Red Hot Wild (Barcrest) – Review & Demo Play

Red Hot Wild review

I've always liked a fruit machine theme with a fiery twist, and Red Hot Wild hits that brief. This is a 3x3 video slot with five win lines where you choose which symbol from the paytable to turn wild. That pick sets a multiplier for any wins that use it. The set-up is simple, but the wild control and the Big Bet option keep it lively without losing that classic bells, bars and blue stars feel.

After a few sessions, the game came across as medium/high-variance with a hit rate that can feel slow on the smallest stake. I lean on the Big Bet button when I want a more direct shot at the features, or step up beyond £2 to play at the 96% setting. It's very much a fruit slot at heart, but the choose-your-wild twist gives it a proper reason to stick around.

Graphics, Sounds and Animations in Red Hot Wild

I get an ethereal melody as the reels spin, then rhythmic plonking on the land and a mix of chimes and bells on wins. The cartoon style has slick black outlines that echo a vintage graphic novel, with cherries, lemons, plums, golden bells, blue stars and number sevens glowing against abstracted flames. It stays faithful to a traditional slot aesthetic while keeping the fiery backdrop front and centre, which suits the theme.

Gameplay in Red Hot Wild

Gameplay in Red Hot Wild is three reels, three rows and five win lines, paying only the highest win per line. Most of what you need sits on the screen with stake controls on the left, balance at the bottom, Spin on the right, plus an information button for the paytable. I always keep an eye on the pairs of blue stars as they're particularly lucrative when they land across a line.

At the very start you select the symbol that will be Wild from a choice of ten, each carrying a multiplier from x1 up to x10. If I fancy a different set-up mid-session, I hit the Change button near the top to pick another. The chosen Wild substitutes across the reels, and when it forms part of a win the screen throws a proper burst of fire and a Big Win splash on heftier hits.

Wilds, Bonuses and Free Spins in Red Hot Wild

The wild multipliers are the headline act. Any win using a Wild gets multiplied by that symbol's value, and if more than one Wild lands in the same line win, their multipliers are multiplied by each other before being applied. Hit 3 Wilds and you take the value shown on the award card. This stacking can turn a modest line into something far tastier on a small grid when the screen lights up.

The Big Bet Game is the other piece. It's five linked spins where all wins are accumulative and paid after the last spin, with your chosen Wild persisting for the whole round. The £20 option delivers Stepping Wilds that drop one position on each spin, helping to chase lines across the five plays without resetting the screen between them. All five winlines stay active, and the awards table still governs every payout during the feature.

Step up to the £30 Big Bet and you get Persistent Wilds that remain fixed for the duration. I use this when I want stable coverage on key reels. Both BB modes keep all five paylines active and stick tight to the awards table, so it's clear what you're playing for while the reels are being consumed by fire between rounds. Wins across the set of spins are added together and paid once the sequence ends.

Bet Sizes, RTP and Variance in Red Hot Wild

RTP varies by stake and mode, at less than £2 it runs at 94%, from £2 up to the £500 max bet it rises to 96%, and the Big Bet games play at 98%. Stakes start at £0.10 and cap at £500 per spin, with a maximum single-game payout limited to £250,000. Volatility is variable, trending medium to high depending on your wild pick and whether you're in a BB session.