Wild Wild Riches Review

Let’s be honest, the Irish luck theme is one of the most overused in the slot world, so when Pragmatic Play released Wild Wild Riches, I was a bit sceptical. However, this game does something refreshingly different. It throws out the standard rules for triggering features and forces you to focus on the first two reels, creating a unique and surprisingly intense gameplay loop.

Wild Wild Riches Slot Summary

Wild Wild Riches Demo

The way you trigger features in this game is very unusual. I highly recommend you play the Wild Wild Riches demo first to get used to the "Wilds on reels 1 and 2" mechanic, as it’s the key to understanding the entire game.

Game Overview

Pragmatic Play launched this Irish adventure in September 2020. The first thing you'll notice is the unusual reel layout: it’s a 5-reel slot, but the reels have a 3-3-4-4-4 row structure, creating 576 ways to win. The game boasts an outstanding RTP of 96.77% and comes with a high volatility. For players in South Africa, the bet range typically starts from R3.75 and goes up to R1,875 per spin. While the game features a Mega jackpot of 500x, the overall maximum win is a solid 4,608x your stake.

Theme and Storyline

The theme is pure, unapologetic Irish folklore. You’re in a lush, green meadow under a bright rainbow, with a pot of gold tantalisingly sitting on the reels. The symbols are all the classics: a frothy pint of beer, a golden harp, a lucky horseshoe, and a toadstool. There's no deep narrative here; it’s all about chasing that famous luck of the Irish.

Graphics, Sounds and Animations

The visuals are bright, vibrant, and exactly what you’d expect from this theme. The graphics are clean and colourful, creating a cheerful and inviting atmosphere. The animations are simple but effective, with little bursts of magic when you land a win. The soundtrack is a jaunty, traditional Irish folk tune, complete with fiddles and flutes, that will have you tapping your foot as you spin.

Gameplay

This is where the game gets interesting and breaks from the mould. Forget looking for three scatter symbols anywhere on the screen. In Wild Wild Riches, everything depends on landing Wild symbols on reels 1 and 2. If you don’t have wilds on both of the first two reels, no features can trigger. This creates a unique gameplay loop where your eyes are constantly fixed on the left side of the screen, building a fantastic sense of anticipation for when those two crucial wilds finally land together.

How to play

The unique reel shape and feature triggers are the most important things to understand. Wins are formed by landing matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right.

• The Wild Symbol: This is the most important symbol in the game. It only appears on reels 1 and 2 and substitutes for all symbols except the Bonus and Money symbols.

• The Bonus Symbol: The leprechaun's hat is the Bonus symbol and only appears on reel 3.

• Money Symbols: The pots of gold are Money symbols. They appear only on reels 3, 4, and 5 with cash values or one of the three fixed jackpots.

• Feature Trigger: To trigger either the Money Collect feature or the Free Spins, you absolutely must land a Wild symbol on reel 1 AND another Wild symbol on reel 2. What lands on the subsequent reels then determines which feature you get.

Wild Wild Riches Bonus Features

The game's features are all built around its clever collection mechanic.

Money Collect Feature

This is the heart of the game and can trigger on any spin in the base game or free spins.

• How it works: To activate it, you must land Wild symbols on reels 1 and 2, and one or more Money symbols (pots of gold) on reels 3, 4, or 5. When this happens, you instantly win the value of all the Money symbols on the screen.

• The Jackpots: Some Money symbols won't have a cash value, but will instead contain one of the three fixed jackpots:

  • Mega Jackpot: 500x your total bet

  • Major Jackpot: 100x your total bet

  • Mini Jackpot: 50x your total bet. You can even collect multiple Money symbols and a Jackpot symbol all in the same spin!

Free Spins Feature

The Free Spins are triggered in a very specific way that builds on the Money Collect mechanic.

• How it works: You must land Wild symbols on reels 1 and 2, and the Bonus symbol (leprechaun hat) on reel 3. This combination will award you 10 free spins.

• The Advantage: The main benefit of the Free Spins round is that more Wild symbols and more Money symbols are present on the reels. This makes it much easier to trigger the highly valuable Money Collect feature over and over again. The feature can also be retriggered by landing the same Wild-Wild-Bonus combination, awarding +10 extra spins with no limit.

Ante Bet

This feature allows you to increase your stake by 20% to activate a special bet. In return, the game significantly increases the number of Wild symbols on reels 1 and 2, which in turn doubles your chances of triggering either the Money Collect or the Free Spins feature.

Payouts & Volatility

This slot is a high-risk, high-reward adventure. The high volatility means you need to be patient, as the game can have periods without wins while you wait for those crucial first two Wilds to align. When they do, however, the payouts can be substantial. The RTP is an excellent 96.77%. The paytable is led by the pint of beer, followed by the harp, horseshoe, toadstool, and pipes. The lower-paying symbols are the classic card suits. While the biggest single prize from the jackpots is 500x, the game's overall maximum win is capped at a solid 4,608x your stake.

Tips for playing Wild Wild Riches

• Your Eyes on Reels 1 & 2: If you don't see Wilds on both of the first two reels, nothing else on reels 3, 4, and 5 matters for the features. Train your eyes to watch the left side of the screen; that's where all the potential begins.

• Understand the Ante Bet's Value: In this game, the Ante Bet is more powerful than in many others. Because triggering features is so dependent on landing Wilds on reels 1 and 2, doubling your chances of this happening for a 20% extra cost is a very strong strategic option if it fits your budget.

• The Base Game Can Pay Big: Unlike many slots where the base game is just a wait for free spins, the Money Collect feature can trigger at any time. A base game spin that lands the right combination of jackpots and cash values can be just as lucrative as a full bonus round.

• Budget for the Rainbow Chase: This game’s high volatility requires a smart bankroll strategy. Set a firm budget and choose a bet size that allows you to have plenty of spins to ride out the dry spells while you hunt for those two crucial Wilds to land.

• Don't Just Hunt for Jackpots: The main feature is collecting the regular cash pots. The jackpots are a fantastic extra prize, but the most consistent big wins will come from collecting multiple high-value cash pots at once.

What is the RTP for Wild Wild Riches?

The theoretical RTP (Return to Player) for Wild Wild Riches is an excellent 96.77%.