Wild Wild Riches Returns

Wild Wild Riches Returns: Slot Overview

If you ever needed proof that time is flying, developer Pragmatic Play's Wild Wild range of slots has, at the time of writing, been marching on for over 5 years. Five years, where does the time go? Anyway, within that period of time, there have been such slots as Wild Wild Riches, a Megaways version, Wild Wild Joker, Wild Wild Pearls, Wild Wild Bison, and more. What tends to unite them, other than a tepid to lukewarm reception, are wild symbol-triggered effects - collecting Money symbols, for example. This returns in the online slot Wild Wild Riches Returns, along with expanded jackpot prizes and a mechanical switch around.

To help encourage Irish slot fans through the door, Pragmatic Play has painted a charming Emerald Isle scene for their optical pleasure. The base game ticks a lot of the required visual elements for this style of game - rolling green hills, a rainbow, Celtic patterns, though if you're looking to have hordes of leprechauns join you as you gamble, then there are probably better options than this. The bonus round turns up the charm even further, draping the countryside in a near magical purple night sky. As these kinds of slots often do, Wild Wild Riches Returns brings on a nice Irish slot atmosphere while being a tad generic at the same time. Quite prettily generic, admittedly.

One thing that's changed for the Return is a grid juggle. Instead of the 3-3-4-4-4 in Wild Wild Riches, we get a 3-4-4-4-3 grid similar to the one used in The Wild Gang, minus a reel. Utilising a ways to win pay system means there are 576 ways to knock together winning combinations of 3 to 5 matching symbols, though this is more of a Money symbol, jackpot game. Gamblers are able to stake $/€0.25 to $/€250 per spin, and can expect a medium volatile math model and a theoretical RTP of 96.5% at the top setting.

Landing along all reels are the four card suits, pipes, mushrooms, boots, horseshoes, and chests of gold. Five-of-a-kind suits pay 0.32x to 0.8x the bet, while a winning way of 5 matching high pays award 1.2x to 8x the bet. The wild symbol may land on the leftmost and rightmost reels. It replaces any of the regular pay symbols and may appear with an x2 multiplier, which applies to all ways wins and Money symbol collections made by that wild.

Wild Wild Riches Returns: Slot Features

Wild Wild Riches Returns brings back the Money Collect feature, though the rules have changed, free spins with a final super spin, Irish Spins, and a feature buy.

Money Collect

The Money symbol may land with a value of 1x to 8x the bet, or the 10x Mini, 25x Minor, 50x, Major, 100x Mega, 1,000x Grand, or the 10,000x Emerald prize. When Money symbols are in view, and wild symbols are present on the leftmost or rightmost reels, their values are awarded for each wild on screen.

Free Spins

Hitting 3 scatters triggers the bonus round, and 6 to 20 free spins are randomly awarded. Players are able to collect or gamble the amount of free spins they won (if fewer than 20). Extra free spins are awarded if successful, or the whole lot is lost if unsuccessful. Hitting 2 or 3 scatters during the feature awards +2 or +4 extra free spins, respectively.

During the round, when Money symbols hit, their values are collected in a meter. At the end of the feature, an extra super spin plays where the middle three reels display a symbol with the collected Money values, and the two outermost reels spin. The value of the giant Money symbol is awarded for each wild that lands.

Irish Spin and Feature Buy

Activating the Irish Spin costs 10x the bet, where only blanks, Money, wild, or scatter symbols may land. Money collection occurs as it does in regular spins. Otherwise, players may buy entrance to the free spins feature for 100x their bet.

Wild Wild Riches Returns: Slot Verdict

Wild Wild Riches Returns is a real case of how you felt about the series so far is how you're very likely going to react to this one. Pragmatic Play has switched around some of the original's mechanics, including a reel shift, but for most intents and purposes, if you liked or didn't like what came before, this one does little to convince otherwise. But still, changes there are, if some seem a little cosmetic. The reel restructuring is one thing, which may come across a bit superficial, yet it does change the way Money symbols are awarded. Furthermore, Money symbols offer much greater jackpot prizes this time, too, which is likely to be a sweetener. Other than that, it's sort of business as usual.

Opp, almost forgot the super spin twist. Free spins are a highlight, and the super spin might end up being a real nail-biter if a sizable prize pot has built up during the preceding free spins. Each landed wild awards the pot, so the more the merrier, as they say. The Emerald Prize means Wild Wild Riches Returns boasts more than two times the winning potential of the original at 10,000x the stake. Twice the fun? That's debatable, though fans of Wild Wild Riches, or Wild Wild slots in general, should both be on familiar ground and pretty happy with what the Return brings.

Those not so thrilled by the original, and Wild Wild Riches did not achieve an enviable score when it was reviewed half a decade or so ago, are less likely to be convinced. It is a jolly Irish-themed slot, and Money collection games are popular, so a general audience might find one or two things to admire. But, in the grand scheme of things, Wild Wild Riches Returns feels like a pretty familiar trip across the same old rainbow.