With Lucha Maniacs, a video slot game based on Mexican luchadores, Yggdrasil Gaming hopes to achieve another successful title launch on April 24th, 2018. Consider the paucity of entertainment options in a remote Mexican village. It’s time for the luchadores to come to the rescue! In no time at all, they’ll put up a show in the town square that will have everyone cheering. Several casino games have used Mexican wrestling as a primary subject over the years, but Yggdrasil is sure to bring something fresh to the table that we haven’t seen before. Lucha Maniacs simulates the excitement of a live Mexican wrestling event with a sleek, modern aesthetic and colorful iconography of your favorite wrestlers.
In-Game Icons
Yggdrasil’s newest offering boasts some of the biggest names in wrestling. They’ll walk out onto the stage in front of the roaring crowd that’s been building up in the reels’ setting of the town square. Wrestlers with different colored masks represent the highest paying symbols. One of our wrestlers is red, another is purple, another is blue, and still another is green. The suits of clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds are worth the least. The game’s emblem serves as the visual representation of the Wild, and a wrestling ring stands in for the Bonus. Both the Lucha Maniacs Wild and Bonus symbols, which operate as Scatters to activate the game’s two bonus rounds, can replace ordinary icons.
During bonus rounds, you’ll see new symbols such as wrestler Wilds and a Tag Team symbol (the two highest paying wrestler symbols combine to form a tag team, and if a tag team forms, both symbols become the tag team symbol).
Gameplay
The 2018 release uses a common 5 by 3 grid and has 20 paylines that are locked in place by default. Instead of changing the amount of active lines, you can alter the coin value and use the Autoplay feature. You can set the number of spins for an automatic session anywhere from 10 and 1000, or even to “infinity.” Next to the Spin button, you’ll see the Golden Bet option. In exchange for activating the Golden Bet and betting an additional 5 coins per play, you will receive an additional feature during the Free Spins bonus round. All win lines pay from left to right, so there are no surprises in the gameplay. The player is awarded a reward if three or more matching symbols appear in a row on a payline. The game’s regulations are conveniently presented within the interface, allowing players to familiarize themselves with the ruleset before risking any cash.
Additional Value
The major attraction in Lucha Maniacs is the Free Spins bonus round. It’s not your typical bonus spins round, though. If you get three or more Scatter Bonus symbols, you’ll enter the free spins bonus round. Players can earn 7 free spins with 3 features (for 3 Bonus symbols), 15 free spins with 4 Bonus symbols, or 30 free spins with 3 extra features (for 5 Bonus symbols). Players pick sets of tickets at random to reveal the concealed features. The features of the pickable tickets are as follows: 2 additional free spins, 4 additional free spins, 1 random Wild placement, 2 random Wild placements, 1 Sticky Wild in the middle position on reels 2, 3, and 4, an x3 multiplier on 1 wrestler, 1 wrestler acting as a Wild, 1 wrestler becoming stacked on the reels, the 2 highest paying wrestlers merging into a tag team, and finally, a feature where the next 2 highest paying wrestlers merging into a tag team. You can only select one wrestler to be Stacked, and only one multiplier type, while the others are disabled.
The Poster Bonus is a further incentive that can be claimed. If you get two Bonus symbols while playing the regular game, you’ll activate the Poster Bonus and receive either a free spin with three or four extra features or a cash payout of twenty to eighty coins.
Payouts
Lucha Maniacs has a return to player (RTP) of 96.2% when using Golden Bet and 96.1% when not using Golden Bet. When taking into account all of the game’s features, the Free Spins mode is where the real money is at. In the base game, the red-purple tag team of wrestlers is worth the most, at 200 coins. The betting spread is large enough to accommodate players with both tight and loose budgets.
Verdict
There are so many elements and methods to win in Lucha Maniacs that the game will never get old. In order to take full use of the bonus and have fun with the game, it is important to familiarize oneself with its many nuances. That could be too much pressure for some guys. While Lucha Maniacs isn’t a progressive slot, it does have some impressive visuals and fun bonus features. It’s the kind of spot where you can put your feet up and relax for a while.