Fire and Roses Jolly Joker is an online slot from Games Global partner Triple Edge Studios, and it was among the first Christmas-themed slots we spotted in 2023. It also makes it clear Triple Edge Studios both wants to join the festive rush and, at the same time, isn’t going all-in: Fire and Roses Jolly Joker is essentially a holiday take on the earlier Fire and Roses Joker, so the two titles are, unsurprisingly, extremely similar. Still, this one leans into the Christmas vibe with a joker twist, so the question is whether it can squeeze out a bit more seasonal sparkle.

The female joker from the original returns, only now she’s styled as one of Santa’s helpers and seemingly answers to Santa Jolene. She stands beside the reels holding a flaming flower, with another burning bloom beneath her and more fire running along the bottom of the screen—like the aftermath of an overambitious Xmas dinner where someone nodded off and the fireplace sent a stray spark into the room. Anyway, the point is Fire and Roses Jolly Joker swaps the previous game’s fiery classic slot/circus feel for a fiery Christmas makeover.

On the stats side, things look largely unchanged, including a default return to player of 96.01% and a math model Triple Edge rates as highly volatile. With a hit rate of 24.74%, Fire and Roses Jolly Joker pays in both directions—right to left as well as left to right—across a grid of 5 reels laid out in a 3-4-5-4-3 formation. To join the celebrations, players can choose a stake from 20 p/c to $/€50.

Using a 720 ways-to-win pay system, wins land by hitting matching symbols on at least 3 consecutive reels, starting from either the left or the right edge of the play area. For the lower-value symbols, Fire and Roses Jolly Joker uses festive-looking clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades, while the higher pays come from a stocking, a gingerbread man, bells, and a gift-wrapped present. A five-of-a-kind card suit win returns 0.8 to 1.2 times the bet, while 5 premium symbols pay 2 to 8 times the bet. The joker lady acts as the wild and shows up on reels 2, 3, and 4. Wilds can appear stacked, and they replace any standard paying symbol.

Fire and Roses Jolly Joker: Slot Features

Under the festive wrapping you’ll find features including a Jackpot Wheel with increasing jackpots, along with free spins that use a win multiplier.

Jackpot Wheel

Positioned above each of the 5 reels is a jackpot, shown as a bet multiplier. Whenever a Jackpot Trigger symbol lands, it increases the jackpot on its reel by 0.5x the bet, up to a defined limit. Landing 1 or more Jackpot Trigger symbols gives players a chance to spin the Jackpot Wheel. After a jackpot is paid, it resets. When the Jackpot Wheel activates, players receive 1 of 5 guaranteed jackpots:

• Mini – starts at 5x and can grow to 75x the bet.
• Minor – starts at 10x and can grow to 100x the bet.
• Major – starts at 50x and can grow to 250x the bet.
• Mega – starts at 200x and can grow to 1,000x the bet.
• Ultra – starts at 1,000x and can grow to 5,000x the bet.

Free Spins

Free spins start when a scatter symbol lands on every reel, spelling J, O, L, L, Y. When the feature triggers, each free spins scatter involved will either grant +1 extra free spin or increase the free spins win multiplier by +1x. Players also collect 1x the bet at activation, and a minimum of 6 free spins is awarded. Free spins are retriggered, and they include a win multiplier that applies to ways wins and retrigger payouts. In the base game, the free spins multiplier increases by 0.5x when free spins scatter land on exactly 4 reels, up to a maximum of x10, although the value when entering free spins can be as high as x15. Once free spins end, the multiplier returns to x1.

Fire and Roses Jolly Joker: Slot Verdict

With Fire and Roses Jolly Joker released, Triple Edge Studios can at least say it checked the “Xmas slot” box for the year. It doesn’t feel like a huge amount of work went into that checkbox moment, though, and “low engagement” is a fair way to describe Fire and Roses Jolly Joker overall. Christmas titles are often reskins, so this one isn’t unusual in that sense, but that doesn’t stop it from coming across as fairly flat and not especially good at generating festive excitement.

On the plus side, Fire and Roses Jolly Joker offers plenty of ways to win on a grid that pays in both directions. The potential for fully stacked wilds is another possible upside, even if they don’t seem to appear that way very frequently. There’s also a lot happening on-screen, with Jackpot Trigger scatters popping in, free spins scatters landing now and then, and Santa Jolene delivering very enthusiastic voiceovers that some players might enjoy. Of course, lots of activity doesn’t automatically mean big returns, although with a 5,000x the bet max win, strong outcomes are at least possible.

So, that’s another Christmas slot added to the pile. Like many of these seasonal reskins, Fire and Roses Jolly Joker doesn’t look like a game destined to stand out. A few players may be drawn to the rising jackpots mechanic, or simply fancy taking their chances with the intensely watchful Santa Jolene nearby, but it’s difficult to imagine Fire and Roses Jolly Joker leaving much of a mark by the time Boxing Day arrives.