Forging Wilds

Advantages & Disadvantages

Every masterpiece has its strengths and its imperfections. Here’s my honest critique from the smithy.

Forging Wilds Demo Review

In the world of online slots, some features are so powerful, so beloved, that they become legends in their own right. The “sticky wild” is one such legend, the holy grail for many a player. Today, the master smiths at Pragmatic Play are firing up the furnace and hammering out a new creation that takes this classic mechanic and forges it into something new and unpredictable: Forging Wilds. This game isn’t just about landing sticky wilds; it’s about wilds with a life of their own, sticking for a random number of spins in a bonus round with a progressive multiplier. With a 10,000x jackpot waiting to be crafted, the question is, can you handle the heat of this forge? Let’s find out.

Theme and Design

From the moment you load the game, you are plunged into the heart of a bustling, medieval blacksmith’s forge. The game’s 5×3 grid is set within a heavy, iron frame, against a backdrop of glowing embers, anvils, and all the tools of the trade. The art style is gritty, realistic, and incredibly atmospheric, with a warm colour palette that makes you feel the heat radiating from the screen.

The symbols on the reels are the magnificent weapons and tools created in the forge. The high-paying symbols are a mighty Hammer, a pair of Bellows, an Anvil, and a finely crafted suit of Armour. The low-paying symbols are the familiar A, K, Q, and J royals, styled to look like they’ve been forged from molten metal. The sound design is superb, with the constant, rhythmic clang of a hammer on steel and the roar of the fire, creating a powerful and immersive industrial soundscape.

Gameplay and Features

This is where Forging Wilds truly shows its master craftsmanship. This is a very highly volatile slot with a generous RTP of 96.52% and is played across 20 fixed paylines. The gameplay is a thrilling combination of multiplying wilds and a truly unique take on the sticky wild free spins feature.

Wild Multipliers: In the base game, Wild symbols can land with multipliers ranging from 2x to 10x. If more than one of these wilds is part of the same winning combination, their values accumulate, leading to some fiery base game hits.

Free Spins Feature with “Living” Sticky Wilds: The main event is triggered by landing 3 Scatter symbols. Before the round begins, a set of mini-reels will spin to determine the number of free spins you are awarded, adding a fun layer of anticipation.

Once the bonus starts, the real innovation is unleashed. The feature has a progressive global win multiplier that increases with every single win. But the true stars are the wilds. When a Wild symbol lands during the free spins, it becomes sticky, but not forever. It remains locked in place for a random number of subsequent spins, giving it a “lifespan” of its own.

This creates an incredible and unpredictable dynamic, where you could have multiple high-multiplier wilds stuck to the board for several spins at a time, all while the global win multiplier is increasing with every win. Landing 3 more scatters during the bonus retriggers the feature, keeping the forge burning hot.

Final Thoughts

So, is Forging Wilds a true masterwork? My verdict is an absolute yes. This slot is a fantastic example of how to take a beloved, classic feature and give it a modern, innovative, and incredibly exciting new life. The suspense of not knowing how long your precious sticky wilds will remain on the grid is a brilliant touch that sets this game apart.

This game is built for the seasoned player, the high-volatility enthusiast who loves the thrill of a powerful and unpredictable bonus round. If you are a fan of sticky wild games like NetEnt’s legendary Dead or Alive 2, but you’re looking for a new mechanical twist, this is the perfect game for you.

Forging Wilds successfully crafts a unique identity in a crowded market, offering a gameplay experience that is both familiar and refreshingly new. It’s a game that is definitely worth firing up, and you can try the Demo to feel the heat for yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)