Hot Fruits 40

Players on the lookout for the best online slots will want to pay close attention to Hot 40, an old-school game from Austria-based Amatic Industries.

The design team throws it back to the fruit-centric origins of slot play while including modern features, including an astonishing base play jackpot of 3,000,000 coins.

Theme

Hot 40…

… may sound like one of Louis Armstrong’s early bands, but the design team is seeking a simpler association here: this game offers 40 paylines.

That number of paylines, as well as this title’s array of bonus features, would astonish the first generation of punters. These gamblers played analog slot machines, often called ‘one-armed bandits,’ which first appeared in the United States at the end of the 19th century.

The industry has grown astronomically since then, but the fruit symbols so often found on those machines are still a huge part of play. In this slot, players can look forward to watermelons, lemons, plums, grapes, and cherries.

Even the sound design has a vintage charm! Electronic sound effects give play an Atari, 1980s feel, though no background music is on offer.

The star scatter symbol pays in any position, while offering a tremendous payout of 1,500,000 coins for five-of-a-kind wins (while playing at the maximum bet level).

The most important gaming symbol, however…

… is the burning lucky number seven symbol, which acts as wild – while also providing the means for this title’s 3,000,000 coin jackpot (paid out for an entire screen of wild symbols, while playing at the highest bet level)

Betting Options and Functions

True to the title, this slot offers 40 fixed paylines. Bet is set simply from 40–3000 coins. Autoplay is available as a simple on/off toggle, though players should use caution, as there are no loss limits available.

Player options, payline information, game rules, 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 above-average at 96%.

Our Take

Amatic has been a fixture in the online slot landscape since its founding in 1994, but this designer has never quite achieved the notoriety of some older companies such as NetEnt and IGT. This is partially because the company focus on table games over slots.

Hot 40, however, demonstrates that this excellent designer has video slot bona fides to burn. Serious gamblers won’t want to miss out on this classic title..