Longhorn Deluxe Slots from Aristocrat
If you find a theme that works, then why not make the best of it? This is exactly what slots software giant Aristocrat has done with the Native American wildlife niche. There are already several variations of the hugely popular Buffalo slot, along with titles including Silver Wolf and the Timberwolf range.
Longhorn Deluxe shares the core concept, though there are some interesting parts of the game to differentiate it from the rest. The ability to choose the volatility level of your free spins bonus is the main feature. This can give you multipliers of up to 125x on wins, which in combination with the ‘all ways’ system can result in some potentially big windfalls.
How to Rustle Wins on Longhorn Deluxe
This game runs on a 5 reel, 4 row grid, which gives the all-ways system 1024 lines to cover. You can spin for 100 coins (starting from 1c). By dispensing with the regular win-lines, any sequence of symbols from the left without a gap of an entire reel will do the trick. This means that individual wins are smaller than on the ‘win line’ based games.
The biggest wins come from the ‘Special Ranger’ badge scatter symbols, which will pay 800 coins for 5 on the reels – as well as triggering the free spins bonus game with 3 or more anywhere in view.
A very impressive looking Longhorn facing you is the highest paying of the regular symbols, this has oversized horns which stick out from the side of the symbol itself. While this is only worth 300 coins for 5, combinations of stacked symbols, wilds and multipliers (during the bonus game) can mean a lot of wins at the same time for some spins. Other native wildlife includes an Armadillo, cougar and striking eagle head – and a pair of cowboy boots complete the Southern vibe and complete the unique symbols.
Aristocrat slots would not be complete without their standard playing cards, which make up the smaller wins as usual.
Longhorn Deluxe Bonus Game
When you trigger the free spins bonus game with 3+ of the Special Ranger badges the first screen you will see lets you choose the combination of free spins and wild symbols. You can choose from 15 free spins with multipliers of 2x to 3x, 12 free spins with multipliers of 2x to 4x or 9 free spins with multipliers between 2x and 5x.
These multipliers are provided by wild symbols, which only appear on reels 2, 3 and 4. When these appear they will turn over to reveal the multiplier. Things get really interesting when you hit more than one, as any wins created are multiplied by each wild. For example if you hit a 5x and a 2x, then any wins created are multiplied by 10. The best possible outcome is 3 of the 5x symbols, which gives you an overall multiplier of 125x. Keep in mind that on an all-ways (reel power) slot there could be a lot of wins multiplied by this amount. The 4 symbols in row 1 will all make at least 1 4 of a kind, and possibly several more.
Design and Setup of Longhorn Deluxe
This slot is instantly recognizable as an Aristocrat game. The sounds and playing card symbols are the first give away (you’ll be happy to hear that terrible circus tune, which kicks in for big wins!). The back of the reels are a plain beige color which contrasts significantly with the vivid and sharp graphics of the winning symbols. The armadillo adds a little quirkiness (at least for a non-southerner) and the longhorn itself is very impressive.
There are animations both on the reels and as you go to the selection screen for the free spins. While these are smooth and well produced this does not feel like it is the main focus of the game, more incidental to the solid and well produced game play. When you hit the free spins game there is a distinctive twangy guitar tune to go with your multipliers!
Once you tune into the all-ways / reel power setup, this becomes a lot easier to follow than slots using traditional win lines. If you see a symbol on all of the reels, it can’t have ‘missed’ a win-line.
Overall Experience
Aristocrat has managed to do it again – having taken a theme that is suited perfectly to their slots and produced an excellent variation on it. Longhorn deluxe is a solid and sharp looking game, rather than a fancy or complicated one. The highlight is the free spins game, and the chance of a multiplier of up to 125x should keep even the most experienced slot fans engaged.