Updated
Lisa Michaels
Aloha! Christmas Edition Online Slot is a 6x6 reel, cluster pay, medium volatility slot by NetEnt. This title is a Christmas-themed revamp of Aloha! Cluster Pays, also by NetEnt, with a Santa hat-topped Tiki statue and beach bars draped in Christmas lights, creating the thematic mashup. You have to form adjacent combinations of nine symbols or more, which are represented by exotic flora and Tiki masks. The bonus features include free spins and mystery symbols. You can play this title across all platforms.
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If you're familiar with NetEnt's Aloha! series, you'll recognize the setting. The beautiful beach and tiki bars make up the backdrop, while the 6x6 reels sit in the centre of the screen. Below the reels is the control panel, which you use to adjust the bet size, change the settings and play the game.
The spin button is right in the centre of the control panel, and to the left is the coin icon which you tap to open the betting menu. On the right of the spin button, the game shows your current win and total balance. In the far-right corner, there's a speaker icon which you can tap to mute the game.
Next to the bet settings is the display for your current bet and the information icon, which opens to show you the paytable with symbols and features. In the far left corner, there's the autoplay setting and a menu to open the help and settings.
Before you play, make sure you check out the paytable to see all the available symbols and their payouts. As you spin the reels, you'll encounter nine symbols in total, with seven regular and two bonus.
The lower-value symbols are several natural island items. The flower, seashell, coconut, and pineapple pay 30x your stake for 22 or more of a kind. The higher-value symbols are three fierce-looking Tiki masks. The blue mask pays 70x your stake for 22 or more of a kind. The green mask pays 90x your stake for 22 or more of a kind. The red mask pays 250x your stake for 22 or more of a kind.
The scatter is a picture of Santa Claus relaxing on a beach chair that activates free spins. The mystery symbol is a question mark that could turn into any other regular symbol.
Wins in the game are achieved by forming combinations of nine or more symbols touching either vertically or horizontally. This is in lieu of traditional paylines. The size of your win depends on how many symbols in your cluster and the size of your bet. Cluster pays make landing wins much simpler, and it can even trigger a special bonus feature.
While spinning the reels in paradise, there are various bonus features to discover that may help you trigger a massive win if you're lucky. Let's take a look.
There are no wilds in Aloha! Christmas, but the mystery symbols serve a similar purpose. This question mark can appear on any spin in the base and bonus games. All mystery symbols on the reels will transform into the same symbols, and they can also come with a multiplier worth 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 7x to boost any win they form.
Whenever you land a winning cluster during the base game, there's a chance for this feature to trigger. The winning symbols all stick in place to the reels, and the remaining places respin. The respins continue until no new matching symbols are added to the existing cluster or all the reels are covered in the same symbol.
Based on how many symbols you collect, a win multiplier may also be added to your payout:
Landing three scatter symbols will trigger free spins where you are given two choices. The first option is "Tiki Bar" with ten free spins and wild multipliers of 2x, 3x, or 4x. The other option is "Tiki Bar MAX" which gives you six free spins and multipliers of 4x, 5x, or 7x.
Starfish symbols randomly appear during free spins, and for every three symbols you collect, you will receive a further two free spins. In addition, the least valuable symbol is removed from the bonus round. Once all low-paying symbols are removed, the starfish can no longer appear.
This slot has a top payout worth 1,750x your bet. Playing at the max stake would give you a win worth an impressive $350,000. Your best chance of achieving this number is by getting lucky with multipliers and starfish during the free spins bonus round.
This slot has an RTP rating of 96%, around average for online slots. However, this can vary depending on where you play, so check before deciding on your bet per spin. Additionally, the volatility is rated at medium, implying that win frequency and payout size are average.
Of course, it's always important to bear in mind that these ratings are calculated over thousands of spins. When playing for a normal length of time, your payout rate can vary dramatically. As a result, you should play responsibly to minimize risk.
The theme of this slot is very light-hearted and a lot of fun. While the Christmas designs may seem out of place for much of the year, the overall theme is timeless. I had a lot of fun with my time spinning the reels thanks to the creative animations, vibrant background and unique designs. Every win is celebrated by the festive Tiki statue next to the reels.
While this slot shares many similarities to the previous Aloha! game, the Christmas flair helps it stand out. In terms of the sounds and music, NetEnt has combined classic Christmas music with traditional island sounds for a unique flavour. Of course, you can always mute this if you prefer to play without it.
The Aloha! Christmas online slot free demo is available to try out before you spin for real cash. Just like the version you can play at online casinos, you'll be able to experience the cluster pays, mystery symbols and free spins without spending anything. This is a great way to learn more about the game and decide whether or not you want to play for real cash.
Hawaii is a very popular travel destination, with beautiful scenery, beaches and some of the best surfing spots in the world. It's a popular destination for slot developers, too, with plenty of games set in paradise. Here are some of my favourites:
Aloha! Christmas Edition slot features a striking thematic combination with tried and tested gameplay to bring you a challenging, quirky festive slot. The slot's theme can feel a bit disjointed at first. Not all of us are used to a Tiki statue wearing a Santa hat or hearing Christmassy music alongside images of a tropical beach, but it works somehow. The mystery symbols keep the base game interesting while free spins catapult you into real winning territory with multipliers that could see you take home up to $350,000 in winnings.
Lisa started off as a croupier at her local casino. However she found her niche in writing and has subsequently used her real-world gambling experiences to help produce and review the many online slots that are released monthly. Lisa also contributes to keeping you up to date with Canadian newsworthy stories.
