Rabbit in the Hat slot review

The name Rabbit in the Hat, of course, refers to the magic trick where the magician appears to pull a fluffy bunny out of a magic hat. On some occasions, several rabbits may be revealed from the hat. Sometimes, the rabbit will go into the hat and seemingly disappear.

Magicians seem to be a recurring theme when it comes to slot games. It was only in January of this year that Microgaming released The Great Albini slot on the theme, so it is somewhat surprising that just seven months later the company has surprised us all by the release of a new game on a similar theme, the Rabbit in the Hat slot.

I've always wondered why it is rabbits that seem to get the magic treatment and not hamsters or guinea pigs. I suppose as rabbits breed, well, like rabbits, it makes them far more abundant for magic tricks. Plus any of those that do vanish into the ether can be easily replaced.

Anyway, this famous trick is the basis for the latest slot offering from Microgaming which has only just been released into casinos. So let's take a look at how the new slot is shaping up.

Overview

• Game: Rabbit in the Hat
• Developer: Microgaming
• Reels: 5x3
• Pay Lines: 9 (non-selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.09
• Maximum Bet: 18.00
• Jackpot: 90,000
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: Yes
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Low to Medium

Presentation

The presentation of the Rabbit in the Hat slot is perhaps a little predictable and follows the template of the Great Albini slot. In this game we have the magician located on the right hand side of the screen next to a stage framed with curtains,which provides the backdrop to the slot game. The five reels are displayed in front of this and the main controls of the slot are at the foot of the reels.

The music is a rather jaunty soundtrack which doesn't sound very mysterious or magical. This is more your Paul Daniels, Tommy Cooper form of magician rather than the more sinister approach of David Blaine or their ilk and in my view, the slot is all the better for it.

Overall, the slot looks and sounds rather good fun and that extends to the symbols on the reels too.

What is on the reels?

There are a total of 12 standard symbols on the reels, which is a rather large number of symbols. They start with the six lower value symbols which are, predictably, the playing card symbols from the nine through to the ace. These offer wins ranging from less than your total bet to considerably more for five symbols on a winning line.

There are also six higher value symbols in the game, and these are to do with the magician and his mentalist ways. These include a locked box, a wheel of death complete with swords to be slung at it, a treasure chest, a rabbit, a blonde magicians assistant and the magician himself.

The final two symbols offer small value wins for just two on a single line, whereas all pay out for three symbols or more, with the much bigger wins coming when you land five of a single symbol along a pay line.

In addition to this, there is one other symbol on the reels and that is the Wild symbol, which links in to some of the main features of the slot.

Wild features

The Wild symbol is a top hat with the word Wild coming out of it and it appears on all the reels and can be used as a replacement for any of the 12 standard symbols in the game. You can also earn some big money wins when you land two or more Wilds on a pay line, including the maximum 5,000 coins for five Wilds on a single line.

The other bonus feature that the Wild is part of is the Magic Hats feature. On random spins, the Magician on the right of the reels can produce one of a number of magic hats, which will move onto the right most reel in the game. Each of the magic hats offers a potential bonus to the player of:

• Wild Reel - Turns up to three reels wild
• Cash - Awards a random cash prize
• Free Spins - Triggers 10 Free Spins
• Random - Randomly awards one of the prizes above.

However, to trigger the bonus, the player has to land a Wild on the same reel that the Magic Hat is located. Each spin that isn't a winner will see any hat on the reels move one step to the left until it reaches the first reel, where if it is not win, it will disappear off the reels entirely.

Free Spins features

You can only trigger Free Spins using the Magic Hat bonus above and when you do you will initially receive 10 Free Spins. However in Free Spins there will be a Magic Hat above every reel and it is possible to re-trigger Free Spins (as well as earn other bonuses) up to a maximum of 50 Free Spins.

Free Spins are played at the same wager as the base game but with the addition of the hats above every reel. Once your Free Spins bonus is complete, then the base game will restart with all hats removed from the reels.

Best feature of the Rabbit in the Hat slot

For me the Magic Hat feature is without doubt the best feature of the slot. Not only is it unusual, but it also offers a real change in pace of game-play compared to other slot games, even ones based on a similar theme. I like the different bonuses you can trigger and the fact Free Spins also comes from the bonus. It also makes you feel like you are never too far away from a win which makes spinning the reels exciting.

Conclusion

There's no doubt that the Rabbit in the Hat slot is a very enjoyable game and its mid to lower variance means that it isn't going to take too big a slice out of your bankroll. The bonus features, notably the Magic Hats bonuses, are what makes the slot really stand out and the way they work with the Free Spins bonus round is also very nicely done. This is a slot which is substantially different to the Great Albini and as such, I would urge any slots fan to give it a try.

You can play this fantastic new slot at any of our Mega Moolah casinos.