ABOUT
Taking place in a desert, Hot Pepper by Pragmatic Play is a spicy Mexican-themed slot that will have players reaching for the ice water. With its fiery hot chili pepper multipliers and a massive jackpot of 10,000x the bet, this game is out to set the heart racing.
Betting Options and Bonus Features
The graphics in Hot Pepper are stunning. The reels are chock full of colorful symbols of traditional Mexican dishes, including tasty tacos and festive pinatas to cheery Sombrero men that bring 50x the bet for 15+ symbol clusters. The vibrant colors and lively music will transport players straight to the heart of Mexico, and the fast-paced action will keep them on the edge of their seats.
Hot Pepper plays on a 7x7 configuration and utilizes the Cluster Pays mechanic. The rewards start coming out once players hit +5 adjacent symbols. The Cluster Pays feature plays well with the festive theme of the game, as it keeps the action going as long as players hit consecutive wins. The RTP of the game supports the fun actions of the game as it sits at 96.45%. Although the volatility is invariably high, it is understandable as the stakes are hotter and rise higher than ever at 10,000x the bet.
What makes Hot Pepper such an action-packed experience is the Tumble mechanic. Whenever a winning hits, it disappears from the grid, allowing new symbols to drop and possibly creating more wins. Additionally, chilly symbols, which are the Wilds of Hot Pepper, are guaranteed to fill in one of the empty spaces, priming the Random Wild Multiplier feature.
Each time a Chilly symbol drops, it will have a random level from 1 to 5 and a unique appearance depicting the appropriate level. The bigger and redder the chilly, the bigger the multiplier it contains. The multiplier increases by one tier for every three Wilds in a winning combination up to level 5. Levels and values are as follows:
- Level 1: Clusters of 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11+ generate multiplier values of x1, x2, x4, or x8, respectively.
- Level 2: Clusters of 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11+ generate multiplier values of x2, x4, x8, or x16, respectively.
- Level 3: Clusters of 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11+ generate multiplier values of x4, x8, x16, or x32, respectively.
- Level 4: Clusters of 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11+ generate multiplier values of x8, x16, x32, or x64, respectively.
- Level 5: Clusters of 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11+ generate multiplier values of x16, x32, x64, or x128, respectively.
Wild multipliers combine their strength should more than one appear in a winning combination.
To access the Bonus Round, players need at least 3 Scatters. Afterward, the game rewards players with 12 free spins. During the round, wilds appear at the max level. Furthermore, players can extend the bonus round by +3 respins by landing another 3 Scatters in a winning tumble. Finally, the bonus buy-in option is available at all times for 100x the bet.
Roshtein’s Take
With exciting gameplay and huge winning potential, Hot Pepper is one of the most exciting slots I've played in a long time. One cascade can lead to the bonus round in a few base game tumbles, which blends well with the bonus feature. The generous free spins with optional respins chances extend the fun of the game for hours on end. Overall, Hot Pepper is definitely one of those releases you come back to!
