Festive Indulgence slot reviewed by MegaMoolah.com

What is it about Christmas that is inevitable? There will be those that love it, those that hate it. Those that spend too much, those that are happy with very little.

We will all also probably eat a bit too much, drink a bit too much and make merry and it is this last tradition of Christmas that Microgaming are celebrating in their new Festive Indulgence slot.

Released at the tail end of November, the new slot boasts a very Christmassy feel with some rather eye-catching graphics and a soundtrack that could have been taken from any Hollywood Christmas epic. Sure, it may be a little cliched but in truth, that is what so many people like about Christmas. It gives us a chance to think about Christmas' past and friends and family with us and those that have gone.

So if you enjoy a little wallow in nostalgia this Christmas, is the Festive Indulgence slot one that you should over-indulge a little on? Or is one that is best avoided like Aunty Agatha's infamous Mince Pies? We decided to take a look and find out.

Overview

• Game: Festive Indulgence
• Developer: Microgaming
• Reels: 5x3
• Pay Lines: 9 (non-selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.09
• Maximum Bet: 45.00
• Jackpot: 50,000 coins
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: No
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: High

Presentation

The presentation of the Festive Indulgence slot is pretty much as you would expect. The reels have been made to look something like a shop window, and decorated around the shop are lamps and holly all with a smattering of snow to give them that Christmas feel. The musical accompaniment sounds rather like the Christmas hymn "Joy to the World" which if that is your thing, will be a perfect accompaniment to the game. It is all rather jolly with bells and chimes sounding to give it a very Christmas feel.

Each of the symbols occupy one pane of the window and these will change as you spin the reels. The effect is clever and it does work very nicely for this game in particular.

What is on the reels?

There are a number of different symbols on the reels in the Festive Indulgence slot. Even the playing card lows, from the 9 through to the ace, are all on a Christmas theme as they are created out of gingerbread and they have an assortment of candles, bows, pinecones and other Christmas items bedecked around them.

The higher value symbols on the reels include a number of Christmas items including bells, a Christmas cake, a turkey, a rather stoic looking Christmas elf and Santa Clause himself. The final two symbols also offer small payouts for just two symbols on a pay line.

What is notable is that for all the symbols on the reels, the payout values increase markedly with the more symbols landed. Two and three symbol wins are generally small, apart from the higher value symbols, with four symbol wins paying much more and five symbol wins offer a very decent payout compared to some other slot games.

However, this is a high variance slot, very high, and as such, you can go a large number of spins without hitting a win, and as such, this needs to be factored in when deciding whether you want to play and how much you want to wager per spin on the slot, especially if you only have a limited bankroll.

Wild features

The Christmas Wreath symbol is the Wild symbol in the game. The Wild acts as a substitute for other standard symbols in the game and any win that a Wild forms part of will result in a 2x multiplier in the base game.

However, the Wild is also the highest paying symbol in the game, with some massive prizes available to be won. Land all five and, if you are playing at maximum bet, you can win 50,000 coins if you manage to land all five across a single pay line.

Free Spins features

The only real bonus on the Festive Indulgence slot is the Free Spins bonus game. Here you need to land three of the Christmas present Scatter symbols anywhere across the five reels. If you land two or more symbols, you win a cash prize of 2, 5, 20 or 500 times your stake. In addition, if you land three or more you trigger the Free Spins bonus game.

In the Free Spins bonus, you will receive 15 Free Spins and on each win you will receive a 3x multiplier compared to standard. Furthermore, if you land three or more of the Scatters once again during the Free Spins bonus round, you will trigger another 15 Free Spins giving you a maximum of 30 available. As an extra bonus in Free Spins, the Christmas Wreath Wild symbol appears stacked on all five reels, which does increase your chances of a big value win considerably.

Best feature of the Festive Indulgence slot

It's pretty obvious that the Free Spins bonus round is the real gem in the Festive Indulgence slot. Not only does it offer a chance at a decent number of Free Spins, but with the 3x multiplier as standard, the wins are generally a lot better value than in the base game. It is high variance though, so wins can vary in size from very small, to very large. The Wild symbol is also a neat addition and the fact it pays a big jackpot prize in the base game for five across the reels does make it somewhat appealing.

Conclusion

If you want a slot to sum up the festive season this year then Microgaming's Festive Indulgence hits the nail squarely on the head, but only if you are a fan of these higher variance slot games. Lower stakes slot players and those on a budget would have to be very fortunate to get the best out of this game. However, higher stakes players with big pockets should be able to take the hit when a poor run of spins lands to offer themselves a chance of unlocking some of the big money features the game possesses.

You can play Festive Indulgence slot at any of the Mega Moolah casinos.