Race to Win Slots
Rev up the reels and spin to the chequered flag with this fast and exciting 3-reel slot machine from Merkur Gaming software. Race to Win has 27 paylines, meaning that there are loads of different ways to cross the finish line and bag the slot's 600 credit jackpot.
Unfortunately, players won't be able to rely on any free spins, scatters or wild symbols, but there is a simple Mystery Win feature and a couple of gamble games on offer if they want to up that ante.
Start your engines...
You might not think it, but 3-reel slot machines don't always have to be limited to classic arcade style designs with the same old fruit machine symbols. In fact, there are many 3-reel games out there on the internet which incorporate new and interesting themes – many of which you might expect to find in a 5-reel video slot – into the small-screen gameplay. This slot machine by Merkur Gaming is a perfect example of just that, bringing together a high-octane street racing theme which will appeal to retro spinners who are after that little extra injection of adrenaline when it comes to the slots.
As such, Race to Win is designed with all of the imagery and paraphernalia related to the world of fast cars and adrenaline-fuelled street racing. For a start, the 3 reels are positioned upon a night time city street, surrounded by tall skyscrapers while the reels themselves are presented as tyre treads which spin to the sound of pulsating music and revving engines. The scene is set for the perfect inner city drag race!
Some of the symbols upon the reels depict fresh tyres, racing seats and helmets as well as a mean green motorbike machine and a red Dodge Viper racing car with the obligatory double white racing stripes. And just to top it all off, there is also an icon depicting a beautiful blond bombshell character – it's like every teenage boy's dream come true! Come to think of it, the dream probably applies to most older men too!
Classic video game racing
Truth be told, this game does have a bit of a “lad racer” vibe to it, what with all the banging beats and slightly over the top use of vocals sound effects (punters will hear snippets of “break it down!” whenever a win is hit). Even the graphics have a video game edge to them with some 3D rendering and subtle animations. So, it doesn't exactly have the class and decorum of a classic grand prix race. Nonetheless, there is some nostalgic worth to the design, especially if you grew up playing arcade racing games or video console games such as Ridge Racer and Need for Speed.
Climb the podium of prizes
If you can handle the flashiness of this game, then you could be in for some decent wins – and frequent ones at that. That is because this 3-reel slot machine pays players whenever three matching symbols appear on each of the reels in any position. As such, there are 27 different ways to win, which is a lot more than most other 3 reel games in the market.
Since this slot machine effectively pays wins on every possible payline, it doesn't factor lines into the wagering equation. Therefore, spinners simply have to choose one of the following total stake options: 0.05, 0.10, 0.50, 1.00, 2.50, 5.00 and 10.00 credits. Once players have chosen their bets, they simply need to hit the ignition and watch the reels spin. Or, alternatively, there is an option to set the reels on auto-drive for up to 100 uninterrupted spins.
Wins in the game begin from as little as a 2x total bet multiplier, which is awarded whenever three matching 10 icons appear across all reels. Going up in value, players will find that three Js or Qs award wins of 3x the total bet value, while three Ks or As will pay 4x. Three tyres, seats or helmets will award 8x while the car and motorbike will both pay total bet prizes of 20x. The most valuable icon of all, however, is the blond character who awards prizes of 60x.
Mystery wins
There are some other ways to win in this slot machine. First of all, spinners can boost their smaller winnings up to 140 credits with one of two gamble games – a 50/50 guess the card gamble and a more nuanced prize ladder game in which punters can climb or fall with each gamble.
Other than that, spinners can hope to find two or three chequered flag icons to unleash the slot machine's only bonus game feature – a simple “Mystery Win”. There is no player participation necessary, players will simply be awarded with a random prize according to their total bet amount. The game doesn't specify the range of wins on offer in this bonus feature, but when we tested the game out we saw some mystery wins worth up to 20x the total bet.
Ready, set, spin!
Race to Win is a simple game with a lot of winning potential. Admittedly, those wins aren't the biggest in the business, but they should come around fairly frequently thanks to the fact that there are 27 ways to make a prize-winning combo with every spin. What's more, retro slot machine fans can enjoy this game safe in the knowledge that there aren't any over-complicated bonus features involved – it's just pure unfiltered spinning action.
