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Reel Nightmare Slot Review

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Reel Nightmare Slot is a Quickspin slot launched in 2024. The game houses 5 reels and 10 paylines with a 96.23% RTP. This non-progressive slot game also features mobile, wilds, free spins. This game has a jackpot of 17,279x and is available for playing on both desktop & mobile.

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INTRODUCTION

Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like a good horror flick – bonus points if it’s a slasher of questionable quality. Well, that’s exactly what Quickspin decided to deliver in their latest release dubbed Reel Nightmare.

As far as we can tell, the Reel Nightmare online slot doesn’t have anything to do with the 2017 film. Believe it or not, the movie is also called “Reel” Nightmare, though it’s referring to film reels. The slot machine replaces witches and the supernatural with a bloody, revenge-driven murder/massacre. Horror enthusiasts might find the imagery to look more like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Last House on the Left. Either way, it’s an engrossing theme, complete with an eerie soundtrack and unsettling sound effects. Winning even sometimes produces screams, which is a nice touch if you’re into that sort of thing.

The graphics and audio are generally executed to perfection. As much as we love a good theme, though, that’s not why we’re here. How does Reel Nightmare by Quickspin hold up as an actual slot machine? Our review is here to find out.

reel nightmare Media Gallery

HOW TO PLAY REEL NIGHTMARE SLOTS

Despite its massive maximum payout and high-end modern production, the game is actually fairly straightforward. At least when compared with most new slots we see coming out nowadays.

The base game uses a simple 5×3 grid with 10 active paylines. That means that you have to arrange 3 or more matching symbols along one of 10 pre-defined paths, going from left to right. Although 10 ways to win may seem a bit low by today’s standards, it’s perfectly acceptable considering the small game grid. In fact, the game boasts a hit frequency of over 40%, which makes it play almost like a low-volatility slot. The fact that most medium-paying symbols can win with only 2 symbols per line contributes a lot to this high hit rate.

Make no mistake, though – the game isn’t scary just through its theme. It’s actually extremely volatile, and most wins will only pay a fraction of your initial stake. However, the maximum payout in Reel Nightmare is a whopping 17,279x, which gives you an idea of how profitable it can be.

Wilds

The basic symbols in this game are basically all low-paying or medium-paying. If you want better rewards, you’ll be gunning for Wilds.

Wilds in Reel Nightmare look like the lineup of victims in every stereotypical slasher flick. You’ve got your Jock, the Blonde, the Nerd – you know the drill. Fundamentally, however, they’re all the same. They can substitute for any other regular symbol to form winning lines. Also, if you get 2 or more Wilds along a Payline, they’ll act as high-paying symbols.

Moreover, this game uses Wilds to trigger Free Spins. If you hit 3 or more anywhere on the grid, you get to play the game’s powerful bonus round.

  • 3 Wilds anywhere award 10 Revenge Free Spins
  •  4 Wilds anywhere award 12 Revenge Free Spins
  • 5 Wilds anywhere award 15 Revenge Free Spins

Revenge Free Spins

Free Spins in Reel Nightmare are undoubtedly the game’s most important feature. On top of offering free spins, this bonus round enhances the Wild symbols.

During free spins, all Wilds in this game become sticky. Once they appear on the reels, they stick to their position and remain active until the bonus round ends. This also applies to the Wilds used to trigger the free spins. This greatly increases your chances of making winning lines, which only grows further as the free spins round progresses.

Any new Wilds that appear during the bonus round also award an additional free spin.

If you’re lucky enough to stick Wilds to all five positions of a line, you trigger a so-called Trail of Blood. Despite the fancy name, the game behaves exactly as you would expect it to: you win a big 300x payouts (that’s the standard reward for 5 Wilds on a line, by the way.) You’ll also keep getting 300x per spin per Trail of Blood for as long as you have free spins left.

Feature Buy

Want to take your revenge but don’t want to sit around hoping to hit 3 Wilds? Good news! You can simply purchase this feature using the “Bonus Buy” button to the left. This option may not be available to everyone, depending on your country of residence.

  • For 100x the bet, you can buy 10 free spins with 3 initial Wilds
  • For 400x the bet, you can buy 12 free spins with 4 initial Wilds
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Casino Bloke Best tips for Reel Nightmare Slot

  • 1Purchasing 10 free spins for 100x the bet increases the game's theoretical RTP to 96.36%
  • 2Purchasing 12 free spins for 400x the bet increases the game's theoretical RTP to 96.68%

PAYOUTS & RTP

As noted above, Wilds are the only real high-paying symbols in Reel Nightmare. The rest are low- and medium-paying.

The card royals are low-paying, but none of them are equally valuable. Jacks, Queens, Kinds, and Aces pay 0.20x, 0.40x, 0.50x, and 1x for 3 symbols on a line, respectively. Conversely, they pay 4x, 5x, 7.5x, and 10x for a 5-symbol combination.

The various thematically appropriate items are mediums. All four can pay with only 2 symbols on a line, but only 0.2x-0.5x. However, hitting any 3 on a line will at least recoup your stake. Hitting 5 on a line results in fairly high payouts of 20x, 30x, 40x, or 75x.

Lastly, Wilds are crucial for getting good winnings in Reel Nightmare. They pay 1x, 2.5x, 15x, or 300x. Repeated 5-line wins during the game’s bonus round can lead to the maximum payout in Reel Nightmare, which is 17,279x.

The game’s RTP is 96.23%, which is already quite respectable. Using the game’s feature buy option can increase this even further, up to a very strong 96.68% for the more expensive option.

what we like

  • Excellent horror atmosphere
  • Surprisingly high hit rate
  • Decently high base payouts
  • Feature buy options with high RTP

what we don’t like

  • Not many special features

REEL NIGHTMARE BY QUICKSPIN – CASINO BLOKE’S VERDICT

All things considered, Reel Nightmare is fairly basic as far as online slots go. You have a relatively small game grid, a single type of special symbol, and a powerful but straightforward free spin round. That’s pretty much it.

Thankfully, all of these basic building blocks have been executed quite well. The game offers relatively high base payouts, in contrast to some industry trends. However, you also win quite often. All of this points to a strong math model that doesn’t rely on special features to do all of the heavy lifting.

Moreover, Quickspin hit the nail on the head as far as horror-themed slots go. It’s tense, and the sound effects will send chills down your spine. Or they’ll put a big dopey smile on your face if you love slasher flicks as much as we do.

It’s not the most innovative or forward-thinking title, but the Reel Nightmare slot game feels rewarding to play despite its barebone features.

Reel Nightmare Slot total score:

Total Score Overall
81%

Game developed by:

Quickspin logo rectangle

Release year:2024

Available on:Desktop, Mobile

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