Vampires vs Wolves (Pragmatic Play): Overview

Some slot themes are so closely tied to certain landmark titles that any new game using the same idea is instantly compared to those classics. In the vampire genre, it’s almost impossible not to think of Microgaming’s 2011 mega hit Immortal Romance which, largely thanks to its iconic soundtrack and distinctive story, is widely regarded as one of the best online slots ever made. With that in mind, it’s natural for players to bring expectations when they see a familiar supernatural setting. Since the soundtrack in Vampire vs Wolves is strong enough to satisfy even the pickiest listeners, it’s a solid start.

Developed by Pragmatic Play, Vampire vs Wolves is a straightforward 5 reel slot featuring 10 paylines, playable on all devices with stakes ranging from 10 cents up to 50€ per spin. There are no features in the base game, so everything revolves around the free spins round where you must choose a side—fight with the vampires or back the werewolves. In the end, it’s a choice between higher risk and a safer approach.

Taking place in what feels like Victorian London on a foggy, eerie night, you’ll come across Pragmatic’s sharply dressed, gothic-style vampires. After recently criticising the studio for fairly generic output, it’s nice to see a release with noticeably better quality. A creepy yet impressive soundtrack helps build the atmosphere, while the reels show classic card suit symbols in a gemstone style. The higher-paying picture symbols are the main characters, with the white-haired fellow being the top one, awarding 80 times your stake for 5 of a kind. The key wild symbol substitutes for all standard symbols—landing 5 wilds across a full payline delivers a 100 times your stake payout to your winnings.

Vampires vs Wolves (Pragmatic Play): Features

Activating the Free Spins feature is a little different here, as it only requires two scatters, though they are stacked. If the howling wolf scatter fully covers reel 1 and the haunted mansion lands on reel 5, the free spins round starts and you’ll be able to choose either the Wolf Free Spins or Vampire Free Spins.

The Wolf Free Spins round is the slightly lower-volatility choice and gives you 14 spins in total, with no option to re-trigger. In this mode, three vampire symbols change into werewolves, meaning they effectively become the same symbol, which boosts your chances of hitting a wild line because they all share the same value as the wild.

The Vampire Free Spins round is the more volatile alternative and begins with just 8 spins, which also cannot be re-triggered. While this feature is running, whenever a vampire symbol with a red border (there are three of them) appears, it may randomly turn into a sticky wild and stay locked in place for the remainder of the feature.

Vampires vs Wolves (Pragmatic Play): Verdict

Only a few minutes into testing, we landed our first bonus and—true to form—went for the higher-volatility option. Seeing the reels gradually stack up with sticky wilds was undeniably exciting, and leaving with an 800 xbet win certainly made us feel more positive about the game. That said, later sessions also showed us the more punishing side of the slot.

In our view, the game does have drawbacks. For one, the ceiling feels too modest to be truly compelling—1000 times your stake isn’t especially impressive, particularly considering the volatility. Some of our testers also found the base game a bit dull, and felt the lack of features makes it essentially an all-or-nothing experience, somewhat reminiscent of classic Novomatic in that respect. If you appreciate the music and the strong visual design as much as we did, you’ll likely enjoy it. If not, Vampires vs Wolves may end up being a real pain in the neck.