Wild Gambler Arctic Adventure Slot Review

When the Wild Gambler slot was released by Ash Gaming a while ago now, its desert setting and unusual Lock and Spin option was one of the unique selling points of the game.  The ability to hold one or more Wilds in place and respin the reels, albeit for a higher initial stake, certainly added a new dimension to what was already a fast-paced and fun slot to play.

So it is therefore perhaps unsurprising that Ash Gaming are now revisiting this feature with their Wild Gambler Arctic Adventure slot which is the sequel to the original, but which this time is set in an icy wilderness. The game says it is an Northerly Arctic Adventure but the slot consists of both Penguins (South Pole) as well as Polar Bears (North Pole), but wherever it is in the realms of fantasy slot lands, it is a rather chilly place.

Decorated in a chilly blue livery, the game recaptures all the fun, cartoon-styled elements of the original and of course the key features of that popular first game have been dusted down and are available on the second, including a dedicated Free Spins bonus round (with some nice and unusual features) and of course the Lock and Spin option.

With a charming soundtrack playing as you spin, some lovely animations on the symbols on the reels and bright, vivid graphics, the presentation of the slot is high quality. The low value symbols on the reels are playing card lows and they are designed as blocks of ice, which works rather nicely. There are five of these symbols, from the ten through to the ace.

Higher value symbols on the reels include the main animals on the slot the penguin (who one can only assume has decided to go on holiday to the North Pole), the Walrus, the Arctic Fox and a rather strange looking Moose. Spins start from just £0.20 and go up to £200 per spin on this 5×3 reel, 20 payline slot. 

The other symbols on the reels turn into the main features of the slot so we will explore these in more detail in the section below.

Wild Gambler Arctic Adventure Key Features

The first key feature of the slot is the Polar Bear Wild symbol which can be used to substitute for any of the standard high or low value symbols on the reels to create winning lines. If you can land five of the Polar Bear Wild symbols on a single pay line then you will trigger the 1,000 coin jackpot.

However, once that spin is concluded you then have a decision to make as you can elect to keep that Wild Symbol in place using the Lock and Spin button, rather than the standard Spin button. This will hold the Wild in place on that reel and spin all other symbols for that spin, but the downside of this option is that it will cost you more per spin when you hold a Wild and spin.

You can then add more Wilds to any that you have on the reel on consecutive spins, but as you do, the size of the bet you make will increase depending on the number of Wilds on the reels and also their position. Once the stake gets to 10x and 100x your standard bet, the game will warn you that this is the case. At all points you can see the size of the potential win you could land on a spin compared to the price of a Lock and Spin option. You can always opt for a standard spin at any point, at which point any Wilds previously held will not be held and the reels will spin as standard.

Using the Lock and Spin feature it is possible also to boost the multiplier on offer on certain Wild symbols from 1x up to 5x the standard amount, but again as the multiplier climbs, so will the size of the bet needed to spin.

Alongside this main feature of the slot is a Free Spins bonus round which is triggered when you land three or more of the Free Spin Scatter symbols anywhere across the reels. Land three to receive 7 free spins, four gives you 12 and if you land all five you get the maximum 20 free spins.

The real benefit of this bonus comes if you can land one, or ideally more, of the Polar Bear Wilds on the triggering spin on the reels too. If you can, then these Wilds will remain in play throughout the duration of your free spins bonus. Also, any of the Wild symbols you subsequently land during your free spins, will also remain on the reels until the completion of the bonus round.

How to win at the Wild Gambler Arctic Adventure Slot

There are essentially two strategies you need to understand in order to give yourself the maximum chance of earning some decent cash from the Wild Gambler Arctic Adventure slot.

The first of these you really have no control over and that is the Free Spins bonus game. The pay out you can get from this bonus does vary considerably, less so because of the number of free spins, but more because of the number of Wilds you land on the triggering spin and then during your free spins bonus. Get lucky with Wilds and you can earn some fantastic wins in this bonus, however if the Wilds don’t show up, then the wins are generally small in size.

The second strategic element you do have a degree of control over is the crucial Lock and Spin bonus option. Tempting as it may be to keep using this option when it is available, the cost per spin soon becomes prohibitive when you start to add four, five or more Wilds onto the reels and also start to increase the size of the multiplier applied to one or more of the Wild symbols.

The key to success with this feature is not knowing when to use it, but when to stop using it. On spins with just a couple of Wilds, the cost per spin isn’t much higher, but when you start to fill those reels up you can wager in excess of 100x your total bet. That turns a £0.20 spin into a £20 spin and although you could be guaranteed a win, there is no guarantee that the win will exceed your bet.

As such, I always feel that when you use this feature and hit a decent win, then is a good time to stop as you know you are not likely to hit a big win on the next spin too and as such, any profit you may have from that big win, will likely be eroded on the next spin.