The unusual features of the Wild symbols

Wild symbols, also called Substitute, are found in most modern veo slots. Quite often, their analogues come across even in traditional slot machines with three reels and one or three lines.

At the same time, Wilds can often bring payouts without the participation of other symbols. Moreover, there are slots that award winnings for even one such symbol appearing on the screen.

How do Wild symbols appear on the reels?

In different slot machines, the Wild symbol may appear on all reels or only on some of them.

• Evolution (Net Entertainment) – Wild appears on reels 2-4.
• Lucky Lager (Cryptologic) – Wild appears on the three middle reels.

In the slots of the Megaways series, wilds can only appear in an additional horizontal line located above the main reels.

Sometimes Wilds are activated only during bonus games or other bonus features.

What symbols can the wild replace?

In the classic version, Wild, appearing in a suitable position, can replace any symbols, except for Scatter, Bonus and other special symbols. Sometimes, if Scatter forms combinations according to the general rules (in a row on the active line), then Wild can also take place.

In this case, we will do without examples, because such slot machines are known to every customer of any online casino.

Can ordinary icons become wilds?

Wild functions can also be performed by simple icons.

• Wild Games (Playtech) – if the icons of sports animals completely occupy the third reel, it begins to play the role of Wild.

Of course, this is not the only model with this feature. Often, standard icons become Wilds during free spins.

How combinations from Wild are formed?

In most cases, if Wild appears in all reels, it can form combinations according to the general rules without the participation of other symbols. As a rule, Wild is the highest paying symbol in such slots. Similar slot machines can be found, probably, in all online casino software game makers.
For example, in the Captain Nemo (Cryptologic) slot, Wild symbols are paid even one at a time.

Wilds are able to activate multipliers?

One of the nice extra features of Wild, which is common in slots, is the payout multiplier for the combinations made with this symbol. In other words, if the Wild replaces a symbol in a combination, the win is multiplied.
So, in the Captain Squawk’s Booty Time (Microgaming) slot, the Wild symbol doubles the payouts for combinations from other symbols, if it replaces at least one of them.

Can the wild come in stacks?

In some slot machines, Wild symbols appear in stripes. Therefore, it can occupy the entire reel after the spin.

• The Dark Knight (Microgaming) – Wild on all reels goes in long stripes.
• Baywatch (Playtech) – Wild always appears in stripes on the second, third and fourth reels.

Can the wild expand?

In many slot games, Wild symbols can be expanded in certain situations, after which they occupy several positions on the screen. In this form, it can stay for one or more spins.

Let’s give some examples.

• Daring Dave and the Eye of Ra (Playtech) – appears on any of the three middle reels, the Wild expands to all three of its cells.
• Lucky Lager (Cryptologic) – all symbols that are higher than Wild on the reel become “wild”.

Sometimes wilds expand horizontally or fill all the positions around them.

• Untamed Wolf Pack (Microgaming) – after four Wilds appear on a reel, that reel will become completely wild for the next four spins.

• Divine Ways – The Red Tiger slot has wilds called Cloning Wilds. Appearing in any position on the screen, such a symbol starts moving in a randomly given direction. It can only move in a straight line. All symbols it passes through also turn into Wild. Next, combinations are formed and payouts are calculated on it. If the wild fills all fifteen cells on the screen, the player receives a bonus payout. It is calculated by the total bet and x800 coefficient.

What bonuses does Wild activate in free spins?

During free spins, the possibilities of Wilds are sometimes expanded. It can:

1. appear in lines,
2. take up the whole reel,
3. make «wild» adjacent symbols and so on.

Sometimes developers give it unique features.

Let’s look at it in examples.

• Double Happiness – “The Double Happiness” slot machine, which is offered in the casino powered by NextGen (Aristocrat) software, has a very interesting free spins round. During free spins, the Double Roaming Wilds feature is activated. Two “restless” Wild symbols appear on the screen, which constantly move, making one step with each new start. As usual, it replaces other symbols, and if it appears together in one cell, then the payouts for the combinations it helps to make are calculated with an additional x10 multiplier.
• Snake Slot (Leander Games) – Wild always occupies the first reel in free spins.
• Cops N’ Bandits (Playtech) – during the free spins, a police officer, being next to a bandit, turns him into Wild, and he remains so until the end of the spins.

What are the unique features of the wilds?

In some slot machines, Wild takes part in the original options and has unusual features that cannot be attributed to any of the above categories.

• Reel Attraction – We were pleased with this novelty by the developers from Novomatic. A professor with a magnet appears on the first reel of the video slot. It is an expanding Wild. In the other four columns, simple Wilds appear in the form of a magnet. If two types of these symbols appear on the screen at the same time, the scientist occupies all three vertical columns and draws the reel with the magnet towards him (to the second position). The feature is called Reel Slide, and it guarantees multiple payouts at once with each activation.

• Zombies (Net Entertainment) – there are two types of Wild in this slot. One is regular and appears on all reels except the third one. And the second appears only on the middle reel, goes in lines and can move one position up or down, if necessary. In addition, in each of the spins, from one to six symbols can turn into Wild.

• The Wild Wood – This nature-themed slot from Novomatic features the standard Wild symbol appearing on all reels. Moreover, during free spins, all scatters also turn into wilds and also help to complete combinations by replacing the missing elements in the chains. This function has received the “talking” name Wild Transformation.

• Crystal Clear – A unique Realistic Games slot machine with unusual features of the Wild symbol. It appears in long lines on all reels. Each column initially has eight such symbols.
• If any combination is formed, the symbols included in it also turn into Wild, after which a free spin is launched. This can continue until all fifteen cells are occupied by “wild” symbols. Then the player will receive a fixed jackpot in the amount of ten thousand coins of the face value.

As you can see, the Wild symbol makes the gameplay more varied and exciting, not to mention additional benefits for customers.