Rainbrew Introduction

If you’re not familiar with them yet, Just For The Win is a small Swedish game studio founded in 2016 and now also a Microgaming partner, which has naturally brought the company some attention. Unfortunately, their releases to date have generally been fairly mediocre (and some outright terrible), a trait JTFW seems to share with many Microgaming partners.

Compatible with all devices and playable from €0.10 to €100, Rainbrew is a Leprechaun-themed slot played on a 3, 5, 5, 5, 3 reel set with 243 win ways that can increase to 1,125 ways during free spins. It also includes two 1×3 horizontal reel sets at the top and bottom of the play area, which are tied to the Sidewinder feature.

Rainbrew sits in the upper-medium range for variance and comes with comparatively low returns. The RTP isn’t displayed in the game itself, which is simply not acceptable.

Rainbrew Symbols & Paytable

You’ll find 5 low-value symbols shown as different Celtic items. The 5 premium symbols are tobacco pipes, mugs, barrels, plus female and male leprechauns. As shown in the image above, the male leprechaun is the top-paying symbol, delivering an 8x win for 5 across a payline.

There are also 3 different type of wild symbols:

• Regular wild: only appear on the 2 horizontal Sidewinder reels.
• Top wild: in the base game Top wild symbols only appear on reel 2 and on the bottom horizontal Sidewinder reel.
• Bottom wild: in the base game Bottom wild symbols only appear on reel 3 and the top horizontal Sidewinder reel.

Sidewinder Feature

The entire game revolves around the Sidewinder feature, which triggers when wild symbols land in the main grid. A top wild (blue) activates the upper horizontal reel, while a bottom wild (green) activates the lower horizontal reel, boosting the number of win ways and giving extra chances for more wilds to land.

It can look a little confusing at first, but it’s actually straightforward. Using the image above as an example: a blue top wild lands and switches on the top blue horizontal reel, which can show green bottom wilds and regular wilds. Then a green bottom wild lands and activates the bottom green horizontal reel (re-spin), which can contain top blue wilds and regular wilds.

Rainbrew Free Spins Feature

When the Rainbrew scatter symbol lands on reel 2 and 4, the Sidewinder reels activate and will contain only scatter symbols. If a 3rd scatter lands during the Sidewinder feature, free spins are triggered and you receive 6 free spins. If 4 scatter symbols land instead, you’re awarded 10 free spins.

The help files state that in free spins both horizontal reels stay active and the game runs at 1125 ways, but in practice the horizontal reels can sometimes be empty, so it’s more accurate to say “up to” 1125 ways.

Free spins also includes a stronger version of the Rainbrew feature. Only scatter symbols and regular wilds appear on the horizontal reels (blue and green wilds don’t show up here). If a scatter symbol lands on a horizontal reel, you gain an extra spin. If regular wilds land in the same position on both horizontal reels, they expand into a full wild reel. This makes it possible to hit 3 full wild reels in the middle, which could potentially produce wins over 2500 times your stake.

Rainbrew Conclusion

Sadly, this is yet another awkward release from JTFW. The base game feels very dull, and the wait for the bonus can be frustrating. It’s also irritating that even after landing two scatters, you still have to rely on the Sidewinder feature to deliver a third one, which often doesn’t happen.

The free spins mode is passable and does offer some upside if you manage to trigger all 3 wild reels (good luck with that), but the payouts are still uncomfortably low. It’s hard to understand why anyone would spend their hard-earned money on a slot like this. The only genuinely amusing part might be the name…if that.

Rainbrew is available across all Microgaming casinos. For best bonus value, have a look at our list of best online casinos.