The Ultimate 5

Pragmatic Play have turned their attention back to creating online slot games, and the result is The Ultimate 5. We say 'turned their attentions back' because this studio has been releasing live dealer casino games en masse of late, but we now get to experience their slot machine splendour once again. The game we're looking at is The Ultimate 5, a slot that uses animals of the African wild as the theme. While the graphics and animations are very appealing, there are also some bonus features to look forward to in the Hold & Spin Super Boost, a free spins feature as well as some wild symbol assistance. Let's board the game viewing vehicle and see if there are some splendid sightings in this review.

As mentioned, Pragmatic Play is the casino software studio that developed The Ultimate 5, and some kudos should be passed over for the illustrations of the animals. While the slot is called The Ultimate 5, it is a play on the Big 5, which is the five illustrious beasts in lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. The last two efforts of Pragmatic's that we looked at were Crystal Cavern and Fortune of Giza, and while all have different themes, there's always also good mobile compatibility with Pragmatic slots online in New Zealand. This means you can take the action with you when you're out and about, and not always have to play from home.

This is one of the online casino games you can find here with higher volatility. Thus cash wins can be really potent, but that also means wins don't come as frequently as in slot machines with medium volatility levels. Needless to say, find a good strategy and stick to it. If you're in it for substantial cash returns, then know that the most you'll be able to win is 5,000x your bet, which is pretty respectable, albeit a little underwhelming. However, there's a maximum stake limit of 100.00, so if wagering at this maximum and you manage the maximum bet, things could become as wild as the animals in The Ultimate 5.

You didn't think Pragmatic was going to create a slots title around the Big 5 and not include the animals as symbols, did you? Well, they certainly did, and so you'll find the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino all as the higher paying symbols in The Ultimate 5. As the King of the Jungle, the lion acts as the highest paying symbol for 3, 4 and 5 of a kind wins.

As per usual, you'll find playing cards 10, J, Q, K and A as the lower-paying symbols, although K and A have higher values than the three below them.

There’s both a wild symbol and a scatter symbol in play. The wild substitutes all regular icons to make up 3, 4 and 5 of a kind wins. The scatter triggers bonus play. However, there is also a sun symbol that also triggers a bonus.

The sun lands on reels 2, 3 and 4, and when it lands on all three on the same spin, the Hold & Spin Super Boost triggers. These sun icons come with cash values attached, starting at 1x bet wins up to 10x. There are also Mini (25x), Minor (50x), Major (75x), Maxi (100x) and Mega (500x). The feature sees the triggering sun symbols remain on the grid with all other symbols cleared. You have three respins where only suns fall, with the objective being for them to stick. When one does, the respins are reset to 3. All cash values attached to sun symbols are added together at the end.

Landing 3, 4 or 5 scatters to trigger 8, 10 or 12 free spins. You'll notice lower-paying symbols can get removed during the spins, while an overlay icon can land over other symbols to add up to 8 extra free spins. 

While not the most original casino game in theme we’ve ever played, The Ultimate 5 still does a great job of giving players added value, with the Hold & Spin Super Boost in particular. That is a feature that really gives you chances to win big. You can play slots free here in demo mode, but with the bonus features only paying you demo cash, you'll be gearing up for a real money cash safari in no time.