different meanings. Broadly speaking, on the American side, jelly is close to the British equivalent of jam, while on the other side of the pond, jelly is usually the jiggly gelatinous substance otherwise referred to as Jello. It's this jiggly stuff which wiggles about in software provider Hacksaw Gaming's slot Jelly Slice, a relatively simple slot that dials up the cuteness factor while easing back the complexity.

In fact, the cuteness quotient has been cranked so high for this one it veers dangerously close to almost too sweet for certain tastes. However, some people can't get enough sweetness in their lives, and those appetites might be a better fit for Jelly Slice. To the right-hand side of the screen, we've got a flowing pink-haired, almost anime-style female character, clipboard in hand, while adorable little jelly people land on the reels in a pink and cyan-heavy game world. If your teeth or eyes aren't throbbing in pain yet, that's a positive signal to keep the investigation going.

Next on the list, or clipboard as the case may be, is picking a stake, and the options go as low as 10 cents or as high as $/€100 per paid spin. When pressing the spin button, symbols drop out of shoots onto a 5-reel, 4-row active gaming area where there can be anywhere from 1,024 to 1,048,576 ways to win. When symbols start getting sliced, that's when the ways to win increase. When regular betting, Jelly Slice's volatility is medium, and the default RTP is 96.24%.

The tumble mechanic removes winning symbols from the reels after they have paid, then drops symbols to fill the vacated spaces. Tumbles keep triggering as long as new wins keep appearing after the drop. Winning combinations start from the leftmost reel, and matching symbols must land on adjacent reels. The low pays are jelly-ish 10 to A symbols, while the highs are 5 jelly creatures in various colours. Hitting a 5 OAK royal win pays 1 times the bet for all of them, rising to 2-10 times the bet for a 5 OAK high pay win. Rainbow star wilds substitute for any regular pay symbols from any reel. A 5 wild symbol hit pays 20 times the stake.

Jelly Slice: Slot Features

Slice by name slice by nature, as Jelly Slice has a Slice Mechanic that chops symbols into bits, as well as tumbles, a Razor-Sharp bonus round, and feature buys.

Slicer Mechanic

During the game, it is possible to activate 1 Slicer per reel before the drop starts. The Slicer slices all symbols passing through it into 2, 3, or 4 pieces, depending on the value displayed on the Slicer. Each sliced part counts as one symbol for any potential wins. Slicers persist through tumbles, and any symbol dropping through a Slicer due to a tumble also gets sliced.

Razor-Sharp Bonus

Landing 5 to 20 FS scatter symbols in the base game activates the Razor-Sharp bonus round. Each FS symbol that lands awards 1 free spin for the bonus. During the bound round, there is an increased chance of activating Slicers. The number of FS symbols in view translates to the number of free spins awarded after the scatters have or have not been sliced. For example, 1, 2, 3, or 4 FS symbols in view awards +1, +2, +3, or +4 extra free spins, respectively.

Bonus Buy

Jelly Slice's feature buy section comes with these choices:

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins - 3x the bet for a spin that is 5 times more likely to trigger a bonus game. Highly volatile, RTP 96.39%.
• Slicer FeatureSpins - 20x the bet for a spin, which guarantees at least 1 Slicer. Very highly volatile, RTP 96.33%.
• Razor-Sharp Bonus - 100x the bet. Highly volatile, RTP 96.37%.

Jelly Slice: Slot Verdict

Jelly Slice has an interesting feature, but it is packaged within a slot that doesn't punch as forcefully as it might have. Some people may argue otherwise, fair enough, and if sweet, adorable, faux anime environments are the absolute bee's knees, then Jelly Slice could be just the thing. Jelly Slice felt light for a Hacksaw Gaming slot and not in the same charming way as, say, a Canny the Can game. It seemed closer in spirit to anomalies like Bouncy Bombs or Vending Machine. As when reviewing those two, Jelly Slice didn't create the impression it was going to be one of Hacksaw Gaming's top performers, but there are points of interest.

One is the Slicer feature. It combines perfectly with cascading wins since if a winning symbol or symbols are removed from beneath a Slicer, any symbol tumbling through the Slicer will be sliced in turn. This system has the makings of sweet cascade runs, potentially, not to mention a monstrous number of possible ways to win, provided a bunch of symbols on the grid cut through the Slicer. As a flow-on effect, winning potential of 10,000x the bet is a sizable shake of icing on top and is achievable in all game modes.

To wrap up, Hacksaw Gaming has bravely taken a break from the multiplier reel effect to experiment with alternative ways of entertaining gamblers, which is appreciated. The resulting feature has promise, and as is often the studio's way, if the team tinkers with it in future releases, this wouldn't be a bad thing.