Desert Cats Slots
When players think of 7-reel video slots, one online casino developer comes immediately to mind: WMS. With games like Zeus III, WMS has the 7-reel slot market sewn up. But a new addition to the range has appeared.
WMS's Desert Cats video slot features 7 reels on 4 rows, and there are a cool 50 paylines to bet with. With a maximum win set at 250,000.00 and a sweet RTP of 95.79%, does this animal-themed slot match gamblers' expectations? Let's have a closer look with our expert's review.
Play 50 Paylines Over 7 Reels
US slots giant Williams Interactive (WMS) has been a major gambling operator for decades. The developer has produced hundreds of online slots over the years. WMS was acquired by Scientific Games in 2013, and it has continued developing and releasing games ever since.
While WMS is known for big online adaptations of popular land-based video slots like Amazon Queen, Buffalo Spirit, and Rainforest Dream, it has also been a pioneer in online slot software development. The 6-reel Raging Rhino game is crammed with stacked wilds and generous free spins, while Zeus III has a unique pyramid-style reel arrangement.
At first sight, the free Desert Cats slot machine has the look and feel of Raging Rhino. It has four rows and lots of familiar symbols, but there are seven reels compared to the six on Raging Rhino.
WMS's new slot works well on desktop or tablet. The layout and interface look great on all HD screens, and the game works well through an up-to-date Google browser. The minimum bet is set at 0.50, but the max bet of 100.00 ensures that high rollers are catered for, too.
Hit 7-of-a-Kind for a 200x Line Bet Jackpot
With so many reels to play on, the chances of hitting even a small win in Desert Cats are high. That means the range of payouts is pretty flat in the game.
However, you will only need to hit a three-of-a-kind to earn a real cash prize at all. The low-value symbols are the royal icons of 10, J, Q, K, and A. They all pay 1x the line bet for three of a kind, and up to 15x line bet for seven of a kind.
If you were expecting a war film theme in Desert Cats, think again: the desert cats refer to the revered felines of ancient Egypt. That's why players will find familiar Egyptian symbols representing the high-value symbols. The stone tablet, green ankh, and Pharaoh's head all pay 2x to 20x for hitting three of a kind to seven of a kind. The cat statue pays a bit better at 3x to 50x.
The jackpot symbol is Bastet, the goddess of warfare in ancient Egypt. The sleek goddess pays the jackpot of 200x your line bet if you line up seven symbols on one of the active win lines.
Collect the Gem Wilds and Win the Mega Jackpot
A similar 200x jackpot can be won if you land the wilds. These are represented by the gold cat symbols and will replace all other icons other than the scatters. There are two wild symbols to look out for: a regular wild that takes up one reel position, and two wilds that take up four positions (2x2).
If you look closely, you will notice that one 2x2 wild has gems in its eyes. The other does not. During base game spins, it is possible to find two adjacent reels being replaced entirely with 2x2 gem wilds. If you hit six or more red gems, you will win yourself a jackpot.
The corresponding jackpot is displayed above the set of reels, with six red gems awarding you the Minor jackpot, worth 10x your total bet. Meanwhile, seven gems will get you the Medium jackpot, which is worth 40x the player's total bet. The Major jackpot (80x total bet) and Super jackpot (600x total bet) are awarded for hitting eight or nine gems. Finally, the Mega jackpot is won when you collect 10 colored gems on the wilds. This is worth a massive 2000x your total stake.
If you like free spins, there is an exciting bonus feature to trigger. Watch out for the majestic lions. These are the scatter symbols and they'll trigger free spins if you hit three, four, or five on the reels in any position. If you trigger the feature with three scatters, you will win five spins with a 1x multiplier. Four scatters will award you 15 spins with a 10x multiplier and five scatters will get you 50 free games with a 15x multiplier.
During the free spins game, you will find that the 2x2 wilds don't contain any colored gems. There is no jackpot for the free spins players, unfortunately. However, you can retrigger the bonus game by hitting three further scatters.
Take On the Raging Rhino Slot
If you like playing on a lot of reels, there is plenty of choice at the best online casinos. Raging Rhino is one of WMS's best video slots played over multiple reels. It has four rows and six reels, and players can enjoy 4,096 ways to win as they spin.
The game's best feature is the free spins bonus, triggered by landing three or more relevant scatters. Diamond scatters trigger the bonus game, with 3 to 6 scatters activating anything from 8 to 50 free spins. It is possible to hit lots of stacked wilds and retrigger the bonus feature.
Don't dismiss WMS's classic Greek-themed slot, Zeus III. It features WMS's trademark staggered reels, where each of the six reels has a different number of rows. For example, reel 1 has two rows, reel 2 has three rows, and so on. Reel 6 has seven rows packed with stacked symbols. There are 192 paylines to play in Zeus III, and it is possible to win up to 50 free spins in the bonus round.
Grab Your Bankroll and Give Desert Cats a Try
If you enjoy slots with free spins bonus rounds, you will find a great selection online. But the best free spins online slots will also have some good jackpots attached.
The Desert Cats video slot is a worthy addition to WMS's 7-reel range. Plus, the added progressive jackpots make the game a lot more interesting for the high-roller players. There may well be too many Egypt-themed slots on the market right now. But with prizes like these, who's complaining? Give Desert Cats a play for free today and see what you think.
