Naughty or Nice III

Santa is on his holidays once again and once again he has the grumpy Mrs Christmas, and his two delectable helpers, Naughty Girl and Nice Girl, in tow as we revisit the Naughty or Nice series of slots for the third installment, this time set in the rather unusual setting of a bikini car wash.

In truth, it is a rather flimsy excuse for Santa's two busty helpers to be depicted wearing a bikini with their ample assets firmly on show. Now some people may balk at that being used in a slot game, but it is not the first game to do it (and be a success) and it won't be the last. Sex sells, so it would be unreasonable of slot developers to not at least explore that avenue, in after all, what are games to be enjoyed by adults.

However, this isn't a gratuitous slot. This is more your Benny Hill type of slot than Playboy and there are some nice cheeky and cheery elements to enjoy. You can select up to 30 pay liens to play and bets start at just 0.01 per spin, but to play the minimum bet with maximum lines that is 0.30 per spin.

So how does this third installment in the Naughty or Nice series of games shape up? We decided to take a look to find out.

Overview

• Game: Naughty or Nice III
• Developer: Betsoft
• Reels: 5x3
• Pay Lines: 30 (selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.01 (0.30 with maximum lines selected)
• Maximum Bet: 150.00
• Jackpot: 250,000 coins
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: Yes
• Progressive: Yes
• Volatility: Medium

Where can I play the Naughty or Nice III slot?

If you want to try any of the Naughty or Nice series of games, including this third installment in the series, then the casino you need to head to is Sloto'Cash Casino. As a new customer. You can enjoy the benefit of a fantastic starter bonus, which can be earned across your first five deposits and which offers up to a potential $4,000 in matched deposit bonuses!

The casino also has an extensive range of other promotions available across a typical week on the site and with a wide selection of games available from Realtime Gaming, plus a number of other top slots providers, you will never be short of choice when it comes to the games to play at Sloto'Cash Casino.

Presentation

The presentation of the slot is nicely done with a rather jazzy soundtrack accompanying the action that happens on the reels. The backdrop of the slot is animated with bubbles from the Car Wash setting and the reels and animations when you win are also very nicely done.

Admittedly, it is a game that uses a bit of titillation to sell itself, both the Nice and Naughty ladies that are Santa's little helpers are generally very buxom and not shy about showing that, but if you can cope with that aspect of the slot, then you should enjoy the game.

What's on the reels?

There are a fair number of different standard symbols on the reels and these begin with the playing card low symbols which go from the 9 through to the Ace. The 9, 10 and Jack are the lowest value of these, paying between 5-100 coins, while the Queen to the Ace pays 8 coins up to 120 coins.

There are also five higher value symbols on the reels and this includes a Car Wash, a box filled with cash, a dog with antlers on holding a bucket, Mrs Christmas looking rather angry (as she does in all of this series of slots) and lastly the highest value standard symbol is Santa enjoying a drink with a cheeky grin on his face. Wins with these symbols range from 10 coins up to 500 coins.

All wins start with three symbols across the first three reels on one of the 30 pay lines.

Wild features

There are two Wild symbols on the reels and these are the Naughty Girl and Nice Girl.

The Naughty Girl appears on the first two reels and can substitute for all symbols, while the Nice Girl appears on the fourth and fifth reels and she too can substitute for all the symbols.

There's no multiplier applied to any of these wins unfortunately and of course, you cannot land a full line of Nice and Naughty Girls across the reels.

Free Spins features

The Free Spins bonus is called the Naughty or Nice feature and this is triggered when you land three or more of the Naughty or Nice III logo symbols across the reels on a standard spin. This also awards you a cash prize of between 2x and 100x your bet. The first part of the bonus sees you selecting whether you want to play the Naughty or Nice girl bonus spins.

The Naughty Girl bonus will be applied to your Free Spins and this can either be that the Naughty Girl counts as a Scatter during Free games, or she will cover one reel entirely in Wild symbols during the Free Spins bonus.

The Nice Girl bonuses are either the Nice Girl Wild will cover the fifth reel during all your Free Spins, or she will cover the fourth and fifth reels during your Free Spins bonus. You will receive seven Free Spins regardless of which bonus you pick but if you land three or more of the Scatters during the bonus, you will trigger a further five Free Spins, which will be added to your current total.

