Wild Ape is iSoftBet's latest jungle-themed video slot. The game has 5 reels and 30 pay lines, with the option to increase to 40 lines during the free spins round. With prizes of up to 1000x your original wager, Wild Ape has the potential to pay out £20,000 for a single spin – and that's with placing a relatively small bet. The animal-based slot has a host of bonus features including Wilds, Scatters, Free Spins, Re-Spins and a Bonus Wheel. If you're interested in learning more about the video slot, keep reading!
Theme and Appearance
Aesthetically, iSoftBet has kept things relatively simple. Inspired by the African jungle, the game features the likes of apes, crocodiles, birds and monkeys. While each character is present on the reels, the Ape takes pride of place. The reels are filled with A to 10 values, alongside a selection of higher value animals. The best of the bunch is the Ape which will bag you 2, 10, or 25 times your wager if you land 2, 3, 4, or 5 together. The backdrop features an idyllic jungle landscape, complete with a flowing waterfall and glowing fireflies. The reels are displayed in a bamboo border, tying them in nicely with the rainforest backdrop. While the graphics aren't the sharpest, they're certainly good enough to get by.
Betting and Prizes
If you've tried slots from iSoftBet before, you'll understand how their wagering system works. Before starting the game, the only thing you need to do is select the coin value. You get 20 coins per game, and you can change their value from £0.01 to £1. Essentially, this means that your total bet can be anywhere between £0.20 and £20.
In this slot, the free spins have the biggest winning potential. As well as attracting more Wilds onto the reels, you'll get double the number of active pay lines during the free spins round. Because of this, a win of 1000x your wager becomes possible, meaning you could bag up to £20,000 with the maximum bet.
Slot Features
Scatter
Wild Ape doesn't have a ton of feature symbols, but this slot proves that quality comes above quantity. One of the favourite feature symbols is the Scatter symbol, which appears as the word ‘Bonus' against a vine-covered icon. If this symbol lands on the reels, you're in with a chance of winning. If the symbol lands on reels 1, 3, or 5, the Bonus Wheel is triggered. When activated, the Bonus Wheel spins to give you a maximum of 50 wilds and as many as 20 free games.
Wild Cards
Would it be a slot if there were no Wild symbols? Thankfully, Wild Ape has some great ones. One of our favourite Wilds takes the form of an Ape. When this symbol appears, it can replace any symbol on the reels, bar the Scatter symbol.
Re-Spins
To win big on this game, you'll need to match as many Ape symbols as possible. Typically, these symbols appear stacked to allow several to land on the reels at once. If luck is on your side, you may even cover the entire grid. If you match the Ape symbol on three consecutive reels, you are rewarded with Wild Ape Re-Spins. For the next three spins, a large Wild Ape symbol will appear on the reels to increase your winnings. Once you start the Re-Spins mode, the grid gets bigger and the number of active pay lines increases to 40. Better still, additional Wilds will be placed on the reels to further increase your prize.
Free Spins
If you land a Bonus symbol on reels one, three and five simultaneously, the Bonus Wheel will be triggered. The outer wheel decides whether you're awarded six, eight, ten, twelve, fifteen or twenty free spins. The inner wheel then determines how many extra Wilds are added to the grid during those free spins. This ranges anywhere from ten to fifty.
Verdict
Wild Ape is a simple but enjoyable slot. If you're looking for a game with an interesting story, it probably isn't for you. However, if you're looking for a quick-fire game with a fun experience, Wild Ape will suit you fine. The game's features aren't anything special, they're pretty standard for a video slot. With a Scatter Symbol, Wild Card, Re-Spins and Free Spins, the game is similar to other basic slots on the market. While Wild Ape certainly isn't extraordinary, it does have the potential to pay out £20,000, so it can't be all bad! If luck is on your side, you could bag the jackpot with this jungle-inspired video slot; if not, at least you can enjoy the half-decent graphics and the relaxing soundtrack. If you like the jungle theme, you'll probably enjoy NetEnt's Jungle Spirit: Call of the Wild which offers much larger potential wins.