El Fuego

Spinmatic’s El Fuego transports players to the gritty, glamorous world of the lucha libre, the masked wresting popular in Mexico. This slot offers a fresh take on free spins, where features can be triggered on many base play wins, without the use of a scatters symbol.

Theme

This slot is set in a packed and colorful arena, with a raucous crowd gathered to watch the luchadores do battle in what looks to be an underground venue. Gaming symbols include four hulking, masked wrestlers, a very small gentleman with a very large hat, and the playing card values ace through ten, which act as lower value symbols. A golden skull acts as wild, adding a double win multiplier to all payouts in which it is involved. A mariachi-infused sound design, complete with crowd noise, enhances the ambience.

Betting Options and Functions

Lucha libre translates to ‘free wrestling,’ indicating a form of the sport free of the restrictions of Greco-Roman wrestling. Spinmatic’s excellent design team, however, makes sure that all structural elements of this game are sound, so that players can freely enjoy their time on the reels.

There are 15 fixed paylines, all paying from left to right. Bet level is set simply from 0.15–60.00 times the betting currency per spin. Autoplay is available for up to 100 spins, or without limit, with optional loss limits available on a separate screen. Player options, payline information, game rules, quick spin, and more are available via an expanding menu at the upper right corner of the game screen. The overall theoretical return to player ratio is outstanding at 95.04%.

Features

The free spin feature is both this game’s most lucrative and most interesting element. Unlike most modern slots, there is no scatter symbol used to trigger free spins. Instead, all higher-value symbols trigger at least one free spin when appearing in winning combinations, up to a maximum of five freebies for five-of-a-kind combinations. Once the feature is triggered, additional free spins are awarded for any and all additional winning combinations, even those triggered by lower-value symbols. There is no limit to how many freebies can be awarded overall, and with every win adding between one and five free spins to the total, it’s not uncommon for players to see the feature continue for quite some time. As if that weren’t enough, win multipliers are also active during the feature, beginning with a double win multiplier and increasing from there.

Our Take

Luchadores provide a fine theme for online slot gaming, but the real story here is Spinmatic’s inventive and outstanding take on the free spin bonus feature. It’s a new approach to bonus features that will be most welcome in an online gaming sphere dominated by endless similarity.