Rudolph Awakens

When you think of the tale of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus, it tends to involve Santa asking Rudolph to lead his sleigh at night and Rudolph triumphing over the bullying he received at the paws of the other reindeer who, as we know, used to laugh and call him names.

Well, in this rather different imagining of that story, I am pretty sure the reindeer would not dare to have called this Rudolph any names, as he is a cigar-chewing, baseball bat wielding gangster, who is in open warfare with Santa and his elves in this latest in a series of very different but imaginative Christmas themed slots from Realtime Gaming.

So does this new version of the slot keep up the Christmas tradition of pitched battles between Rudolph and Santa? We decided to take a closer look at the game and find out for ourselves.

Overview

• Game: Rudolph Awakens
• Developer: Realtime Gaming
• Reels: 5x3
• Pay Lines: 30 (selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.01 (0.30 for all lines in play)
• Maximum Bet: 7.50
• Jackpot: 50,000x
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: No
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Low

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Presentation

The presentation of the Rudolph Awakens slot is absolutely superbly done. The music is a very cheery rendition of Jingle Bells, which would not look out of place on any festive-themed slot. However, it is at odds with the action on screen, which despite the snowy backdrop, features an assortment of odd characters, including a machine gun wielding Santa, an elf with his own gun and Rudolph himself chomping on a cigar and toting a baseball bat.

It is this juxtaposition of traditional Christmas images with the more crazed, lunatic aspect that has really made this slot stand out from your traditional Christmas offering and while this may polarize opinion on the game, personally I thought it worked very well indeed.

What's on the reels?

There are a number of higher and lower value symbols on the reels in the Rudolph Awakens slot, starting with the lower value symbols which range from the 9 through to the Ace. These offer wins from three across a pay line, although the value of five-symbol wins is generally much higher than the three or four symbol wins (a feature which is true on the higher value symbols too).

There are four higher value standard symbols on the reels, a very voluptuous Mrs Christmas, who has a rather revealing outfit on, a gun toting elf, a penguin with what appears to be a bomb strapped to it and a rather cross looking Santa is the highest value of the four symbols, where the biggest jackpot prize in the base game 1,250 coins can be won.

Higher value symbols also offer small value wins with just 2 symbols on the reels, which is one of the key reasons why this is a lower variance slot.

Wild features

The Rudolph symbol is the Wild symbol and in this game, he is encased in ice and appears on the middle three reels only. As a result, the Wild symbol is used primarily as a substitute in the game to help you land wins with the other symbols in the game.

However, when you land part of the Wild symbol on a reel, it will nudge itself back onto the reel to cover it in full. In addition, if you land the Wild on the middle third reel, then you will trigger the Free Spins bonus round in the game.

Free Spins features

There is a decent Free Spins bonus game you can trigger on the Rudolph Awakens slot and this is landed when you hit the Wild symbol on the third reel. The symbol will expand or Nudge into place to cover the third reel and then you will receive any wins from that spin. Then, you will trigger 10 Free Spins and at the start of the Free Spins bonus, the Wild remains on that third reel.

When Elves appear next to the Wilds, they will unfreeze the Wild and it will spin, however, every Wild you land in your Free Spins bonus will remain frozen until the elf appears to release them. This can lead to some sizeable wins in the game, including a shot at the biggest value jackpot prize.

Other bonus features

Other than the bonus features outlined above, there are no additional bonus features on the Rudolph Awakens slot.

Best feature of the Rudolph Awakens slot

Although the Free Spins bonus is potentially lucrative and the fact that the Wild symbols nudge themselves onto the reels, I think the best aspect of this slot is the presentation. The game has been designed superbly and it has lots of nice touches combining Christmas twee with the gnarly action of a gangster flick. Two very different genre's but brought together nicely and with added dashes of humor which really put a smile on your face.

What does the Rudolph Awakens slot lack?

I think the main issue with the Rudolph Awakens slot is that while it has fantastic presentation and a quirky theme, it is a little lacking when it comes to features, with just the Free Spins round to really break things up. The Wild and the fact it can nudge onto a reel to fill it completely is a nice touch and I like the fact that the Wild triggers Free Spins on the third reel, but it is very difficult to hit considering that. This is a nice slot though, that will attract plenty of spins over the festive period due to its enjoyable comedic value and decent value jackpot.

Conclusion

It is fair to say that the Rudolph Awakens slot will probably polarize people's opinions a little. Some will feel it is a little sacrilegious to turn two of the most famous lovable characters into weapon toting psychopaths, but in truth, the little twist added to the slot makes it fun, rather than offensive. This is a Christmas slot that would not look out of place in an episode of The Sopranos, and while its game-play is ostensibly very simplistic, there is enough to keep you interested, certainly over the festive period.

Ratings

• Presentation: 16 / 20 - There's been a few in this Rudolph v Santa series of games now from Realtime Gaming and I have to say that I think the quality, certainly in terms of presentation, has improved over the years. I really like the way. That Realtime Gaming have taken a traditional Christmas story and given it an unusual twist. The slot may not be too politically correct nowadays, with gun-toting Santa's and bomb's all around the reels, but it is fun and different and has been presented with the right mix of fun. This is the Santa and Rudolph story told Grand Theft Auto style.
• Game-play: 13 / 20 - The game play on the Rudolph Awakens slot is decent enough, but I would have liked to have seen a couple more features in the base game. The Wild nudging to fill the reel is a nice touch, but I often find that it tends to land on the fourth reel more-so than the others, which diminishes the value of this offer. Even so, this is still a decent lower variance games that will have you chuckling at some point.
• Bonus Features: 12 / 20 - The bonuses on the Rudolph Awakens slot are somewhat generic in that we have the Wild symbol, which also acts as the Free Spins trigger, and of course, the Free Spins round. This can be a tad difficult to hit at times, but when you do there are some decent wins available in the bonus. However, payouts can be a little hit and miss at times and a lack of other bonuses mean that you are only really likely to earn a bigger value win from this single bonus.
• Entertainment Factor: 15 / 20 - Even though there are not a huge amount of bonus features in the Rudolph Awakens slot, the game itself is packed with lots of nice touches, a good example being the elf at the foot of the reels who peeps out every now and then. The humor element is a strong part of the game and will have you smiling. As such, this is an enjoyable slot to play.
• Play Value: 13 / 20 - As lower variance slots go, the Rudolph Awakens slot is pretty much bang in the middle of the road. You do pick up a fair few wins in the base game, though many of these are lower value and the bigger value wins tend to come when you trigger the Free Spins bonus, although these wins can vary considerably in value too. The jackpot isn't huge, but there is enough to keep you playing and even a relatively small budget should see you enjoy a fair few spins.
• Overall 69 / 100 - I have to say that I was quite enamored with the Rudolph Awakens slot from Realtime Gaming. It is a simple, enjoyable Christmas slot game that has a twist that makes it very different to your usual festive slot. I think this tongue-in-cheek approach works well with this series and I am delighted to have seen this release come at the perfect time for Realtime Gaming. This is a slot well worth a few spins this Christmas.

Good Luck!

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