Wicked Tales Dark Red

Most people love their fairytales and keep them close to their hearts. We’ve all heard those wonderful stories as we’ve grown up, both as stories in school when we were younger, from our mothers as we were falling asleep, or, if nothing else, as a Disney movie adaptation. So, if one wanted a universally recognizable theme to set their slot in, fairytales would no doubt be a good place to start. Of course, we’ve had a lot of slots that made use of the theme, as well – meaning that any prospective developer that wants to stand out will have to provide a new approach to things. Enter Triple Edge Studios and their twisted, corrupted version of Little Red Riding Hood.

This may be among the better looking titles that Microgaming has ever put forward. The backdrop is mostly static, but it looks gorgeous. You have the idyllic, little house in the background, you can see the smoke rising from the top, the sun setting in the distance, covered by clouds and mountains – and in the same frame you see the forest, tall and oppressive, with an unnatural darkness clinging to it. You may naturally think the house is the safer bet – but that’s where the dark sorceress resides, ready to transform you into one of her wolves, just like she did with the hunter. The user interface looks quite nice. Despite having a minimalistic style, you can still make out where everything is with ease, although having nearly all the settings behind a drop down menu wasn’t something we were thrilled with.

The gameplay of this game, meanwhile, is defined by the large 3×4 moving reel. You have five reels in total, which usually have only three lines – but the expanded reel adds fourth. It will always be in the left, middle or right position and allows for possible colossal symbols to appear on the playing field, which, naturally, tend to provide a sizeable win if you’re lucky enough to make one appear.

Gamblers can wager between $0.25 up to $200 per spin, which provides a rather wide betting range which will suit a lot of gamblers. Wicked Tales: Dark Red has a medium variance, striking a fair balance between serving you meaningful scores and special features, and moments in between where you can minor wins or net losses in total. The RTP for this title is 96.1%, which is above average for video slots.

On the playing field, you will find playing card icons such as A, K, Q, and J, as well as symbols with unique artwork such as red candles, golden coins, a pendant depicting grandmother and Dark Red in a loving embrace, a large, intimidating wolf, and the bearded, handsome hunter, who was cursed by Dark Red to turn into a wolf.
Beyond the large, wandering reel, players can activate a Wolf’s Wheel bonus by collecting three moon Scatters. The big bonus wheel spins, awarding cash prizes until it lands on either free spins, or the Forest of Fortunes.

Forest of Fortunes is a point and click feature, in which gamblers can draw cash prizes, and each successful cash prize awards an increasing multiplier. Gamblers can also draw an axe, which acts as an immunity. If you have an axe, and draw a wolf symbol, you’re allowed to keep going. Without an axe, the bonus would have ended there.

The free spins, meanwhile, rewards 9 extra turns, during which all higher paying symbols are kicked out in favour of just one. Which one is determined by which of the four characters you draw on the Wolf Wheel bonus.