Set sail with software provider Pragmatic Play to the sunny Pacific Islands for a Polynesian-themed slot called Tropical Tiki. Tikis in slots are typically carvings made of stone or wood, depicting faces or human-like patterns, and developers have a real soft spot for them. They've turned up in numerous online slots over the years, in various places, alongside all manner of features. In Tropical Tiki, they bring charm to a slot built around a Winning Symbols Tumble mechanic, which shifts to a larger game board during free spins.
Tropical Tiki is a colourful game located amidst thick foliage of an unnamed Polynesian island populated with flitting creatures, trees, flowers, smiling tikis and the like. The music feels a little out of place, maybe better suited to a Caribbean Island than a Pacific one, but never mind, it's upbeat and matches the tropical holiday vibe. If you're looking for a bright-looking slot in a far-off place, Tropical Tiki certainly is that.
It's also a highly volatile slot, available in a number of RTP settings – 94.4%, 95.39%, and 96.43%, depending on casino operator settings. Its active game area changes between the base game, where it's played on a 6-reel 3-row grid, and free spins, where positions are unlocked to increase reel height and ways. At the default 6x3 size, players get 729 ways to win.
Playable from 25 p/c to a maximum of $/€125 per paid spin, winning combinations kick-start a chain of events rather than just a straight payout. What happens is that when at least three matching symbols land from the leftmost reel, they lock at the bottom of the grid, and the non-winning symbols are removed. New symbols then drop in, and if they can improve the winning total, they also lock to the grid while non-winning symbols fall off. When the win is no longer improved by the symbol drop or the grid is full, an evaluation takes place. Payouts equate to 0.16-0.28x the bet for landing six of the low pay 10-A card royals, or 0.4-2x the bet for six coconuts, green fruits, dragon fruits, blue tiki masks, green tiki masks, or red tiki masks. No doubt, due to the win system, Tropical Tiki does not have wild symbols.
During the Winning Symbol Tumble mechanic explained above, scatter symbols also remain on the screen when non-winning symbols are removed, and new ones drop in. Hitting at least 4 scatters on reels 2, 3, 4, or 5, triggers the bonus round where players get 8 free spins. Depending on how many scatters trigger the feature, you also get a payout – 5x, 10x, 15x, 20x, 25x, 30x, or 35x the bet for having 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 scatters in view, respectively.
For free spins, the grid expands to a 6-reel, 5-row size. However, the top two rows are inactive at the beginning of the round. At the start of each free spin, 1 position on the top two reels is randomly unlocked. The bonus round cannot be retriggered, so a maximum of 8 positions can be unlocked, providing a maximum of 6,400 ways to win.
If you're burning to see what Tropical Tiki is capable of and aren't in the mood for waiting, it may be possible to buy free spins instead. If the Buy Free Spins button is present in your jurisdiction, clicking this gives you the chance to purchase the bonus round for 100x the bet. The number of triggering scatters is always 4, and the triggering spin will not produce any tumbles. Buying free spins lowers RTP by around 0.20%, which players should be aware of.
Tropical Tiki combines a couple of popular tropes to create a cheerful slot which may charm players looking for a Pacific Island getaway via the reels. It might be okay for a few laughs, but it wasn't a game that led to a major destination. Paradoxical, perhaps, given that the game is located in such an exotic part of the world. If you need a little pick me up, then Tropical Tiki exudes waves of positivity through its party-time tunes, colourful graphics, and last but not least, its charming tiki characters.
After the pick-me-up glow fades, however, what's left over? A pretty average game, really. The Winning Symbol Tumble is a mechanic that arises from the depths every so often, and there's not a whole lot to say about Tropical Tiki's use of it. It's one of those features you sort of go for, or you don't. Players who are partial might be intrigued by the idea of seeing it used in conjunction with ways rather than winlines as it often is paired with. On the bright side, a lot of ways are added in free spins, which perks things up a bit, yet despite what might have been possible with the 6,000+ ways, Tropical Tiki is limited by a win cap of 3,000x the bet. Perhaps if Pragmatic Play had been a bit more freewheeling with the max win, Tropical Tiki might have appealed more. Perhaps.
To wrap up, if the Winning Symbol Tumble system isn't your particular cup of tea, then probably just forget about playing Tropical Tiki, as that's pretty much all there is to it. Sure, an expansive element is introduced in free spins, but the repetition of its one-trick wore thin pretty soon, and even the overall affable attitude might not be enough to prevent drifting off to daydream about a different getaway spot.
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