Lord of the Wilds: Overview

Red Tiger continues to keep its release schedule busy, pushing out another slot shortly after the previous one. This time the developer heads into the humid African jungle with a Tarzan-inspired theme. Alongside Tarzan you’ll find his love interest Jane, plus a handful of features and a free spins round. Tarzan hardly needs an introduction, even if the tale has been reshaped since its first publication in 1912. Most people picture a rough-and-ready Tarzan, raised by monkeys and gradually “civilised” by Jane. In the original story, though, he was articulate thanks to his upbringing as Viscount Greystoke. Either way, the theme is clear.

Lord of the Wilds may not be Red Tiger’s most striking-looking release, but it’s certainly not a poor effort. The bare-chested adventure unfolds in a dense, leafy forest with mist hanging in the background. It’s the sort of place where scorpions could be under any leaf and a gorilla could be lurking behind any tree. To match the setting, the game delivers a pounding drumbeat soundtrack throughout. Lord of the Wilds runs on any device and supports stakes from 10 p/c to $/€40 per spin. Under the jungle skin sits a medium/high volatile math model, meaning bonus rounds can take a while to show up. The other headline figure is a default return to player of 95.66%. That’s a touch below Red Tiger’s usual level, so hopefully it isn’t the beginning of a quiet downward trend.

Across the 5 reels, there are 30 paylines where wins can land. A payout is formed when three or more matching symbols connect consecutively starting from the first reel. The symbol set includes 9 standard pays, a wild, and a scatter. Low symbols are the four card suits (clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades), followed by a toucan, a gorilla, and a panther in the mid range.

Unsurprisingly, Jane and Tarzan take the two premium spots. Curiously, despite there being no barbers in the jungle to keep his mane in check, Tarzan is completely clean-shaven. In any case, the two premium symbols pay 5x and 6x the stake respectively for five of a kind. A separate Tarzan symbol acts as the wild and can appear on any reel. It’s the top-paying symbol, awarding 10x for five on a payline, and it substitutes for any symbol except the scatter.

Lord of the Wilds: Features

True to the title, wilds are central to the best moments in this game, showing up in both the modifiers and the free spins round.

Whichever way the features unfold, they come with some catchy names. The first, Tarzan’s Treasure, can trigger on any spin entirely at random. When it activates, Tarzan swings out of the jungle on a vine and adds Tarzan symbols (not wilds) to the reels to ensure a win. He can also swing in to add free spins symbols, giving you a chance to trigger the bonus.

The second feature is Jane’s Wild Kiss, which can also appear without warning. When it triggers, Jane blows a kiss that turns all visible Tarzan symbols wild and locks them in place for the next spin. On top of that, whenever a Jane symbol lands next to a regular Tarzan symbol, it transforms into a wild and locks for the next spin. If Jane symbols land beside previously locked wilds, they get locked again for another spin.

Lastly, 10 free spins are awarded when 3 free spins symbols land in view. If you manage to hit more than three, each additional scatter adds 5 extra spins up to a maximum of 20. During free spins, any wild that lands becomes sticky and stays locked for the entire feature.

Lord of the Wilds: Verdict

All things considered, Lord of the Wilds is a decent slot, but it’s not one you absolutely have to play. It feels like the verdict could be lifted from the last couple of Red Tiger slots we covered, as many of the same strengths and weaknesses show up again. On the plus side, you get the polished visuals Red Tiger is known for, along with a respectable bonus round.

Outside of that, the game doesn’t leave a huge impression. For starters, the math model stats aren’t especially exciting, beginning with an RTP that sits slightly below what you typically see in these Red Tiger filler releases. Then there’s the familiar lengthy gap between bonus rounds. Still, the free spins feature is a solid highlight. It may not be original, but sticky wilds can definitely deliver some pleasing outcomes.

Even so, the overall results could have been stronger. Lord of the Wild’s potential of 2,100 times the stake isn’t particularly impressive and feels a bit low considering the volatility level. The other features can also take a while to appear, and when they do, they’re unlikely to deliver truly massive wins.

That said, free spins can be enjoyable if you manage to lock plenty of wilds early on. The best outcome seen during testing was roughly 550x, which isn’t spectacular, but it’s better than being ripped apart by a gang of territorial gorillas. In summary, Lord of the Wilds does have a few positives, but unfortunately the negatives end up outweighing them.