Following its official debut on the UK-regulated market on May 8th, Slotmill, a fast-growing slots development studio based in Stockholm, Sweden, released on May 9th, Cash Pandas, a raccoon-themed slot featuring wily raccoons, also known as trash pandas, who cunningly plan to pull off the perfect heist.
Outstanding visual:
True to its name, the main theme of the slot is the aforementioned raccoons who, instead of looking at trash cans, have shifted their focus to cash. The game takes place in a dark alley in the city of New York, where the only light comes from winning combinations of symbols.
The adventurous music played during the spins completes the atmosphere of the game and this slot can be played on any device.
To win, players must form a combination of 5 or more matching symbols in a cluster that is horizontally or vertically next to each other on a dynamic 7×7 grid. Furthermore, each win activates the avalanche cluster pays mechanic, where the player makes winning combinations with the aforementioned sequence.
The basic low-value symbols are a blue soda can, a green can, an apple and a doughnut, while the high-value bonus symbols are one dollar bills, double dollar bills, triple dollar bills and a purple raccoon. A combination of five matching low or high-value symbols is worth 0,2x to 1x a player’s bet, while a combination of 25+ low-value symbols is worth between 35x to 50x a player’s bet and a combination of 25+ high-value symbols is worth between 60x to 500x a player’s bet.
The game has high volatility, a maximum win of up to 10000x a player’s bet and average RTP of 96.16%.
Slot features:
Avalanche – this feature is triggered when a player creates a winning cluster. After activation, the winning symbols are eliminated from the reels, and new symbols occupy empty spaces on the grid. The feature will last as long as the player makes new wins.
Wild Symbol – Wilds consisting of a W-shaped cheese and raccoons dressed in yellow, ensure that more winning combinations are available by replacing other paying symbols.
Giant Symbols – throughout a player’s spins, giant paying symbols can randomly appear in sizes 2×2, 3×3 or 4×4 corresponding to 4, 9 and 16 of the displayed symbol type, individually. When a player makes a win with a giant symbol, the Wild will be put in one of the empty positions left after the win. However, if the player doesn’t make a win directly with a giant symbol, it will stay throughout the feature or when the player enters the bonus game.
Battery Charge – during this feature, when the battery charging symbol appears, it fills the collect meter with 5 or 10 points. As soon as it adds points, it will transform into Wild.
Collect Meter – the collect meter is placed to the right of the reels. Additionally, every symbol involved in a win is equal to 1 point, which is then collected on the meter. When a player collects points, they can trigger various power-ups. However, the first 3 power-ups need 15 points individually.
The collect meter is reset each time a new spin is made. Once the player has collected the required power-up points, they will trigger as soon as the avalanches are over. Therefore, it takes 25 points each to trigger the first 3 power-ups as mentioned above, and if the player collects another 25 points, the Giant Raccoon Wild Bonus Game is triggered. Here are the different power-ups a player can trigger:
- Random Wilds – when triggered, a maximum of 7 symbols are put on the reels;
- Symbol Conversion – when triggered, a random symbol type will be chosen on the reel setup. This chosen symbol type will then convert all of its symbols into another symbol type;
- Symbol Removal – when triggered, the symbol type will be chosen and all this symbol type on the reel setup will be eliminated.
Giant Raccoon Wild Bonus Game – the feature is triggered when the player collects 100 points on the collect meter. After all the basic power-ups are done and new symbols are collected on the collect meter, the giant raccoon wild will be put on the reels. This symbol is generated a random number of times, always appearing one at a time, and it will break into 1×1 Raccoon Wilds when involved in a win. In addition, it remains there until a win is created or until the player enters the next stage.
What’s more, if the player collects 100 points, they move to the next stage with the upgraded Raccoon Wilds. The stages are as follows:
- Stage 1 – it will add 2 to 5 2×2 Giant Raccoon Wilds to the reel setup, with 4 1×1 Raccoon Wilds being placed later at the same time;
- Stage 2 – it will add 1 to 4 3×3 Giant Raccoon Wilds on the reel setup, with 8 1×1 Raccoon Wilds being placed later at the same time;Stage 3 – it will add 1 to 4 4×4 Giant Raccoon Wilds on the reel setup, with 12 1×1 Raccoon Wilds being placed later at the same time.
Additionally, the player will get a total win multiplier from the start of the feature, which starts at 1x and then grows by 1x every time an avalanche occurs. It stays throughout the feature.
Moreover, stage 3 is the highest level of the round.
Burst mode – if a player wants to take a full advantage of additional fast spins, they may use this feature. Additionally, player can select the bet size and number of spins to trigger this mode.
Bonus Buy (Fast Track) – if the player wants to activate the aforementioned features immediately, they may use this option. So, the player may select one of 4 options:
- 10x – the player receives a spin that guarantees them a 2×2, 3×3 or 4×4 giant symbol. For this one, the RTP is 96.35%;
- 70x – the player triggers the Giant Raccoon Wild Bonus Game during stage 1. For this one, the RTP is 96.44%;
- 200x – the player triggers the Giant Raccoon Wild Bonus Game throughout the second stage, with an initial win multiplier of 1x. For this one, the RTP is 96.55%;
- 400x – the player triggers the Giant Raccoon Wild Bonus Game throughout stage 2, where the player randomly gets an initial win multiplier of between 1x to 5x. For this one, the RTP is 96.68%.
Commenting on the launch, Jamie Boyle, Product Owner of Slotmill, said: “We are thrilled to release ‘Cash Pandas’, a game that we believe will be an instant hit among players. The game’s unique setting and fun characters make for an exciting gaming experience, and we can’t wait for players to try it out.”
