Gameplay Features and Mechanics
Miss Red makes use of IGT’s patented MultiWay Xtra pay line system, so you’ll
be playing a five reel game with a whopping 1,024 pay lines activated on every
spin.
Each reel holds four symbol spaces, putting 20 symbol spaces in play.
The crux of the MultiWay Xtra payline scheme is actually quite simple, as
winning combinations can be started from any reel. Most slot machines mandate
that winners start from the left most reel and move to the right, so something
like X X X X Y would trigger a payout, but Y X X X X would not.
But with the MultiWay Xtra feature in play, you can land winners going from
left to right X X X X Y, right to left Y X X X X, or even in the middle Y X X X Y.
As the game’s Rules section states, “MultiWay Xtra wins pay for the same
symbol in any position in adjacent columns,” so as long as you line up matching
symbols on any adjacent reel, you’ll earn a reward. Another way to win using the
game’s 1,024 pay lines is by landing matching symbols in any position along
adjacent reels, so something like the following arrangement would trigger a
winner with four matching symbols in four adjacent reels:
- X Y Z Y Z
- Y X Z Y Z
- Y Z X Y Z
- Y Z Y X Z
- Y Z Y Z Y
With the MultiWay Xtra function, IGT ensures that Miss Red offers a dynamic
gameplay experience, one in which most spins will wind up generating multiple
winners.
And to make things easier, IGT has removed the option to toggle between pay
line selections, so every time you spin, you’ll have the full 1,024 pay lines
under the MultiWay Xtra feature activated. This comes at a cost of 45 coins per
spin.
This game uses the usual spectrum of coin denominations found on IGT games,
so you can opt for basic penny play, or bump the action up to $0.02, $0.03,
$0.05, $0.10, $0.20, $0.25, $0.30, $0.50, $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, or $20.
In each case though, you’ll be putting 45 coins at risk on each spin, so the
minimum cost to cover for penny players is $0.45, while nickel players would be
wagering $2.25 per spin. And if you’re a high roller, the maximum cost to cover
per spin tops out at $900.
Aside from the MultiWay Xtra feature, Miss Red relies on the tried and true
formula pioneered by IGT slots, so you’ll find wild symbols, free spins, and
bonus games. Progressive jackpot hunters will have to look elsewhere, however,
because Miss Red is not linked to any progressive networks. To compensate for
that fact, IGT made Miss Red a low volatility game that pays out often and keeps
players in their seats.
You can review a full set of game specifications for Miss Red slot below:
- Wilds: Yes
- Free Spins: Yes
- Multiplier: No
- Bonus Game: Yes
- Progressive: No
- Return to Player: 92.00%-96.16%
Without a progressive jackpot to chase, you’ll be spinning for a top payout
of 150 credits, awarded for landing five of the granny symbols anywhere on
adjacent reels. If you can land four of the granny symbols you’ll earn 75
credits, and three of them are good for a reward of 10 credits.
These payouts are quite small for top pays on any slot, especially given IGT
usually attaches a jackpot of 1,000 credits to its slot titles. But as we’ve
mentioned, Miss Red is designed with several features that accelerate payouts
and lead to the steady formation of winning combinations. So while you won’t be
winning huge sums all at once, you’ll see those 150 credit payouts hit your
bankroll much more often than a 1,000 credit jackpot on other machines.
The next most lucrative symbol in Miss Red is the huntsman, who offers
payouts of 125 / 75 / 10 for landing five, four, or three, respectively.
From there, you’ll earn 50 credits for landing five of the Miss Red portrait
symbols, and 40 credits for five of the Big Bad Wolf symbols. Both the rabbit
symbol and the squirrel symbol pay out 25 credits for landing five, while the
mushrooms, the pinecone, the strawberries, and the purple flowers symbols all
pay out 15 credits for a five pack.
Once again, this pay table tilts toward the lower end of the industry
standard, but as you’ll soon discover, Miss Red more than makes up for smaller
payouts by making sure you’ll see them hit on seemingly every spin.
You may have noticed by now that we never mentioned which symbol serves as
the wild symbol in this game. That’s because two symbols in the game can be
transformed into a wild symbol, at different times, given the correct
circumstances.
One of the coolest features found in Miss Red is IGT’s “End2End” Expanding
Symbol. In this game, both the Miss Red portrait symbol and the Big Bad Wolf
symbol act as Expanding Symbols.
The concept of Expanding Symbols is quite simple really: whenever two Big Bad
Wolf symbols “bracket” any other symbol along a row, those symbols caught in
between will be turned into Big Bad Wolf Symbols as well. Imagine “X” signifying
a Big Bad Wolf symbol, and examine the following row on the reels:
In this case, the three random symbols stuck in between the two Big Bad Wolf
symbols would be transformed into matching Big Bad Wolf symbols – effectively
expanding the symbol to cover more than two spaces.
This also works with the Miss Red portrait symbol, so whenever two of those
bracket other symbols, they’ll transform to match the Miss Red portrait symbol
and expand it across the row.
But what about the wild symbols? Here’s where Miss Red really gets
interesting.
Whenever it’s a Miss Red symbol stuck between two Big Bad Wolf symbols, or
vice versa, these will transform into a new hybrid symbol called the Wolf /
Little Red symbol. Any of these hybrid Wolf / Little Red symbols you can create
will serve as wild symbols, replacing both the regular Big Bad Wolf symbol and
the regular Miss Red portrait symbol to help you land winning combinations.
You’ll also see a symbol that shows granny’s house, along with the words
“Miss Red,” but this doesn’t appear to do anything at first. When the granny’s
house symbol shows up, it doesn’t trigger winning combinations, so what’s the
point?
In actuality, this granny’s house symbol only appears on the second, third,
and fourth reels AKA the middle reels, and it serves as Miss Red’s Bonus symbol.
Landing one or two of them on the screen won’t do a thing, but landing three in
any position on the middle reels offers the key to entering Miss Red’s free
spins bonus game.
Triggering the Bonus Round
The free spins bonus game, triggered by landing three grannies’ house Bonus
symbols on the middle reels, offers another departure from the IGT norm.
Instead of simply awarding you a preset number of free spins, Miss Red’s
bonus game – called “Granny’s Bonus Game” – ask players to make a guess. You’ll
see five baskets containing fruit or flowers, and your task is simply to touch
the screen and select the basket you prefer.
Each basket contains a select number of free spins between 5 and 15, so a
good guess will have you enjoying 15 free spins before you spend the next cent.
Even better, the Granny’s Bonus Game can be retriggered by landing three of
the granny’s house Bonus symbols on the middle reels again. In this way, a
single free spins bonus round can be extended over and over again, up to 280
consecutive free spins.
When you consider the bevy of Expanding Symbols, which help to scatter the
screen with high paying symbols and even wild symbols, any free spins you can
snag are likely to bring back big winnings. Miss Red offers lower payouts than
most games, but when you’re spinning on the house, every free spin offers a
chance to rack up more and more of those small wins.
Conclusion
Between the game’s cleverly designed theme, IGT’s willingness to break the
mold and move towards modern features, and a player friendly low volatility
level, Miss Red is a certified hit. Veteran slot players will appreciate how the
game doesn’t feel like any others out there, and beginners are invariably drawn
to the machines that seem to be paying out more often than most. You won’t score
massive, life changing wins on this machine, but you’ll usually be able to
stretch out a limited bankroll for hours of enjoyment, all while collecting
small wins on a steady basis.
