Heart of the Frontier Slot from Ash Gaming
This Ash Gaming video slot takes on a classic theme – the Wild West. You’ll find excellent production, and some innovative features.
There is a bottle shoot for the gamble after win feature, walking wilds and a free spins game which ends in a shootout!
Symbols are stacked on the reels, and will merge into detailed giant symbols when you fill 3 or more reels with them. These stacked symbols also give you a shot at multiple line hits at the same time
Winning with the Girls – How the Heart of the Frontier Slot Works
You’ll find 20 win lines for this game – with a minimum spin of just 1c per line. The maximum spin amount is several hundred dollars, way bigger than most people’s bankroll! The layout is the usual 5 reels with 3 rows on each, and the fact that symbols come in strips of the same one on the reels means you’ll often see multiple reels filled with the same symbol.
Playing cards symbols are in use here, though these look way better than the plain letters and numbers used on other games. You’ll see complete playing cards, with casino chips on top of them – as if this was a Wild West poker game. The wins from these are still the smaller ones, though you have the chance of multiple hits at the same time.
The best paying symbols are the 3 female characters. These are a cowgirl, a showgirl and a native Indian. These come in full-length versions, and will also merge into detailed giant symbols if you win with them over 3 or more reels. You will get 500 coins for 5 of the cowgirl symbols.
Logos are the regular wild symbols. These will substitute for any of the card or regular character symbols covered above.
Walking Wilds – The Sheriff and Bandit
Two more ladies are welcome sights on the reels. These are special wild symbols. Both start out as single size symbols, and will expand to full length – covering an entire reel. They are wild, creating additional wins with other symbols. Each time you spin, they move across the reels one reel. The sheriff goes left to right, and the bandit right to left. There are additional wins created along the way, and it is possible to get 2 of the same character walking on different parts of the reels.
When the Walking Wilds Meet – Shootout Free Spins
When the sheriff and the bandit are on the reels at the same time, all hell breaks loose. You’ll hear plenty of gunshots, the music changes over and you go to the free spins bonus game. There are some serious advantages to this free spins game. First, the sheriff and bandit lock into place, and remain locked for the remainder of your free spins.
Any additional wilds become locking wilds. With some good fortune, you can end up with several of these connecting the wild reels which are already locked.
At the end of the free spins, the shootout begins. You will have both bandits and sheriffs covering (hopefully) a lot of the reels. During the shootout, they shoot each other, disappearing from the reels. The good news is that whatever bonus symbols you have left after the shootout will come back with you to the main reels – for some additional wins.
One more feature to cover is the gamble after win. This is a regular 50 / 50 chance type gamble – which is optional. Instead of choosing red or black for a playing card, you will see a line of green bottles. You get a first-person perspective of a gunslinger, and choose a bottle to shoot. You’ll either double up or go back to the reels.
Wild West Design of Heart of the Frontier
The reels are set between the wooden buildings which characterized Wild West towns. Above the reels is a logo showing crossed rifles and playing cards. The reels are colorful, with the playing card symbols looking very different to those on other slots. It is the 3 ladies which really stand out, with the showgirl in a bright red dress particularly vivid. Multi-reel wins give you an even more detailed look at the ladies, with the symbols merging to become one giant one.
Walking wilds are welcome, though not particularly spectacular from a design perspective. The gamble after win with the green bottles is a more colorful spectacle. You’ll hear an atmospheric piano driven soundtrack while you play.
Should You Ride into Town and Play the Heart of the Frontier Slot?
There are a lot of Wild West type slots around, and this one from Ash Gaming is as good as anything out there. It is not packed with features, with only the walking wilds and shootout free spins in addition to the base game. What you will find is quality production, ways to win on multiple lines at the same time – and the option to shoot bottles to further boost your wins.