Tic Tac Take

As one of the top iGaming developers in the industry, Pragmatic Play consistently churns out high-quality content. And alongside the games being excellent to play, the volume of content means that as well as producing titles to fit trends, and slot themes that could be classed as common. There are naturally plenty of times when their work is very much unique. Or it provides a fresh twist or two on something that has gone before. That's what we see with the game we're checking out today, Tic Tac Take, which hit the scene in March 2022 and is already proving a hit with punters.

Now, you may be thinking that you recognise the name of the game from somewhere. And that’s right, you do. Of course, Tic Tac Take is a slot title based on the classic paper and pencil game Tic Tac Toe. Tic Tac Toe, or Noughts and Crosses, as some will know it as, is one of the most popular games of all time. Everyone, and we mean everyone, will have played it many times over the years, and now Pragmatic Play are giving it the slot treatment. We haven’t seen it done before, which certainly catapults the fame into the unique category, which is arguably our favourite genre of them all.

So, what can we expect from the game itself? Well, before we dig deeper into the various elements, it’s worth telling readers that akin to the style of Tic Tac Toe, Tic Tac Take is an incredibly simple slot. And what we mean by this is that there are five reels and ten fixed paylines. Yes, there are bonus features, which we will come onto later in the review, but what we’re seeing is yet again that simple but effective approach, which allows the theme of the title and the gameplay to really shine.

Ok, so one thing that is noticeable from the outset is that it’s pretty challenging bringing that traditional Tic Tac Toe look into a slot game. The reason for this is because slots, in the main, rely on players spinning the reels and finding winning combinations. So, if you loaded the reels solely with noughts and crosses, it’s going to be nye on impossible to make a slot work in the traditional sense.

So, with Pragmatic being an expert development team, they go with a more, well, pragmatic approach. The game has elements from Tic Tac Toe, with both noughts and crosses, which appear as X and O on the reels, having crucial roles in proceedings. But, as well as X and O, there is an array of beautifully designed gemstones, which are made up of different colours and styles.

The Star Wild is one of the most important icons in the game, as it is on hand to replace other regular icons to make forming winning combinations across the ten paylines a ton easier. The wild can appear on the slot’s central reels, and it will do so with the help of the X and the O.

The X and O, which can also only show up on the central reels, are integral for a Tic Tac Toe inspired feature. Players must aim for a line of 3 Xs or three Os, either horizontally, diagonally or vertically. When this happens, a respin for each line of three will be granted, with a maximum of eight available.

During the respins, X and O icons involved in triggering the bonus round will become sticky wilds, remaining in place for the duration. If further lines of X and or O occur during the respins feature, the running total will be boosted.

Tic Tac Take is the first instance we have seen of the classic Tic Tac Toe making it as a slot game, and it’s a great concept from Pragmatic Play. Elements of the hit game come through in the design, which is fine. But, it’s the respins feature, where getting a line of Xs or Os where the game really comes alive.