Secrets of Christmas Slot Review
5.0 /5
– Secrets of Christmas is one of a growing number of Christmas-themed slots, and it manages to combine some fairly conventional gameplay aspects with an exciting and potentially lucrative free spins bonus round.
Game Screenshots
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Secrets of Christmas is one of a growing number of Christmas-themed slots released (or re-released) annually by NetEnt and other studios, and it manages to combine some fairly conventional gameplay aspects with an exciting and potentially lucrative free spins bonus round. The game captures the holiday spirit wonderfully well in its design and soundtrack, although it might be a bit gentle for players who prefer louder, more action-packed slot games!
First released in time for Christmas in 2016, the game has a 96.7% RTP and a good variety of coin sizes, so it accessible to all regardless of your gameplay style or bankroll.
Overall, this is the ideal slot game for playing during the holidays when you’re stuffed with turkey. You can search for the Secrets of Christmas for yourself at any of our featured UK slot sites.
How to play
Secrets of Christmas is a 5 reel, 25 payline Christmas-themed slot, where all paylines are automatically in play on every spin. Coins range in size from £0.01 to £0.50 and between 1 and 10 coins can be played per line. This means that the minimum bet is £0.25, with a maximum wager of £125. Wins, which are multiples of the line bet, pay left to right except for scatter wins, which pay anywhere on the reels.
- Santa Claus symbol is wild and substitutes for all other symbols (except the scatter)
- Toy Sack symbol is the scatter
- Hitting 3x, 4x or 5x scatter symbols anywhere on the reels triggers the 10 free spins bonus round
- Hitting 5x Bell symbols = 1,250x line bet (up to £6,250)
- Hitting 5x Candle symbols = 750x line bet (up to £3,750)
- Hitting 5x Gingerbread House symbols = 500x line bet (up to £2,500)
- Hitting 5x Milk and Cookies symbols = 300x line bet (up to £1,500)
- Hitting 5x Christmas Stocking symbols = 200x line bet(up to £1,000)
Jackpot
The maximum payout that can be won in Secrets of Christmas is 350,000 coins (£175,000 when betting the maximum coin size). You can land the jackpot during the free spins bonus round when the maximum number of additional wilds, multipliers and extra free spins are in play.
During base play, the maximum payout is £6,250 when betting the max and hitting 5x Bell symbols on a payline.
Secrets of Christmas is a medium volatility slot game with a 96.7% RTP.
Special features
Free Spins Bonus
The Free Spins Bonus is activated by hitting 3x, 4x or 5x scatter symbols anywhere on the reels.
Before the bonus feature begins, there is an additional pick’n’click bonus round where you win additional features that come into play during your free spins. The number of picks you get depends on how many scatter symbols triggered the bonus round:
- 3x scatter symbols = 3 Christmas gifts
- 4x scatter symbols = 4 Christmas gifts
- 5x scatter symbols = 5 Christmas gifts
The additional bonus features that can come into play during the free spins include:
- 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 additional free spins
- 1x or 2x multiplier added to original 1x multiplier
- Expanding wild reels on reels 2 and/or 4 for the duration of the feature
- Additional wild symbols for the duration of the feature
Graphics and Sounds
The developers and designers were clearly aware that we can all feel a bit fragile after a heavy Christmas when we may have indulged a little too much! That’s why the overall colour scheme of the game is relatively muted, and the visuals are not too in your face, while the soundtrack features mellow, Bing Crosby style easy listening throughout the base game.
However, everything bursts into life when you trigger the free spins bonus round, which take place on a separate set of reels set against a glowing fireplace and with a much more upbeat soundtrack. A real highlight of the game is when you get to pick your Christmas gifts before the free spins begin, with artwork during this part of the feature that’s beautiful and magical.
Conclusion
You probably have to be a real devotee of Christmas to get too excited about this game, but there is a lot more to recommend it than may at first appear. Although the gameplay during the base game is relatively straightforward, the art, design and music are of the highest standards. There are also some good payouts on offer during base play.
However, the best aspect of the game is the free spins bonus feature, both in terms of how it looks and the way it plays out. The fact that multipliers, additional free spins and extra wilds come into play does add some variety, and also means you can win some potentially huge payouts during the bonus round.
If you are looking for some high quality holiday-themed fun, then we would recommend checking out Secrets of Christmas at any of our featured UK online casinos.
Author
Mark Angus is a professional writer and editor currently based in Adelaide and London. Mark writes on a variety of sports betting and gaming topics, most notably football and cricket (he has been a season ticket holder at Fulham for far too many years), as well as horse racing, in particular jumps racing. In addition, Mark produces website content, blogs and articles for a variety of publications, organisations and businesses, and has extensive experience in writing for all forms of online, print and broadcast media.
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