Kiss Reels of Rock

Kiss Reels of Rock: Slot Overview

The rock group Kiss was colossal back in the day, the band famous for their face painting, eccentric costumes, fire breathing, fireworks, smoking guitars, and blood-spitting antics on stage, amongst other wacky things. Kiss might have wanted to 'Rock and roll all night and party every day', but that sounds pretty tiring. Surely you'd need to rest at some point? Well, to help keep players amped, developer Play'n GO has teamed up with the band to produce Kiss Reels of Rock, one of the largest games the studio has made.

There could only be one location big enough to host a Kiss themed online slot - in a stadium before hordes of enthusiastic fans. Banks of speakers fill the view, which is apt since Kiss performed one of the loudest concerts of all times, reaching an alleged 136 dB in Ottawa in 2009. 136 dB might sound pretty rock 'n' roll, but it's also the threshold of pain, so, horrible for your ears. Back to the game, and the graphics are as solid as they usually are from Play'n GO, though a little uninventive when compared to the atmospheric visuals that have appeared in some of their other rock-themed games. Kiss lights up the screen during count ups, and last but certainly not least for fans, there's a number of familiar songs for their aural delights. Fortunately, Kiss the slot is not as loud as the Canada gig. At least when played on a regular home sound system.

Kiss Reels of Rock is played on a 6-reel game grid, a little unusual in itself, arranged in a 2-3-4-4-3-2 configuration. This setup provides an initial 576 ways to win, which alters when encore free spins are activated. The game is literally as volatile as it gets from Play'n GO, rated 10 out of 10, yet it kind of had to be when dealing with a band that favoured extremes. The same goes for potential, too, as you will see. The RTP remains Play'n GO's go-to figure of 96.2% in the default setting, though it can be found lower depending on the market. Any device is suitable for hosting Kiss, where bets of 10 p/c to $/€100 may be set.

The original band members dominate the paytable where they appear as the four higher value symbols. Premium band picture symbols take up two positions each and are worth 6 to 12x the bet for a six of a kind hit. The remaining five symbols are low-value 9-A card royals, which get you 1.5 to 4x the bet for a line of six. Wilds are the most valuable symbol in the game, worth 15x the stake for a line of six. They also replace any other symbol on the reels, except scatters.

Kiss Reels of Rock: Slot Features

Just as Kiss travelled to bring their music to the world, players can travel (sort of) to five destinations when free spins are triggered. As well as a bonus round, there are two random features called Lock and Load and Drive Me Wild.

Lock and Load

This feature may trigger randomly on any base game spin. When active, 2 reels synchronise to display the same symbols on each. This could be reels 1 and 6, 2 and 4, or 3 and 4.

Drive Me Wild

This is another feature that may trigger at any time in the base game. When it does, a guaranteed x2 wild symbol is added on reel 2, 3, 4, or 5, though not over a scatter or high pay symbol. All other wilds landing during Drive Me Wild also have an x2 multiplier attached.

Free Spins

The scatter symbol can land on any reel, and having 3 or more in view triggers the free spin selector. Players get to choose from five options, each with a variety of free spins and encore free spins.

• Johannesburg – 20 normal free spins, 1 encore free spin.
• Sydney – 16 normal free spins, 2 encore free spins.
• London – 12 normal free spins, 3 encore free spins.
• Rio de Janeiro – 8 normal free spins, 4 encore free spins.
• Tokyo – 4 normal free spins, 5 encore free spins.

Every free spin synchronises 2 reels, as described in the Lock and Load feature above. No scatters appear until the final free spin. If 3 scatters land on the final free spin, the encore free spins are awarded. These spins take place on a 6x4 sized game grid, with 4,096 ways to win where every spin has the reel synchronisation feature, and all wilds have an x2 multiplier. There are no scatters in encore spins, so they cannot be retriggered.

Kiss Reels of Rock: Slot Verdict

When Kiss first exploded on the scene it might have seemed like rock 'n rollers from another planet had somehow ended up on earth and decided what the hey, let's rock this planet while we're here. Their tunes clearly resonated with the earthlings as the band went on to sell more than 75 million copies, earning them a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. These are massive credentials, making them one of the biggest groups Play'n GO has worked with to produce an online slot. The result is an oversized, somewhat unwieldy game, which should sit well with fans of the music, as well as rock inclined players up for a challenge.

The most controversial aspect of Kiss Reels of Rock is arguably the way encore free spins are not guaranteed to occur since they're dependent on landing three scatters on the final free spin. Having the five bonus round options gives players some leeway, knowing that regular free spins are banked no matter what happens, while the encore part of the bonus round is a wild stab in the dark, adding an extra volatile dimension. Get it wrong and your time on stage is disappointingly cut short. Get it right, and the game's finest features get their time in the spotlight. In Kiss Reels of Rock, they shine brighter than just about anything else Play'n GO has done to the tune of 50,000x the bet.

Kiss Army players should be ecstatic the group has lent their looks and sounds to Play'n GO's rock range of slots. The studio has put the band to good use as well, reliving the band's glory moments in a stadium doing what they do best before an adoring audience. Kiss Reels of Rock's can be equally satisfying to play, too. Don't expect a gameplay paradigm shift, but theoretically, at least, if it all comes together, the game is a total firecracker and hitting its max win would cause all sorts of metaphorical undergarments to be thrown on stage.