Fire Tale

Fire Tale: Slot Overview

It might be nothing special now, but fire was one of humankind's most important discoveries, which, among other things, helped keep people warm, safe, and, according to Richard Wrangham's 'cooking hypothesis', led to a major leap in human intelligence. A story of fire is told in software provider Quickspin's online slot Fire Tale. It's a cryptic tale, though, tricky to discern exactly what's going on, and one which touches on a technology invented many years later by the Chinese - fireworks. Blending storytelling and invention, Fire Tale packs the firecracker with nudging wilds and a merging sticky symbol free spins bonus round.

Fire Tale is an Asian-influenced online slot, but one that has been styled differently from how these types of games often are. Quickspin has made sure Fire Tale is no dragon, gong, or sycee-infested dime-a-dozen slot by weaving a story into the visuals rather than making players feel like they've stepped into a Macau club or a Hong Kong souvenir shop. Quite what the story might be is open to interpretation, but it appears to revolve around a young man, an interest in fireworks, and a touch of mystical nature on the side. It's quite an attractive game, with hints of mystery feeding the allure.

Nudged to the right of the screen is Fire Tale's gaming area, consisting of 5 reels, 4 rows, and 1,024 ways to win. An unusual range of stakes accompanies the game, starting from a minimum of $/€0.04 and going up to $/€100 per round. Activating the Extra Bet increases the stake by 50% to allow wilds to land on the rightmost reel and an increased chance of landing a wild on the reels. The preferred RTP when regular betting is 96.18%, or 96.32% with the Extra Bet switched on, while the volatility is medium-high.

Fire Tale's pay symbols are split into three groups. The lows are five flame symbols, which all pay 0.75x the bet when they create 5 OAK winning combinations. The mediums are a box of matches, a burner, a scroll, and a pouch worth up to 3x the bet, while the single high pay is a character symbol awarding 15x the stake for a 5 OAK winning way.

Fire Tale: Slot Features

When the cracker pops, what shoots from Fire Tale are nudging wilds, Fire Respins, sticky symbol Fusion Free Spins, and feature buys.

Wild Nudge

When the Extra Bet is inactive, wild symbols only appear on the middle three reels. They are able to substitute for all symbols except the bonus scatter. A partial wild may nudge to cover the whole reel and trigger Fire Respins. The wild gets a +1 multiplier for each position it is nudged. The wild multiplies all wins it is involved with, and wins can be multiplied by multiple wilds.

Fire Respins

A fully stacked wild landing or nudging into view triggers Fire Respins and is sticky for them. Hitting a fully stacked wild on a regular spin awards 2 Fire Respins, even if more stacked wilds landed. During Fire Respins, new fully stacked wilds that land or nudge into place also become sticky and award another Respin, no matter how many landed.

Fusion Free Spins

Hitting 3, 4, or 5 bonus scatters awards 10, 12, or 15 Fusion Free Spins, respectively. In the feature, only special Level 1, 2, 3, and 4 symbols may appear. Whenever a symbol lands, it sticks in place and is kept for the rest of the round unless merged. When free spins end, each of the symbols reveals a random value depending on its level and the total is awarded. Any time two symbols of the same level are next to each other, below level 4, they merge into the next level symbol.

Free spins also benefit from a Fusion Meter that starts with 4 empty spots. Each time two symbols of the same level merge, the meter fills by +1. When the meter is full, additional free spins are awarded. Each time the meter is filled, it resets and increases the number of empty spots by +1 up to 6 empty spots. Filling 4, 5, or 6 empty spots awards a further +3, +5, or +7 free spins, respectively. A 6 empty spot meter can be filled and reset again. When free spins end, each of the symbols reveals a random prize value depending on its level: Level 1 pays 0.25x–0.75x, Level 2 pays 1.5x–2.5x, Level 3 pays 4x–7x, the 10x Mini, or 25x Minor, and Level 4 pays 50x–100x, the 150x Major, or the 5,000x Grand.

Buy Feature

Several options are available at Fire Tale's feature buy. They are 15x to buy the Fire Respin feature, 40x to buy Fusion Free Spins triggered by 3+ scatters, or 75x to buy Fusion Free Spins with 5 scatters.

Fire Tale: Slot Verdict

Fire Tale goes to show that within an online slot genre broadly put as 'Asian', there is plenty of room for nuance. Quickspin has put together a pleasant package which should appeal to the senses and imagination of gamblers with an interest in this area. The game also has certain links to Quickspin's Sakura Fortunes lineup, more specifically, nudging wilds and respins, and some players may appreciate the connections there. However, in Fire Tale, nudging wild Fire Respins are an entree served in the base game only, rather than the main course. They are potentially fruitful, though, due to the way they stick to the reels through respins, coupled with the 1,024 ways to win. Let's not forget nudging wilds get a multiplier as well, so they're not bad for keeping the base game moving along.

If you like video games like Salazar the Alchemist, 2048, or the Suika game, then Fire Tale's bonus round might tickle the dopamine in a similar way. Simple, yet smart, Fusion Free Spins isn't a typical hold 'n' win round since spins do not reset. But apart from that, thrills are produced when symbols stick in place, then amplified when matching symbols merge into one of a higher level. Sometimes they may merge in a direction that is conducive to more merging, sometimes they may merge in unhelpful directions. Further suspense comes at the end, when prize values are revealed before the payout. Many of the bonus round symbol values aren't mammoth, aside from the Grand, which coincidentally equals Fire Tale's 5,000x max win.

Overall, Fire Tale is a charming game, with a unique personality and an assortment of useful features. Nudging wild Fire Respins do their thing, as they have in the past, and the free spins round has a unique quality to it. For a greater firework-themed punch, Big Time Gaming's Fireworks Megaways is one to try, but Fire Tale is also an engaging option for players seeking a blend of tradition and creativity within the Asian-themed slot category.