Wild Ape is a colorful, jungle-themed video slot with five reels and 20 paylines from iSoftBet, a London-based gaming studio that has quickly built an impeccable reputation in the online gambling industry. The developer is known for creating high-quality video slots with top-notch graphics, innovative designs, and varied, fun themes. Wild Ape is no exception, taking players on a thrilling adventure through the jungles of Africa.
The slot features beautiful graphics and animations, vibrant colors, and lovely tribal music in the background that intensifies when players hit a winning combination. This happens quite regularly despite the high volatility cited by the provider. The chance for frequent wins is increased with respins that occur randomly in the base game, stacked symbols, and free spins. Wild Ape is available on all devices from £/€0.20 to £/€20 per spin, and while the number of paylines is fixed, the coin value is adjustable from £/€0.01 to £/€1.00.
| Wild Ape Slot Summary | |
|---|---|
| Software Provider | iSoftBet |
| Paylines | 20–40 |
| RTP | 96.01% |
| Min Bet | €0.20 |
| Max Bet | €20.00 |
| Wild Symbol | The gorilla symbol can transform into a Wild. |
| Scatter Symbol | The image of the wheel functions as a Bonus/Scatter symbol, triggering the Free Spins feature. |
| Bonus Features | When gorillas appear stacked on three reels, they activate the Wild Ape Respins, while the Free Spins feature is triggered when three Bonus symbols land on reels 1, 3, and 5. |
| Jackpot | 1,000x |
Symbols and Winning Combinations of Wild Ape Slot
The game is set against a stunning rainforest backdrop where the ape is king. Along with the gorilla, which is the main character, plenty of other symbols award various payouts. There are several regular, low-paying symbols: 10s, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces, which can award up to 200 coins (200x the bet per line). The themed symbols include a toucan and a lemur, and to form a winning combination, players need to land three or more identical symbols on a payline. Hitting five toucans pays 250 coins, while five lemurs pay 300 coins.
The high-paying symbols are the crocodile and the gorilla, but players need just two of each type to appear on a line. If five crocodiles land on a payline, they pay 400 coins, and if five gorillas appear, the payout is 500 coins or 25 times the total bet. The gorilla is not only the top-paying image in the game, it can also transform into a Wild symbol, substituting for all regular symbols in winning combinations.
Normally, the gorilla appears in stacks of three images, covering an entire reel. To become a Wild, however, it needs to land in three consecutive stacks, triggering the Respins. Along with the Wild gorilla, the slot comes with a Bonus symbol, which appears on reels 1, 3, and 5. It does not pay separately; its only function is to activate the Free Spins feature.
Bonus Features of Wild Ape Slot
This jungle-themed slot by iSoftBet comes with several bonus features, and the first one to note is the Wild Ape Respins feature. It triggers whenever players land three reels full of gorilla symbols. The feature awards players three Respins, during which all gorillas become Wild substitutes. Moreover, the gorilla smashes the reels, extending them to a larger 5×4 reel set. The feature greatly increases the chances of winning, but it does not occur frequently.
The other notable bonus feature in Wild Ape is the Free Spins round. To activate it, players need to land the Bonus symbol on reels 1, 3, and 5 at the same time. When this happens, the Bonus Wheel appears on a new screen. Players spin the wheel and can receive up to 20 free spins, which are played automatically at the same bet level.
Once again, the reels are extended during the free spins, while the number of paylines is doubled to 40. In addition, up to 50 Wild gorillas can be won on the Bonus Wheel and added to the free spins.
Verdict
Wild Ape is an entertaining and visually appealing game, but more importantly, it is more rewarding than one would expect from a typically highly volatile slot. It has a decent theoretical return of 96.01%, while the hit rate is 20.8%, as calculated by the iSoftBet team. This means that players are likely to hit a winning combination once every four or five spins.
The best thing about this video slot, however, is the Free Spins feature, which not only expands the standard reel set but also increases the number of paylines to 40, effectively doubling the chances of winning.