Renegades

In the same year Wonder Woman brought visions of radiant female fierceness into the world of movies, NextGen brings similar energy to online slot gaming with Renegades. This five-reel slot features five tough heroines who combine into one super symbol during bonus play, as well as regular three-by-three super symbols across the reels

Theme

Five heroines provide the basis for this slot: Freya, the Valkyrie of Valhalla, Valda the Dragonslayer, Ivy the Sabreclaw (a kind of green elf), Harriet the Hellstorm, an aviatrix, and Raffaela the Blaze, a gunfighter. A red wild symbol, blue bonus symbol which triggers free games (as well as paying rather well), and five jewel symbols complete the set of gaming symbols. Behind the reels stands a a blurry, icy battlescape – background music and sound design are every bit as epic as one might expect.

Betting Options and Functions

For all the heroism of the slot’s theme, one might think the design team would opt for a more mild-mannered betting structure. This is not the case, however – boldness permeates all elements of this game. Instead of traditional paylines, players are given 40 coins, which pay in any of 243 combinations, all from left to right. Bet per coin is adjustable from 0.01 to 2.00, for an overall betting range of 0.40–80.00 per spin… a downright heroic upper pay limit sure to be of interest to higher rollers. Autoplay can be engaged for up to 100 spins at a time, and the theoretical return to player is a rock-solid 96.37%.

Features

While there’s plenty to enjoy in Renegades, it’s in the extra features that this slot really shines. Even in base play, symbols can lock and combine into super symbols across two or three reels or columns. This is part of what lends this game a higher-variance feel: three-by-three super symbols don’t trigger wins as often as standard-sized ones do, but when they do hit, they hit big.

When three or more of the blue bonus symbols appear, eight free spins are awarded. Instead of five individual heroes, the supercharged reels feature one ‘renegade’ symbol, leaving only six gaming symbols (plus wild and bonus) on the reels. As such, not only do wins occur more often than in base play, wins involving the top-paying renegade symbol are far more likely than in base play. What’s more, as the bonus symbols remain on the reels, the feature can be re-triggered

Our Take

NextGen has a hit in Renegades. In addition to the appealing theme with its visions of female power, overall gaming design is excellent, with an admirable attention to detail and a well-above average RTP. This title plays like a higher-variance slot – wins don’t come as often as in other games, but those wins tend to be sizable indeed. As such, some players who are used to lower-variance titles may find this one a big change. For all but the most committed of such players, however, this slot comes highly recommended.