Highland Reels Slot Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Highland Reels Review

Highland Reels from Eyecon is a Scottish themed slot. Yes, you read correctly… a Scottish theme, which got us really excited. After all the Irish, Egyptian and Aztec slots out there, it’s refreshing to see something new, but new doesn’t always mean better, so can Highland Reels bring enough magic to make it a winner.

Upon launching the game, the scene resembles a Scottish Highland Games with athletic events that focus mainly on strength. In the background are the silhouettes of cheering crowds with bagpipes music playing. On the sides of the reels are 2 interesting Scottish competitors in their traditional kilts ready to show off their skills. The game has 25 fixed paylines, an RTP of 95.05% and medium variance. The graphics and characters are a little “cartoony”, but it somehow works and adds charm to this intriguing slot.

Highland Reels Slot Reel Screen

Highland Reels Features

Kilt Combo

The first feature is the Kilt Combo.

As the name implies it's all about landing the various coloured kilts on the reels. Getting anywhere from 2-5 kilts on a payline, starting from the leftmost reel awards a payout. If you’re fortunate enough to land 5 kilts, it pays a healthy 3000x the bet amount. The Kilt combo does not trigger any other feature or bonus round.

Hammer Throw

The Hammer Throw bonus feature is triggered when 3 or more hammer symbols land anywhere on the reels. Just to clarify, the hammer isn’t the kind you imagine you would use for knocking nails into wood but is rather a big round weight with a chain attached to it that competitors use to throw it.

The feature begins with the 2 Scottish competitors from the main game standing with their hammers in front of 12 targets. You need to select 1 target at a time to reveal a pair of matching multiplier values. Once a pair is revealed, the amount shown is awarded.

Caber Toss

Before exploring this feature, you might be wondering what a Caber is. In essence, it’s a large, tapered log that competitors throw. The Caber Toss feature is triggered when 3 or more of the Scotsman scatter symbols appear anywhere on the reels. You are awarded one toss for each Scotsman that triggered the feature, so you will always get at minimum 3 tries. There are 5 targets on the ground that you get to choose from and each one reveals prizes that include multipliers up to 100x or 10 Free Games. At the end of the round, the multipliers multiply the total bet amount, and if you also got the Free Games prize then the 10 Free Games begin.

All prizes during the Free Games are doubled.

Highland Reels Slot – 200 Spins Experience

To get a good understanding and feel for Highland Reels, we took it for our famous 200 Spins test. We set the bet amount, turned on the autoplay, and set the reels in motion. From the get-go, we started with some small wins every spin or so. To our surprise, it didn’t take long before the 3 hammer symbols landed and triggered the Hammer Throw feature. Our 2 Scotsmen from the base game took their positions in front of the targets and started hitting them until a pair of 2x multipliers were revealed.

Returning to the base game, the medium variance continued to be evident as small wins kept popping up every few spins, then finally, the 3 Scotsman symbols landed and triggered the Caber Toss. The burly Scotsman began tossing the cabers and we landed two 5x multipliers and 10 Free Games.

Unfortunately, due to our low bet amount, the multipliers didn’t pay much. The 10 free rounds then played out with a few small wins but once again not much to get excited about.

Review Summary

Highland Reels is good fun. The theme as mentioned is a refreshing change from the usual over-used themes. This slot is certainly not a revolutionary game and the bonus features are okay. The imagery and animations are a little cartoony and basic, but it fits the game and overall Eyecon has produced a good slot that is worth giving a try. Due to the simplicity of the game, you can set your bet and start spinning without any need to study the helpful.

Pros

• Unique theme
• Easy to play
• Interesting bonus features

Cons

• Very basic
• Could do with a few extra features in the base game, like stacked Wilds or some jackpots

If you enjoy Highland Reels slot from Eyecon, you should also try:

Highlander from Microgaming is based on the legendary fantasy action-adventure film from the mid-80s, about an immortal Scotsman who is a famed swordsman and warrior. If you’re up for some adventure then give this action-filled slot a try, plus, if you haven’t seen the film, be sure to check that out too.

Vikings Go Berzerk developed by Yggdrasil is another slot with a pick bonus feature.

The theme isn’t Scottish but instead focuses on Vikings. The graphics and storyline of this slot are spectacular and the plethora of features will keep you well entertained for hours and hopefully return some superb wins!

Bier Party is also far from the Scottish theme, and instead transports you to a traditional German Bierfest. Created by Pariplay, this slot is loaded with 3 different Free Spins features. This slot game is thoroughly enjoyable and offers great entertainment, features and multiple jackpots.