Wild symbols in online slot machines
We can’t even imagine a quality slot machine without the duo of Wild and Scatter symbols. Both of these symbols are evergreens of the bonus symbols on slot machines. We’ll write about the Scatter symbol next time. Today, we’ll shine a light on the Wild symbol.
We don’t believe that a player who doesn’t like the Wild symbols exists. Because just one symbol can radically change the outcome of the entire round. You only need it to appear in the right place and a boring non-winning combination suddenly becomes a combo that will generously donate to your player account.
Basic functions of the Wild symbol
In the majority of cases, Wild symbols work like jokers. That means that if they appear in the right spot, they can replace missing symbols in winning lines and thus ensure that the slot pays out a win as if the line is complete. In certain slot machines, the win with a Wild symbol is advantaged and it’s multiplied with a specific multiplier. Some slot machines also pay out wins if a line is composed only of Wild symbols but this isn’t usually a rule.
It’s not unusual that Wild symbols only show up on some reels. Most often, on five-reel slots, these are reels 1, 3, and 5. Sometimes, they’re 2 and 4 and we’ve even played a slot machine where they showed up on reels 1, 2, and 3. It depends on the authors and their gaming mechanics.
What types of Wild symbols on slots do we know?
The Wild symbol is often described as a classic bonus symbol, we often do this in our casino game reviews. But there are several types of these symbols, it doesn’t always have to be the ordinary one that you can spin on the reels just like the other symbols. Over time, the developers came up with more creative methods on how to liven up the Wild symbols and we would like to introduce you to the, in our opinion, best-made Wild symbols.
Random Wild symbols
The most common type of Wild symbol. In most games, the Wild symbols can be spun on the reels just like the other symbols. Then it works as we’ve detailed above. If it’s part of a potential winning combination, it changes it to a winning combination so that it pays out the money as if no symbols were missing in it. It displays as one, single symbol anywhere on the reels. Of course, its occurrence is usually not limited so it can show up on the reels multiple times during one round. The most commonly occurring Wild symbol that you can see, for example, in the slots Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, or Book of Secrets.
Expanded Wild symbol
The Expanded symbols are an extension of the random ones. They work on the same principle. In the first phase, they show up as one symbol somewhere on the reel, and then it “expands”. In the majority of cases, they spread out across an entire reel across all the rows. It can also happen that they expand only if some conditions are met. For example, if the Wild symbol is part of a winning line or if by expanding, it would create another winning line. Such a Wild symbol can be found, for example, in the Corsair Queen or Hell Mania slots.
Stacked Wild symbols
We like Stacked Wild symbols a lot. They nicely increase the chances for a nice win. They work like a combination of “ordinary” random Wild symbols and the expanding ones. They show up anywhere on the reels and as the name suggests, they are several connected symbols after each other. They most commonly appear linked behind each other. Similarly to the expanding reels, they can be linked across an entire reel across all the rows. If you manage to spin Stacked Wild symbols on the following reels, I guess you can imagine what follows. The Legendary win is not far. A good example of how this works is the White King slot machine.
Sticky Wild Symbols
Sticky Wild symbols aren’t often seen in games, or rather there aren't many slots in European casinos in which they play a key role. If, however, a slot in your favorite casino has them, we guarantee that it’ll be ranking as one of the most popular ones. The version of the Wild symbol can give out wins in many ways. Once again it works just like the other Wild symbols and in 99% of cases, it displays individually on the reels. But if it shows up on one of the reels, it stays stuck for several spins. Here as well, there are several variants. Some symbols disappear as soon as you get a win, others will grant you more wins while they’re on the reels. For example, this works in the Egypt Sky online slot. It’s ideal if it’s combined with a Sticky Wild symbol + Moving Wild symbol.
Moving Wild symbols
Moving Wild symbols are quite specific. Anyone of the above-mentioned Wilds can become one. Basically, it doesn’t matter how they show up, but the fact that they move across the field while playing. They can move on a certain specific reel, or they can move in a criss-cross over all of the reels on the screen. It depends on the settings of the slot. On top of that, if we’re talking about a combination of a Moving Wild Symbol and an Expanding Wild Symbol, or a Stacked Wild symbol, you will get a chance to win large. Such a Wild symbol can be found in the game Heart of the Frontier.