Ritchie Valens La Bamba

Following the horrors and destruction of the Second World War, a lot of places were left in ruin. Europe and Asia were left to rebuild, split between rival ideologies. The 1950’s there were present under the shadow of nuclear warfare, as the Cold War settled in as a permanent fixture between two rival superpowers. And while the rest of the world was rebuilding, the United States was untouched by the war and went through an economic boom during the 1950s, which meant American money was suddenly worth a lot more. It led to the colourful 1950s, with its diners, jazz, rock & roll and a cultural era that would stand out in our minds as stereotypically American until the 1980s rolled around. That’s the setting for Ritchie Valens’ La Bamba, a 6-reel slot with all ways paying, following a popular musician who sadly passed away very young and who wrote a number of hit songs. So put on your favourite track, and let’s dance to the beat of 1950s rock & roll!

We have to give credit where its due, RTG clearly went through some effort to make that 1950s vibe come alive for this title. The backdrop being set in a diner, the choice between several of Ritchie Valens’ hits playing on the jukebox which you can change between at your leisure and the general look and feel of things. Visually, there’s not too much to talk about. All the symbols have a relatively simplistic animation that plays when they’re part of a win.

On the gameplay side of things, La Bamba is a high volatility offering that may not be to everyone’s tastes. It pays both left to right and right to left, a luxury afforded thanks to having 6 reels to deal with. Alongside this, it also employs its special features to make it more enjoyable. Ritchie Valens acts as a Wild, and expands to fill the whole reel, and on top of that, he doubles any win he’s a part of, making him integral to winning a great deal of big jackpots. Add to that a free spins bonus that you can retrigger and you have a fun game that can bring in some serious profit, just as much as it can cost you.

You can play La Bamba for as little as $0.30 or as high as $15 per spin. RTG is known to keep the upper bet from climbing too high, so even if you are playing their more volatile offerings, you can’t always make off like a bandit. And if you’re after some solid scores, the drums and guitar have solid wins which are further amplified with Wild which doubles all wins it is a part of. The special features can equally enhance how this RTG release pays out, and it can make or break it. We doubt people will see the greatest jackpots unless they manage to win some free spins with 6 Scatters.

We quite like the symbols La Bamba offers. Portable radios, fashionable shoes, an LP player and ones of those early TVs join a great deal of Ritchie Valens memorabilia such as tickets, album covers, drums and his signature guitar.

Free spins are triggered when 4 or more adjacent Scatters appear at the same time on the reels. It always rewards up to 20 free spins and has a multiplier up to 3x. However, with 6 Scatters, extra expanding Wilds are added to the second, third, fourth and fifth reel, and with 6 Scatters, expanding Wilds can also appear on the first and sixth reel, meaning that you could theoretically end up with a reel full of Wilds. This feature is able to be retriggered.