Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways: Slot Overview

Funny how trends shift, right? Not that long ago, it felt like every other new release was Irish, Egyptian, or another “book” style slot. These days, it’s more like we’re in the era of fishing (or “fishin’”) themes. Love it or not, here’s another sea-life entry from software provider Jelly in partnership with Yggdrasil: Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways. Staying true to the genre, it includes a money symbol collect mechanic, but Jelly changes up how the collecting works, while also adding expanded ways and an expanding reels element along the way.

Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways is packed with small (and not-so-small) twists on the usual fishin’ slot formula. Maybe it doesn’t outright break the rules, but it definitely bends them. For starters, the base game is set above the waterline near a charming seaside town, with the sun coming up on a calm morning. A seaweed-covered 5-reel, 3-row grid sits front and centre, and a meter above shows a starting value of 243 ways that increases when the reels expand. Jelly’s created a welcoming backdrop for the fishin’ action, with a slightly Pixar-like, Finding Nemo vibe—especially once free spins kick in and the action shifts below the surface.

To get started, choose a wager of 25 p/c to $/€100 per spin and play on any device. Note that Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways comes in multiple RTP configurations, with the top version set at 95.1%. The volatility is high, although the max win isn’t particularly huge, and the hit frequency sits at roughly 1 in 4 or 5 spins, depending on which RTP model you’re on.

Actually catching fish may be the headline, but standard ways payouts come from landing three to five matching symbols. At the low end of the paytable are four wooden J-A card ranks; above them are fishing rods, worms, boats, and birds as the four premium symbols. A five-of-a-kind way pays 0.5-1x the bet for the lower symbols and 2.5-10x the bet for five premium symbols. Wilds show a fisherman and substitute for any symbol except the Bonus symbol.

Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways: Slot Features

Wilds also have another job: they can start the Wild Fishin’ feature. This happens when 2 wild symbols land on reels 1 and 2. While the Wild Fishin’ feature is running, any fish on reel 3 are caught, and once a fish is caught on reel 3, reel 4 becomes eligible to catch fish on. If fish appear on reels 3 and 4, then fish can also be caught on reel 5. This step-by-step activation from left to right is known as Wild Ways. Fish on reel three carry prizes worth 0.5-4x, fish on reel 4 have values of 4-15x, and fish on reel 5 award cash prizes of 15-250x.

Free Spins

Free spins can be triggered in two different ways. The first is landing a bonus symbol on reels 3, 4, or 5 while the Wild Fishin’ feature is active. The second is hitting 3 bonus symbols on reels 3, 4, and 5. Either way, you receive 10 free spins. In the free spins round, when the Wild Fishin’ feature activates, reels 3, 4, and 5 can expand up to 6 rows high, increasing the game to as many as 1,944 ways to win. Any expanded reels return to normal for the next free spin. Finally, if the feature is retriggered by landing a bonus symbol during a Wild Fishin’ sequence, +5 additional free spins are added.

Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways: Slot Verdict

Jelly is a curious developer. Ever since they arrived with Savanna Roar, they’ve often leaned toward familiar ideas while still adding their own distinctive touches. Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways follows that pattern. As a fishing slot, it features the classic fish symbol/money collect concept, but the way it ties into the Wild Ways mechanic and the expanding grid feels different. The underlying idea isn’t completely unheard of, though—Gold Coin Studios used something comparable in Cairo Link & Win, where two Eye of Ra symbols on the first two reels expanded the remaining three reels, if you want an Egyptian-flavoured comparison.

Back on the water, Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways generally delivers what you’d expect (and in places, a bit more) from an angling-themed slot. The setting is suitably coastal, the fisherman fits the role, and there are chances to reel in fish carrying cash values. If you’re used to collect mechanics that automatically scoop up money symbols whenever they land, you may need a few spins to get used to the Wild Fishin’ approach. Part of that is because Wild Fishin’/Wild Ways didn’t appear especially often in the base game, although the rules suggest it should, in theory, show up more during free spins. On the other hand, some fishin’ slots only offer a collect mechanic inside free spins anyway. Running it this way can create a snowball-style sequence when prizes are collected consecutively from reels 3-5, and that likely helps explain Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways’ high volatility. Still, it isn’t a massive potential game, with a ceiling of 2,000x the bet. Not long ago, that sort of cap would’ve raised fewer eyebrows, but fishing slot win potential has been creeping upward lately, so it’s fair to wonder if a bigger top prize would have made Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways more tempting.

That said, if fishing fans are fine with that figure, then giving Wild Fishin’ Wild Ways a go should be time well spent. It offers the expected fish/money collect action, a salty backdrop to enjoy it in, and a notably different way of delivering the mechanics.