Great Rhino Deluxe: Overview

Watch out, players — Pragmatic Play is sending another stampede your way with its African wildlife slot Great Rhino Deluxe. That famous rhino has certainly been kept busy. This is the third entry in the series, beginning with the Great Rhino, then Great Rhino Megaways, and now the deluxe edition. Don’t anticipate sweeping changes, though. Compared to the original, there isn’t a great deal that’s new. Respins remain, as do free spins and the two smaller jackpots.

From a visual standpoint, the game has progressed beyond the first Great Rhino slot. The deluxe release resembles the Megaways version far more, just on a smaller grid. Here, we return to the 5-reel, 20-payline setup, placed in a grand African landscape. If you’ve tried one of these before, you know what to expect — rippling grass, Acacia trees, huge open horizons, and the rest. Plus, naturally, plenty of animals showing up on the reels.

The audio is more pleasant than what you typically hear in an African themed slot. Once play begins, you get a steady drum rhythm, and when the choral vocals arrive it turns surprisingly uplifting. It’s reminiscent of Rafiki presenting Simba on Pride Rock in The Lion King — it genuinely creates a feel-good mood. Overall, the visuals and sound effects combine to give Great Rhino Deluxe a convincing, physical slot-style vibe.

Great Rhino can be played on any device, with stakes ranging from 20 p/c to $/€100 per spin. The default RTP is comfortably above average at 96.5%, though lower configurations also exist, while volatility sits in the medium range. It’s not quite a full-on charging rhino, but the relatively forgiving math is supported by decent upside.

That upside starts with landing groups of three to five matching symbols. The 9 standard symbols are essentially the same ones used in the Megaways version, with a couple of royals removed and a bit of rearranging.

This time, the roster begins with Q-A symbols, then moves on to flamingos, hyenas, crocs, gorillas, and cheetahs. In this edition, the rhino is the top-paying regular symbol (instead of being the wild as in Megaways), awarding 20 times the stake for five of a kind. It also pays when only two land on a payline. The golden rhino coin acts as the wild, paying from two of a kind up to 25x for five of a kind. On top of that, the golden rhino substitutes for every other symbol except the scatter.

Great Rhino Deluxe: Features

Great Rhino Deluxe stays straightforward, offering only two features to get into — super respins and free spins.

Super respins start when two stacked reels of rhinos land in the same spin. Those two stacks lock in place, and three respins are granted. While respins are active, only rhino symbols can appear, and any additional rhinos that land award an extra respin.

Fresh rhino symbols might, or might not, also show an x2 multiplier, which is applied to the line win. If multiple multipliers land on the same line, their values are multiplied together. Once respins end, all winning combinations are paid. If, when respins finish, 14 Rhinos are visible, the Major jackpot worth 375x is awarded instead of line wins. If all 15 positions are filled with Rhinos, players take the 500x Grand jackpot.

The main attraction is the free spins feature, triggered when 3 scatters land on reels 2, 3, and 4, awarding 10 free spins. During free spins, every time a rhino symbol lands, it is collected. Then, on the final spin, all collected rhinos are dropped onto the reels in random positions. You’ll want to maximize the opportunity, since the feature cannot be retriggered

Great Rhino Deluxe: Verdict

In a lot of respects, Great Rhino Deluxe feels like a blend of the two earlier games, keeping the original’s mechanics while pairing them with the Megaways version’s visual style. That may not sound especially deluxe on paper, but in play it comes together nicely for what it aims to be. The Deluxe is also a more rounded, enjoyable experience than the original.

From a more cynical angle, Great Rhino Deluxe can seem like a director’s cut where an extra 3.5 seconds of footage has been inserted. Essentially, optional filler for dedicated fans who want every version for the shelf. The updates are undeniably quite small — some graphic improvements, a new audio track, and a slight adjustment to the features. It’s clearly benefiting from existing brand recognition. Still, enough has been changed or refined to justify the ‘Deluxe’ tag.

That said, for fans of the first game, none of that will likely matter. The slot gives off such an upbeat energy that it softens most complaints. The music plays a big role, and together with the physical slot feel created by the graphics and sound effects, it results in a game that’s easy to enjoy.

The potential has definitely gone up — Pragmatic Play states that wins of over 6,000 times the stake are now achievable. Sure, that’s not even a third of what Great Rhino Megaways can theoretically deliver. Even so, it’s a solid figure, though given what the game provides, it can feel a little optimistic.

Great Rhino Deluxe likely won’t redefine the slots scene. It isn’t a high-octane thrill ride, nor is it dramatically different from the first, but if you want an entertaining African slot with an over-the-top feel-good factor, Great Rhino Deluxe is a decent pick for players who enjoy this kind of theme.