If there is one creature from folklore tales that is synonymous with immense hidden riches, it is the tiny leprechaun. It is a small trickster fairy from Irish folklore, one who mends shoes and is believed to guard a hidden pot of gold coins.
What better character to incorporate into a slot game, right? That is precisely what slot manufacturer Barcrest did with its Rainbow Riches game. The slot takes its name from the belief that the mischievous creature hides his pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
Rainbow Riches gives off old-school vibes, which makes sense because it was launched online in 2013. The game features five reels with 20 adjustable paylines. It is a video slot that has managed to retain some elements of classic fruit machines.
The symbols are rather cartoonish, but Rainbow Riches compensates with several appealing extra features that increase its winning potential, including wild and scatter symbols that trigger three different bonuses.
| Rainbow Riches Slot Summary | |
|---|---|
| Software Provider | Barcrest |
| Payline Number | 20 adjustable paylines |
| RTP | 95% (medium volatility) |
| Minimum Bet | $0.20 |
| Maximum Bet | $500 |
| Wild Symbols | The gold coin is wild and substitutes for all icons except the scatter symbols |
| Scatter Symbols | Scatter symbols are represented by a leprechaun, a well, and a pot of gold coins |
| Bonus Features | Pots of Gold, Wishing Well, and Road to Riches multipliers |
| Jackpot | 200,000 coins |
Symbols and Winning Combinations of Rainbow Riches Slot
Rainbow Riches features a 5×3 symbol grid with 20 adjustable paylines. We recommend you refrain from deactivating any win lines, though, because this will decrease your chances of landing winning combinations.
In case of budget restrictions, it would be best to play all paylines at the lowest coin denomination. The minimum bet is only $0.20, which makes the game suitable for most players in our opinion. The reels rotate within an ornately decorated frame that sits on top of a purplish background crowned by a rainbow.
The paying symbols in the base game are a bit bland because all of them are the card initials most reel spinners are familiar with. One exception is the wild golden coin bearing the leprechaun’s image. It offers the highest value in this Barcrest slot, returning 25x your line bet. The Rainbow Riches logo gives you 12.5x your line bet.
Five of a kind with Aces or Kings awards 7.5x your line bet. Queens, Jacks, and 10s pay less for five matches: you get only 5x the amount you stake on a winning line. Regardless of the combination, you need at least three identical card initials to secure a payout.
The wild and the Rainbow Riches logo pay for as few as two matches. The identical symbols must align from left to right on the reels to award a prize.
Bonus Features of Rainbow Riches Slot
Visually, Rainbow Riches attempts to replicate the experience you get when playing Barcrest’s original land-based machine of the same name. This partially explains the dated feel of the graphics.
The online version features a wild substitution symbol shaped like a golden coin with the image of a leprechaun minted in the center. This symbol replaces all icons except the scatters in Rainbow Riches. The scatters are the key to triggering the three exciting bonuses incorporated into the gameplay.
The first scatter is the Road to Riches symbol with the grinning leprechaun. You need three or more of these in view to trigger the bonus. In this bonus game, a road is paved with increasingly higher multipliers.
The leprechaun will spin a wheel containing numbers from 1 to 6 and the word “collect”. A number moves you forward by the respective number of steps on the multiplier road. The leprechaun keeps spinning until you land on “collect” and end the feature. Multipliers can reach up to 175x your base bet.
Three or more scattered wells anywhere on the reels trigger the Wishing Well feature. Simply click on one of the triggering well symbols to reveal the stake multiplier hidden inside.
Finally, there is the Pots of Gold scatter, which activates the eponymous feature. To reach it, you need three such scatters to land on reels 2, 3, and 4 on the same spin. The game then takes you to a field where a leprechaun stands with pots of gold above his head. The pots spin, and the one that comes to rest above the arrow at the bottom of the screen contains your multiplier prize.
Verdict
Rainbow Riches may look visually outdated, but it is still worth a spin or two. With three distinct bonus features, the game keeps players engaged and offers an entertaining spinning experience. Try it, and if you like it, we suggest checking out its more modern version that uses the Megaways mechanic.