Other bonus features

The other bonus features of the slot are the Lucky Feature trigger which can be triggered on any spin of the slot in the base game. When you land this, you will trigger either the Naughty or the Nice Feature, or you will win between 5 and 10 Free Spins as part of the Lucky Games feature. You can also trigger the Naughty or Nice feature from within your 5 to 10 Free Lucky Games bonus.

Alongside this bonus are also a couple of progressive jackpot prizes, the Minor and Major prizes, which can be won at random on any spin of the game. These are very similar to the progressive jackpot prizes that are available on the other Naughty or Nice slots in the series and have roughly the same payout amounts on offer (hundreds for the Minor, thousands for the Major).

Best feature of the Naughty or Nice III slot

For me the two naughty or nice girl symbols are the key to the best things on the slot. The base game random bonuses are hard to trigger but the Nice and Naughty Wilds on the first two and last two reels are much easier and play a more prominent role in the game. Each girl also has their own bonuses to award when you play their Free Spins bonus and that also makes a difference, if you can trigger one of them.

What does the Naughty or Nice III slot lack?

I don't think anything is lacking from the Naughty or Nice III slot, but I do feel that some of the base game wins are a little too small. 5 coins when you are betting 30 per spin is a little annoying, especially when these are the type of wins that you land the most often. Better value wins can be found with four and particularly five symbols, but I'd like to have seen some kind of opportunity, perhaps with a random multiplier, to increase the value of those smaller value wins.

Conclusion

If you have played any of the two preceding titles in the Naughty or Nice slot range, which include the original Naughty or Nice slot, and the Naughty or Nice Spring Break slot, then there won't be anything in this third installment that is going to surprise you a great deal. Realtime Gaming have stuck pretty much to the same formula for this game as the other two, including the same types of bonuses. The big difference is in variance with this a more mid-level volatility slot than the others. It has some very positive aspects, including some fine bonuses, but it does play tight at times and can be difficult to access the bonuses. Overall though, it is a decent slot and will you want to come back to play relatively frequently and, with it not being a 'Christmas' slot, it is suited to be played all year round too.

Ratings

• Presentation: 14 / 20 - Santa and his sexy naughty and nice helpers have moved into the bikini car wash game and the way the slot captures this, while retaining the same elements that have made this series of games so popular is nicely done. The sound is decent enough, and the animations on the backdrop are very good. The reels work well together and the game is different enough to the other slots in this series, but still recognizable as part of that particular set of games.
• Game-play: 13 / 20 - if you have played any of the other slot sin the Naughty or Nice series of games, then the bonuses will be immediately familiar to you, as will the game play. The base game rattles along at a nice pace, but the bonuses are a little tough to trigger and you do seem to get a fair few near-misses before you hit the Free Spins bonus in particular. The randomly triggered bonus works well to keep the base game interesting but even as a more medium variance slot, it is still a tough game to get the better of.
• Bonus Features: 15 / 20 - The number of bonuses available in the Naughty or Nice III slot is what makes the game very appealing. There are two random bonus features available in the base game, including the progressive jackpots, plus a Free Spins bonus and bonuses you can earn for the Free Spins bonus round based on which round you trigger. Add to that a couple of Wild symbols (although these are limited to the first two and last two reels) and you have a game cram packed full with good value bonuses.
• Entertainment Factor: 13 / 20 - With so many bonuses crammed into the game, you would expect the Naughty or Nice III slot to play a bit more exciting than it does to be honest. The game is decent enough but the base game is littered with many low value wins which are a little disheartening. A few better value wins would be nice, as would making the bonus features slightly easier to trigger, however I have found that when you trigger one, others tend to follow rather quickly. The question is whether you have the patience and bankroll to reach that point.
• Play Value: 13 / 20 - As a medium variance slot you are going to get a balance of wins in the game and you certainly do in the Naughty or Nice III slot, but I do feel the number of lower value wins is a little too much compared to those mid to higher value wins. Also the bonus features can sometimes pay out huge sums, but also pay out very little and there's real variance in those amounts too. It isn't a game that will break you in seconds, but you need to budget for a longer-term approach to get the best out of the slot.
• Overall 68 / 100 - Naughty or Nice III is a nice addition to the series of games and is another quirky take on the story of this particular Santa. I like the idea that the theme of the slot is so imaginative and isn't just another run of the mill Christmas offering. As such, it is a game which is appealing throughout the year. The buxom ladies may be a bit out of keeping with modern times, but they seem very popular with players so you can't blame Realtime Gaming for going along with it. This is a decent slot that with a few more better value pays, would have been a very good one.

Good luck!

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