Animal Instinct Slot

Many casino enthusiasts would agree to travel to Africa to admire the local nature and observe the wildlife. The provider Playtech decided to offer this opportunity through the slot game Animal Instinct. It features engaging gameplay and surprises players with a range of additional features.

In this article, we have prepared a detailed review of Animal Instinct and will discuss its characteristics. You’ll learn about all the additional features and the bonus game.

Backstory of the Slot

Africa is home to many animals that can only be seen in zoos on other continents. In Animal Instinct, players can encounter these animals in their natural habitats. Moreover, the animals not only provide an emotional experience but also help players win big.

While traveling through the African plains, players should try to encounter as many elephants, rhinos, lions, and other animals as possible. The best part is that their appearance on the reels brings only wins and no danger, unlike meeting them in real life.

Game Design of Animal Instinct

The background of Animal Instinct features an image of the savanna and the evening sky. In the center of the screen is a 5×4 game grid. Above the reels are energy bars that fill up with the animals’ energy.

Below the reels are informational displays. Players can check their balance, the number of active paylines, and the bet value. To the right of the game screen is the spin button, which also activates the auto-play feature. The bet adjustment button and the turbo mode slider are located in a dropdown menu to the left of the reels.

Animal Instinct boasts modern 2D graphics. During spins, high-quality effects are played, and when winning combinations are formed, the active symbols come to life and are highlighted with frames.

Symbols and Payouts

The following symbols appear in Animal Instinct:

1. Ten and Jack: Three symbols pay x0.125, four pay x0.375, five pay x1.875.
2. Queen and King: Three symbols pay x0.125, four pay x0.5, five pay x2.5.
3. Ace: Three symbols pay x0.125, four pay x0.75, five pay x3.125.
4. Buffalo: Three symbols pay x0.25, four pay x1.25, five pay x3.75.
5. Rhino: Three symbols pay x0.375, four pay x1.875, five pay x5.
6. Leopard: Three symbols pay x0.5, four pay x2.5, five pay x7.5.
7. Elephant: Three symbols pay x0.625, four pay x3.125, five pay x10.
8. Lion: Three symbols pay x0.75, four pay x3.75, five pay x12.5.
9. Wild: Substitutes for other symbols and also pays: three symbols pay x0.75, four pay x3.75, five pay x12.5.
10. Scatter: African tribal mask. Triggers one of the bonus games. Appears on reels 1, 3, and 5.
11. Power Collect: Collects the energy of one animal on the reel and fills its energy bar.

To better understand the slot’s rules, bonus game features, and symbol values, players can access the help menu by clicking the three-line button and selecting the “Paytable” section. Here, the developers provide a clear overview of Animal Instinct, making it easy even for beginners to grasp all the features.

Bonus Game

The Power Collect symbol, shaped like a wheel with colored sectors, occasionally appears on the reels.

Each color corresponds to a specific animal:

• Blue: Buffalo
• Purple: Rhino
• Green: Leopard
• Red: Elephant
• Yellow: Lion

When Power Collect lands, it is randomly colored to match one of the animals. If symbols of that animal appear after the spin, they fill the corresponding colored Collect bar above the reels.

Each bar has 10 cells. Once filled, the Power Collect symbol turns into a Wild, and the animal symbols dissolve. New symbols fall from above, increasing the chance of forming new winning combinations.

If three Scatter symbols land, a bonus game is triggered. The slot features five bonus games, each corresponding to a specific animal. The bonus of the animal with the most filled Collect bar is activated when the Scatter symbols appear.

If three Scatter symbols land when two or more reels are filled, the bonus game is chosen randomly. If the bars have equal values or are not filled at all, the Leopard bonus is triggered by default.

If Power Collect absorbs animal symbols, the player receives a payout based on their quantity on the reels:

• Buffalo, Rhino, and Leopard: One – x0.75, two – x1.5, three – x3.125, four – x6.25, five – x12.5, six – x25, seven – x50, eight – x100, nine – x187.5, ten – x375.
• Elephant: One – x1, two – x1.875, three – x3.75, four – x7.5, five – x15, six – x31.25, seven – x62.5, eight – x125, nine – x250, ten – x500.
• Lion: One – x1.25, two – x2.5, three – x5, four – x10, five – x18.75, six – x37.5, seven – x75, eight – x150, nine – x312.5, ten – x625.

After the bonus game is triggered, the activated Collect bar resets to zero. The bonus games in Animal Instinct are as follows:

1. Lion Bonus Game: During activation, a random animal symbol is replaced with a Wild. It remains so for the duration of the game.
2. Elephant Bonus Game: After activation, a multiplier bar appears on the screen with the following values: x2, x3, x5, x10, x15, x20, x25. The multipliers are placed randomly. During spins while the bonus game is active, all wins are multiplied by the multiplier in the far-right sector of the bar. After that, the multiplier disappears, and its place is taken by the adjacent one.
3. Rhino Bonus Game: All landing Power Collect symbols are doubled, increasing the speed of filling the animal bars and adding one additional Wild to the reels.
4. Buffalo Bonus Game: Animal Instinct grants 4 free spins. During the first spin, the likelihood of landing a Wild on each cell of the second reel increases. During the second spin, on the third reel; during the fourth spin, on the fourth.
5. Leopard Bonus Game: After three Scatter symbols trigger the bonus, the player can flip two of them: on reels 1 and 5. The first shows the win, and the fifth shows the multiplier by which it is multiplied. The resulting value is awarded to the player as a win.

Overview of Technical Specifications

Animal Instinct has medium-high volatility. This means that wins do not occur frequently, but their size can be quite large. Winning combinations are determined based on 40 paylines.

The symbols on the reels are divided into card symbols, animal images, Wild, and Scatter. Depending on their type, they occupy a certain number of cells on the reels. Animal symbols occupy two cells, while others occupy one.

A win is awarded if at least three matching symbols land on one of the paylines, starting from the leftmost reel.

In Animal Instinct, the max win is 7553x. The betting range is from 0.08 to 240 coins. The RTP (Return to Player) varies from 91.46% to 95.51%.