Rabbit in the Hat 2

Rabbit in the Hat 2: Slot Overview

The original Rabbit in the Hat slot was released by Games Global (then known as Microgaming) in 2015, which triggered certain features when wild symbols landed beneath different hats with bunny ears poking out of them. Roll on the start of 2024 when the time was apparently right to release the sequel, Rabbit in the Hat 2, this time from Slingshot Studios, a partner whom Games Global had palmed the job off to. As before, illusion enthusiasts get to look out for hat features, as well as jackpots, free spins, and the like.

Also, as before, players are ushered into a heavily draped room, where they take their seats in a theatre-like environment with a gaming grid up on a stage. Something along those lines. A magician occupies the right-hand side of the screen while his chesty, leggy assistant stands on the left-hand side. Both wiggle about animatedly, glances wandering all over the place, while an oompah-style band provides Rabbit in the Hat 2's backing track. The visuals have this cool, retro flair, reminiscent of those classic point-and-click PC games like 'Sam and Max,' where the vibrant and exaggerated art style adds a layer of charm and whimsy that's both engaging and delightfully nostalgic.

Hitting the three lines icon above the spin button is how players can choose the stake they would like to wager on each spin from a minimum of 20 c to a maximum of $/€20. Rabbit in the Hat 2 is highly volatile, whereas its predecessor was closer to the medium part of the spectrum, and several RTP models have been designed, defaulting at 96.08%. A 5-reel, 3-row gaming space is where the action occurs, and 20 paylines are supplied to land winning combinations of 3 or more of a kind on, form the leftmost side of the grid.

On the lower edge of the paytable are 9 to A card royals, awarding 1 to 2 times the bet for landing a 5 OAK win. Then come cards, wands, locked boxes, chests, the lady presenter, and the magician as the high pays, awarding 5 to 10 times the bet for a 5-of-a-kind hit. Bunny in a hat symbols are wild, and they appear on all of the reels. Wilds pay up to 50x the bet for a 5 wild winning line, and they can be used to substitute any of the regular pay symbols.

Rabbit in the Hat 2: Slot Features

Wilds are also used to trigger the Hat Feature and the various effects this may lead to. Free spins are on the table, too, as is the Upsizer and a bonus buy.

Hat Feature

In the base game, 1 to 5 hat types may randomly appear above the reels. Landing a wild symbol on the reels below a hat awards its prize, and multiple prizes can be won per spin. All hats hop 1 reel to the left per spin. Hats reaching the first reel without being awarded are removed from the reels on the next spin. Any held scatters or hat positions are stored per bet amount. Hats are able to trigger these modifiers:

• Extra Scatter Hat – awards 1 scatter symbol, which is held until 2 or more scatter symbols land on the reels and free spins are triggered.
• Wild Multiplier Hat – awards x2, x3, or x5 wild multipliers.
• Wild Reel Hat – awards a wild reel.
• Walking Wild Reel Hat – awards a walking wild reel, which moves 1 reel to the left per spin.
• Collection Prize Hat – awards Mini or Minor letters in the base game. Awards Mini, Minor, Major, or Grand letters in the Collection Prize Free Spins.

Collection Prize

The Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand prizes are worth 15x, 50x, 250x and 2,500x the bet, respectively. Collecting all letters associated with one of the prizes awards its value. In the base game, a random Major or random Grand spin can award the associated prize when all letters are collected. Mini or Minor prizes can be won in the base game or in free spins, and any letters collected in free spins are available when returning to the base game. Collected Mini or Minor letters are stored per bet.

Free Spins

Landing 3 or more scatters triggers free spins. Should 4 or 5 scatters trigger the feature, then a payout of 10x or 50x the bet, respectively, is also made. In free spins, hats appear above every reel at the start of the round, and a hat appears above the rightmost reel on each spin. When triggered, the Free Spins Feature Wheel spins to award 1 of 4 free spins features, which can be retriggered:

• 20 free spins in the Collection Prize feature.
• 10 free spins in the Walking Wild Reels feature.
• 10 free spins in the Wild Reels feature.
• 10 free spins in the Wild Multipliers feature.

After the Free Spins Wheel has spun, it is possible to buy a more valuable free spins feature from the Upsizer. Also, at the end of free spins, players may buy 1 additional spin for a displayed calculated cost via the Bonus Recharge feature. Lastly, it is possible to buy entry to the free spins phase for the cost of 50 times the bet.

Rabbit in the Hat 2: Slot Verdict

It's odd when a sequel comes out so long after the original for no apparent reason. Not that there are major complaints, as such. Rabbit in the Hat 2 has a few tricks it can perform, and the night out at the theatre to take in some magic atmosphere isn't bad. Quite good, actually, in a Roger and Jessica Rabbit cartoon-type way. Good enough, at least, to give Rabbit in the Hat 2 a few trial spins, perhaps, to see what else it conjures up.

Not a ton of stuff was conjured in the base game since hats on reels aren't as numerous as they are in free spins. But they do bounce along from time to time, and there are a few modifiers they can trigger should a wild land beneath them. As for free spins, the hierarchy seems to be, from bottom to top, Wild Multipliers, Wild Reels, Walking Wild Reels, and the Collection Prize feature, going by the prices displayed in the Upsizer menu. Presumably, the Collection Prize feature costs the most since that's where the 2,500x Grand may be won, but with max exposure of €/$200,000, it would appear greater max multipliers are technically possible.

Were players screaming out for a sequel to Rabbit in the Hat? Likely not, but if they were, then their voices have been heard, and Slingshot Studios has stepped into the breach to release a modernised version. Rabbit in the Hat 2 didn't produce the sort of illusions that would become the talk of the town, yet it's a game which can pull off the odd sleight of hand.