Wolf Canyon Hold & Win

Wolf Canyon Hold & Win: Slot Overview

Did you know that a hungry wolf can put away around 9 kg of meat in one sitting, which is the human equivalent of 100 hamburgers? Also, when two wolves mate, they typically stay together until one of them dies. These are just two of the fascinating facts we stumbled across while reviewing Wolf Canyon, an online slot from software provider iSoftBet. We don't want to sound harsh and say the facts were more interesting than the game, but Wolf Canyon isn't exactly an envelope bending slot. Instead, it's part of iSoftBet's Hold & Win range and offers streak respins, full reel wilds, and free spins in an attempt to satiate an audience of wolf enthusiasts.

Visually, Wolf Canyon is up to the task, and it takes place in a canyon/valley location, somewhere in the United States. The sort of place where eagles soar high, Native American culture is strong, and city life feels a million miles away. This has been done many times before in slots, yet Wolf Canyon can proudly stand with the best of them. Throughout the review, it was hard to escape the several allusions to Pragmatic Play's Wolf Gold, one of the classics of the genre. The wolf theme is one thing, but add in the jackpot prizes on top of the reels, much of the gameplay, and the near-identical looking money symbols, and the connection is hard to deny.

On the math front, Wolf Canyon is a step up from its predecessor for those who prefer things medium volatile. Incredibly, the bonus game triggered several times within the first 30 spins, so highly unpredictable sessions are on the cards. Across the game's 5-reel, 3-row panel are 25 fixed paylines, which generate a win when at least three matching symbols land on them from the left side. Any device may be used to traverse the canyon, with bets of 25 p/c to $/€25 per spin being available to choose from.

Leading off the paytable are 9-K card rank symbols adorned with little Native American related icons. They pay 2-3 times the stake for a five of a kind line win. Payouts rise to 4-6 times the stake for landing five premium symbols in a line, which could be the lady with wolf cub symbol or the other three high pay wolf symbols. Wilds in Wolf Canyon substitute for any paying symbol and can land stacked. When stacked three wilds high, they turn into Totem Wilds, which do the same thing as regular wilds, really.

Wolf Canyon Hold & Win: Slot Features

A couple more symbols to keep an eye out for are the scatter and cash moon symbols. Landing at least 5 cash moons triggers the Hold & Win feature. Once in, 3 spins are awarded, and landing new cash moon symbols resets the spin count. Cash moons are sticky when they land and display a cash value, or the Mini, Minor, or Major prize worth 30x, 100x, or 500x the bet total bet, respectively. If all of the positions manage to be filled, players win the 1,000x Grand Prize.

Wolf Feature Pick

Landing 3 scatter symbols on reels 1, 3, and 5 triggers the Wolf Feature Pick. Players pick a white or black wolf to reveal either the Hold & Win game (covered above) or free spins. If free spins are won, 8, 10 or 12 free spins are awarded with 25, 50, 75, or 100 extra wilds added to the reels. It is possible to win the initial amount of free spins again when 3 scatters land in view.

Dreamcatcher

The dreamcatcher located next to the reels can randomly trigger on any paid spin. When it does, an instant cash prize worth 8x, 88x, 888x, or 8,888x the bet is awarded. Be aware that the dreamcatcher can shake about during the game, but this does not mean the feature is guaranteed.

Wolf Canyon Hold & Win: Slot Verdict

Well, Wolf Canyon is an okay game for players in the mood for a nature-themed Hold & Win slot set in the American countryside. It's not exactly iSoftBet's best work, or even very original, though, it has to be said. We banged on about Wolf Gold a bit, yet Wolf Canyon actually has more in common with a slot called Lanterns & Lions. This is a slightly older iSoftBet Hold & Win game, which Wolf Canyon appears to have been cloned from. Both games have the same features, right down to the Pick feature and instant cash prize element. The difference is now you can choose between wolves rather than dragons, and a dreamcatcher that shakes to signal a potential cash prize instead of a red envelope. If all of those 8's from the Dreamcatcher prizes felt better suited to an Asian themed slot, now we know why.

The way iSoftBet is building their Hold & Win range is a little frightening in its relentless pace. It's definitely a diverse range of games, offering varying degrees of experimentalism. Wolf Canyon, and by extension the original, Lanterns & Lions, is one of the tamer ones. Its streak respin feature is a simple case of landing money or jackpot symbols; that's it. Potential wise, Wolf Canyon isn't hugely thrilling either. The 8,888x instant cash prize wouldn't be bad, though, outside this, players will be hard-pressed to achieve major rewards, either from free spins or respins. Overall, Wolf Canyon felt better suited to players who like their wins relatively small yet frequent, despite being technically classed as highly volatile.

While Wolf Canyon was okay to play through, getting overly excited about a cloned, wolf-themed Hold & Win slot was difficult. Players looking for a streak respin game with a side helping of free spins and instant cash wins might have a new game to try, but they aren't missing out on a classic if they don't.