New Years Bash Review

Get ready to celebrate the New Year every day of the week with Habanero's New Year's Bash! This online slot takes you on a tour of the globe, visiting iconic cities as they ring in the new year. But don't let the bright lights fool you; this isn't just a pretty party. Beneath the colourful surface lies a very clever and engaging bonus feature that can turn this celebration into a massive payday.

New Years Bash Slot Summary

New Years Bash Demo

This game's bonus feature is all about making the reels richer, so I’d recommend playing the New Year's Bash demo first. It's the best way to get a feel for the game's rhythm and see how the free spins can lead to bigger and better line hits.

Game Overview

Habanero launched this global celebration in December 2021, just in time for the countdown. It’s played on a standard 5-reel, 3-row grid with 25 fixed paylines. A standout feature is that during the Free Game round, line wins pay in succession from left to right, and also from right to left! The game has a very competitive RTP that can be as high as 96.75% (though this can vary between casinos) and a well-balanced medium volatility. The biggest prize of all is the Progressive Jackpot, which can be won randomly after any spin.

Theme and Storyline

The theme is a worldwide New Year's Eve party. The game transports you to five of the most famous cities known for their celebrations: New York, London, San Francisco, Sydney, and Dubai. Each city is represented by one of its most famous landmarks, like the Statue of Liberty or the Sydney Opera House, creating a fun, globe-trotting adventure.

Graphics, Sounds and Animations

Let's be critical here: the looks of this game can be a bit deceiving. On the surface, it’s very colourful and festive, with bright balloon letters and iconic landmarks. However, the graphics feel a bit one-dimensional. The symbols are static images, and there aren't many flashy animations compared to more modern video slots. It’s not a bad-looking game by any means, but players who love slick, cinematic animations might find it a little plain. The soundtrack, however, is a fantastic, jazzy, big-band tune that perfectly captures the classy, celebratory vibe of a New Year's bash.

Gameplay

The gameplay is a fantastic blend of classic and innovative. The base game is a straightforward affair of lining up symbols from left to right. The entire experience, however, is built around triggering the Free Game feature. This is where the game comes alive with a "pays both ways" mechanic and a clever symbol collection feature that can award extra spins and transform the reels with wilds. Plus, with a progressive jackpot that can hit at any time, every single spin is filled with anticipation.

How to play

The 25 paylines are fixed, so you just need to use the controls to set your bet level and coin size to determine your total stake per spin. In the base game, wins pay traditionally from left-to-right.

• Champagne Wild: The champagne bottle is your Wild symbol, and it can substitute for all other symbols except for the Scatter to help you form winning lines.

• Clock Scatter: The New Year's clock is the Scatter symbol. Landing 3 or more of these anywhere on the reels is your ticket to the Free Games feature.

New Years Bash Bonus Features

This slot is all about its straightforward Free Games feature and the ever-present progressive jackpot.

Free Game with Lightbulb Collection

This is the main event. The feature is called "Free Game" and is triggered by landing 3 or more of the Clock Scatter symbols anywhere on the screen, which will award you 15 Free Games.

• Pays Both Ways: As soon as the Free Game starts, a huge advantage is activated: line wins now pay from left-to-right AND from right-to-left!

• How it works: During the Free Game, your goal is to collect lightbulbs for each of the five high-paying landmark symbols. Above the reels, you'll see a lightbulb meter for each landmark (Dubai, Sydney, San Francisco, London, and New York). Every time a landmark symbol lands on its corresponding reel (e.g., the Dubai symbol on reel 1, the Sydney symbol on reel 2, etc.), it will activate one of the bulbs on its meter. Even the Champagne Wilds will count towards activating lightbulbs when they land on the respective reels!

• The Reward: Once you have collected all 10 lightbulbs for a specific landmark, you are awarded an additional 15 Free Games! But here's the best part: for the rest of your free spins, every single occurrence of that landmark symbol will now be replaced by the high-paying Champagne Wild symbol, massively increasing your win potential.

Progressive Jackpot

Separate from all other features, New Year's Bash also includes a progressive jackpot that can be won completely at random at the end of any spin. It doesn't require any specific symbols to trigger, adding a fantastic layer of lottery-style excitement to the entire game.

Payouts & Volatility

This slot offers a very engaging experience with its medium volatility, providing a great balance between the frequency and size of the wins. The RTP is variable but can be as high as 96.75%, which is excellent. The paytable is led by the five famous landmarks, with the Dubai skyscraper being the most valuable. The lower-paying symbols are represented by colourful balloon letters and numbers (A, K, Q, J, 10). While the base game and free spins offer solid payouts, the ultimate prize is the randomly triggered Progressive Jackpot.

Tips for playing New Years Bash

• Understand the Lightbulb Collection: The key to a massive win is turning the landmark symbols into Wilds. In the Free Game, pay close attention to which landmarks are landing on their specific reels (Reel 1 for Dubai, Reel 2 for Sydney, etc.) to track your progress towards those extra 15 spins and extra wilds.

• The Bonus is Everything: In this game, all the best features are in the Free Game round. Your base game strategy should be to manage your bankroll to give you as many chances as possible to land those three Scatters.

• Manage Your Bankroll for the Long Game: While it's medium volatility, triggering the Free Game is where the action is. Set a bet level that allows you to have enough spins to give you a good shot at landing those three Scatters.

• The Jackpot is a Bonus, Not a Goal: The progressive jackpot is completely random. Don't chase it by increasing your bets. Play the game for its fun features and treat the jackpot as a fantastic potential surprise.

• Wilds are Collectors Too: Don't forget that during the Free Game, landing a Champagne Wild on a reel will also light up a bulb for that reel's specific landmark. This can significantly speed up your collection progress.

What is the RTP for New Years Bash?

The theoretical RTP (Return to Player) for New Year's Bash is variable depending on the casino, but it can be as high as 96.75%.