Finding inspiration from Push Gaming's 2018 farming slot Fat Rabbit comes a fruity-themed version from Pragmatic Play titled Juicy Fruits. What connects the two games is a scatter collection feature during free spins, which grows a roaming wild symbol. Aside from that, the two games aren't hugely similar. Of the two, Push's game is clearly the more creative, though the fruit market is insatiable, so players partial to classic looks now have a Fat Rabbit version to plough through while getting their five-a-day fix.
A slinky backing track eases you into the cocktail lounge atmosphere of Juicy Fruits the moment the 5x5 grid, 50-payline hits the screen. The reels are an explosion of fruit and classic slot icons of all descriptions, from berries to bells. On the edges of the game area, bubbles float upwards, and ice cubes bob around, making it seem like the game is set inside a bright cocktail glass. There's a somewhat generic feel to it, but it's a generally pleasant view overall nonetheless, ideal for those into this sort of thing.
Juicy Fruits gets its groove on any device from mobile to desktop, offering a selection of bets which start at 25 p/c and rise to $/€125 per spin. Pragmatic Play has included their optional Ante Bet feature that increases the cost of each spin by 20% without affecting symbol values. The benefit of activating this feature is extra scatter symbols are present on the reels, effectively doubling the chance of triggering free spins naturally.
Don't expect too many wins during the base game, or even during the bonus, without assistance from an engorged wild symbol. Juicy Fruits was quite content piling on dead or low-value spins like it was no one's business –reflecting its highly volatile nature, rated 5 out of 5. Max win stats are decent, as is the default RTP which comes in at 96.52%.
As for the symbols, Juicy Fruits supplies 11 regular pays to pull together wins with. From low to high, there are limes, cherries, lemons, oranges, apricots, strawberries, kiwifruits, raspberries, watermelons, and fiery 7s - 5 of a kind wins range from 2x to 24x the bet. A wild crown symbol completes the picture, appearing on all reels. In the base game, the wild symbol can hit in 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, or 5x5 sizes to replace any pay symbol.
Diamonds are used as scatter symbols and appear on any reel. Landing 3 or more in view trigger the free spins round, starting with 6 free spins. The progressive feature during free spins is based on collecting diamond scatter symbols. Each diamond that lands is collected and fills a meter located above the reels. For every 3 scatters collected, a random number of 1-3 additional free spins are awarded, and the wild symbol is upgraded.
Free spins start with a 1x1 wild symbol always present on the grid, moving randomly to a new random position on the board between spins. When upgraded, the wild increases in size from 1x1 to 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, and then finally 5x5. After the fourth retrigger, free spins cannot be retriggered any more. If free spins are initially triggered by 4 or 5 scatters, the round starts with 1 or 2 scatter symbols already collected on the meter.
If the feature buy is available, free spins can be bought from the base game for 100x the total bet. To trigger free spins this way, make sure the Ante Bet is switched off; otherwise, it is not possible to do so.
For a start, Juicy Fruits' title gives players a clear indication of what to expect theme-wise. In a quick summation, Pragmatic Play has basically swapped the more original farming imagery and characters of Fat Rabbit for a traditional setup in Juicy Fruits. In doing so, they've rammed the game to the gills with fruits of all sorts and added a soothing soundtrack that creates an almost underwater feeling - apt given the action takes place in a cocktail glass. However, the relaxing environment quickly takes a backseat once you're a few spins in; then, the game's volatile nature becomes apparent.
Pragmatic Play possibly made the game feel as tranquil as possible to take the focus off what can be a tough main game due to the low win count. The key is building an outsized wild symbol. Unless the wild symbol progresses to at least 3x3 in size, it can be tricky extracting much out of free spins. Hit that level, though, and the big wild coughs up winners on nearly every spin. Activating a 4x4 wild or bigger takes some luck, yet it is a thrill because it means juicy wins on each spin from then on out. You might not be awarded a huge number of free spins, but they can be entertaining should scatters quickly be collected. At best, Pragmatic Plays state wins of up to 5,000x the bet are possible.
Due to the rather underwhelmingly generic theme and the borrowing of ideas from elsewhere, Juicy Fruits doesn't score highly in the originality stakes. However, if you can crank the scatter collection during free spins, Juicy Fruits can be a bit of a roller coaster ride. Anything outside that scenario can be tough going though, so be prepared for a challenge if the game looks enticing.
Play for real money
