Rock Star Santa MultiMax: Slot Overview
Santa seems to have landed himself a pretty sweet deal when you consider the perks of his job. While the diligent elves work tirelessly in the workshop crafting toys, the big guy himself only clocks in one day a year to distribute the presents. But what does Santa do during the rest of his time? There’s only so much supervising of the workshop and checking the naughty and nice list one can do. If Yggdrasil Gaming has any say in the matter, Santa is not just a festive figure; he’s also quite the musician with aspirations of dominating the world – through music, that is. Well, maybe not world domination, but the game info suggests that Santa forms a Hard Rock Band to blow off some steam after the presents have all been delivered. Intrigued? Care to take a closer look?
The game also includes the term ‘MultiMax’, indicating that Rock Star Santa is a distant relative of games like Multifly, Shadow Raiders, and Crystal Falls. However, this slot distinguishes itself from its counterparts, not only because Santa and his crew of headbangers take center stage but also due to its departure from the traditional ways and lines methods that typically precede it. Rock Star Santa MultiMax opts for a cluster pays system to determine wins. Before delving into the specifics, let’s first appreciate the gaming grid, which boasts a 6×6 dimension and is set on a stage surrounded by tree-twisted scaffolding, lighting, and trees and speakers adding to the lively atmosphere. As for Santa’s tunes, they’re not bad at all. With a rhythmic 80s feel, and if that’s Father Christmas wielding the guitar, he’s quite the rocker too.
Unwrapping Rock Star Santa MultiMax is akin to opening a present beneath the tree, revealing a highly volatile mathematical model boasting a 96% default RTP, whether playing in the standard mode or opting for feature buy-ins. The stake range spans from 20 cents to $/€100 per spin, and a Golden Bet option is available, increasing the stake by 25% when activated. This Golden Bet doubles the likelihood of triggering free spins. Achieving a cluster win involves landing 5 or more matching symbols connected in horizontal or vertical directions, with a hit rate of 22.55%.
The identity of the low-pay symbols is a bit elusive, perhaps resembling hard rock or punk baubles. Regardless, there are four of these low-pay baubles, followed by a blue elf, a pumpkin-like head, a purple elf, and Rudolf as the four high-paying symbols. Securing a 5-of-a-kind winning cluster results in a payout ranging from 0.25 to 1.5 times the bet, while the most substantial clusters with 14 symbols or more are worth 4 to 9.25 times the bet.
Rock Star Santa MultiMax: Slot Features
Avalanches stand out as a pivotal feature in Rock Star Santa MultiMax, complemented by wilds, multipliers, free spins, Present symbols, and the option for bonus buys.
Avalanches
Upon the landing of a cluster on the grid, the avalanche mechanic comes into play, removing the winning symbols and replacing them with others to fill any gaps on the board. Should a new win materialize after the symbol drop, the avalanche mechanic triggers again. Furthermore, with each avalanche win, a wild is introduced to one of the winning positions before the remaining gaps are replenished. These wilds serve as substitutes for all regular pay symbols.
Multiplier
Upon the appearance of wilds, the reel they land on experiences an increase in its multiplier by +1. It’s noteworthy that the multiplier resets after each losing spin or avalanche during the base game. However, in the free spins feature, multipliers exhibit a unique behavior by not resetting, allowing them to accumulate and potentially lead to more substantial wins.
Free Spins
During the base game, the appearance of 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols results in the awarding of 7, 9, or 11 free spins, respectively. Players are provided with the option to gamble the initially won free spins on a gamble wheel, aiming to secure additional free spins (unless they have already obtained the maximum of 11 free spins). Successful gambles lead to an increase in the free spins count, while unsuccessful attempts send players back to the main game. It’s important to note that multipliers are reset upon entering the free spins feature but remain intact until the conclusion of the entire free spins round.
Present Symbol
The Present symbol has the potential to land both in the base game and during free spins. When it appears in the base game, players have the opportunity to win 5x-100x the bet, 7, 9, or 11 free spins, or +4 wilds. On the other hand, if a Present symbol makes an appearance during free spins, players can secure 5x-100x the bet, +1 free spin, +1 multiplier on all reels, or +4 wilds.
Buy Into Free Spins
In the bonus buy menu, players have the option to acquire 7-11 random free spins for 75x the bet or secure a guaranteed 11 free spins for 250x the bet.
Rock Star Santa MultiMax: Slot Verdict
It’s always refreshing when a studio introduces something new to the Christmas slot genre, and Rock Star Santa MultiMax’s originality initially set it apart from other MultiMax games on the market. The cluster-paying grid setup and rock-themed ambiance brought to mind Play’n GO‘s musically inspired slot, Twisted Sister, at first. However, upon closer examination, it became apparent that Rock Star Santa MultiMax is, in fact, a MexoMax clone. The Yggdrasil design team’s skill in infusing a fun theme into the game made it take some time to identify its place in the MultiMax family tree.
Choosing to emulate MexoMax for a Christmas slot turned out to be a wise decision, and Yggdrasil Gaming has maximized its potential. It’s hard to find reasons why one wouldn’t want to spend December 25th by the fireplace, indulging in leftover turkey while trying their luck in a cluster-pays game like Rock Star Santa MultiMax. The amalgamation of cluster wins, avalanches, added wilds, and growing reel multipliers creates thrilling moments, and the game’s 10,000x potential is a substantial goal to aim for. Beyond the gameplay, there isn’t much more to add.
A potential concern is the possibility of more Christmas-themed clones emerging in the future. However, as long as the seasonal reskinning continues to produce slots like Rock Star Santa MultiMax, there’s little reason to view them as mere stocking fillers; rather, they contribute positively to the festive slot landscape.