Cabin Crashers

Cabin Crashers: Slot Overview

Developer Quickspin invites players up into the majestic Appalachian Mountains for a spot of R&R to kick back, enjoy the clean air, listen to the sounds of nature, and maybe do a bit of bird watching. Like sitting next to a loud popcorn muncher at the movies though, this getaway's been spoiled by a bunch of zombies, literally zombies. The next thing you know, you're holed up in a rickety cottage with your trusty 12 gauge, putting holes through the heads of the undead.

Sounds like B Grade horror, and to be honest, that's exactly what Cabin Crashers is – in all the right ways. Quickspin has spun gore with comedy in a rural American homage, replete with gators, moonshine, and shiver down the spine Appalachian gothic. The gaming itself occurs on a 5-reel game grid, divided into 3 rows and providing 20 paylines to land winning combos on. Background imagery wouldn't be out of place in a Hacksaw Gaming slot, Quickspin having gone for a minimalist representation of a tree-lined mountain. At the back, you can just make out the cabin of the title, and it's to this flimsy excuse for refuge you'll want to head to since that's where free spins take place.

For your listening pleasure, Quickspin's sound team has come up with a marvellous Oh Brother Where Art Thou inspired soundtrack to accompany the action. It's a real slow-burning tub-thumper during the base game, overlaid by a wicked fiddle, before going full Dukes of Hazzard for the bonus game.

Cabin Crashers is playable on any device, offering an array of betting options starting at 20 p/c, rising to $/€100 per spin at max. It's a highly unpredictable affair, though players have some control over risk-reward via four free spin options when the bonus game is triggered. The RTP varies, depending on which Grave pick is made and whether they trigger naturally or are bought. If going organic, expect a theoretical return value of 96.18%-96.19%, rising to 96.49%-96.52% when the bonus is purchased. The final piece of the math model is volatility, which Quickspin has rated 5 out of 5, and after an extensive playthrough, there is absolutely no argument with the rating.

Regular line wins occur when three or more matching symbols land left to right from the leftmost reel. 10 to Ace card symbols make up the low half of the table, superseded by mid pay items such as moonshine bottles, axes, bullets, gator heads, bear heads, and hockey masks. These higher value symbols pay out a prize worth 5 to 40 times the bet when landing in lines of five of a kind. That wraps the base game, now onto features.

Cabin Crashers: Slot Features

The central feature in Cabin Crashers is Multiplier Wilds, which come into effect in both the base game and Zombie Siege Free Spins. Multiplier Wilds land as zombies, on reels 2-4, before being shot to reveal a multiplier value. In the base game, this is a random value of x2-x5, while in free spins, it will be a set value based on the choice made in the Grave Picker. Multiplier Wilds contribute to all win lines they are part of, and when more than one is used on the same win line, the values are added together.

Gravestone scatter symbols are present on reels 1, 3, and 5. Landing 3 of them on the same spin triggers the Grave Picker sequence. Here, players choose one of 4 options to kick off Zombie Siege Free Spins. Graves offering fewer free spins come with a higher risk but also offer greater winning potential. The 4 choices are:

• Grave 1: 12 free spins where wilds reveal an x2 or x3 multiplier, max win is 5,111x.
• Grave 2: 9 free spins where wilds reveal an x3 or x4 multiplier, max win is 6,843x.
• Grave 3: 6 free spins where wilds reveal an x4 or x5 multiplier, max win is 9,822x.
• Grave 4: 6-20 free spins where wilds reveal one of the above or an x5 multiplier, max win is 22,144x.

Grave 4 is potentially the riskiest choice as you may end up with 6 spins and x2-x3 multipliers throughout; however, you could also score 20 free spin where only x5 wilds land. In addition, what makes free spins really zing, is that when wild symbols hit, they are sticky, meaning their multipliers may be used for the duration of the round.

In countries that let players buy bonus features, instead of waiting around for Gravestone Scatters to land organically, free spins may be bought for 75 times the total bet for instant access.

Cabin Crashers: Slot Verdict

Cabin Crashers isn't automatically the sort of game you associate with Quickspin and not your typical zombie slot. The presentation is delightfully playful, and the features are simple yet effective. Audio-visually, Cabin Crashers stands out from the crowd straight away, though it did awaken memories of Hacksaw Gaming's Mystery Hotel. Perhaps because both games showcase an unusual part of the world where communities close ranks to quickly hush up dark deeds before they can seep out into the wider world.

Playfulness is only skin deep in Cabin Crashers, so have your rifle close and watch your back. Beneath the outer wrapper, the game is as volatile as a reanimated corpse – dead one minute, baying for blood the next. It can be especially brutal when things aren't going your way, bouncing back to epic when the right symbols decide to hit. Sticky wild multipliers seem to be having a renaissance moment, built in the spirit of Pragmatic Play's The Dog House and Quickspin's own hit Eastern Emeralds.

Sticky wild multipliers are certainly a thrill when you've parked a few early on in free spins. Relax's Top Dawg$ springs to mind as a contemporary comparison in this regard. One key difference between the two is that Cabin Crashers adds values when more than one multiplier sits on a win line rather than multiplies them. However, the two games have comparable max win figures since Cabin Crashers can reach 22,144x the stake. If you are going to chase the top dollar, you'll have to do it in the Grave 4 pick, which is a crapshoot since you can just as easily end up with 6 spins and x2-x3 multipliers. Having options is great for players who like to know what they are getting and can pick Grave1-3 knowing that decent potential wins can still be had.

There are a few zombie slots kicking around now; however, most go for the gory realism seen in titles like Lost Vegas or 1 Left Alive. Quickspin bucks the trend by leaning on humour rather than horror to create a game that gives the impression it would prefer a laugh than a feast on the living. Don't let your guard down though, Cabin Crashers is a deadly serious slot, and potential glory is there if you can hold off the horde.