- Those of you who are used to playing Novomatic slot machines online will be all too familiar with the structure of the Secret Forest slot machine as it is the 5x3-reeled, 9-payline structure (although you can opt for 1, 3, 5 or 7 paylines instead) that they use in so many of their titles – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as it means.
- Secrets of the Forest slots, from IGT, will have you on the edge of your seat. In addition to a unique, attractive theme, this game is full of everything from high payouts to free games and much more.
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IGT’s popular land-based slot machine Secrets of the Forest, which was created by High 5 Games, has made its way into the online casino world and is called Pixies of the Forest at online casinos. The Pixies of the Forest slot is now available to play for free or real money at select online casinos. This popular slot title by IGT features their patented Tumbling Reels.
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Experienced slots players may well end up with an overly developed feeling of déjà vu when they open the online Secrets of the Forest slot for the first time. Don’t worry you haven’t been overtaken by some fairy enchantment it is perfectly normal if you have spent any time playing slots at a land casino. You see, not only was Secrets of the Forest originally developed for IGT by High 5 Games, it was also an updated version, almost a sequel, to the Pixies of the Forest slot game. What that means, for those who’ve played either of the land slots, is an alluring trio of mischievous fairies cavorting their way through the forest and hopefully, leading you to big prize wins. Of course, these naughty minxes could just as easily lead you and your bankroll astray!
You might not mind if all doesn’t go your way in terms of winning on this slot. It’s beautiful to look at and a lot of fun to play. It’s packed with novel features including an incredible 99 connected lines and IGT’s popular cascading or tumbling reels feature. Not since Peter Pan have faeries quite captured our imagination this way, so what secrets does this forest hold?
Although the Secrets of the Forest slot is largely based on the Pixies Slot it doesn’t share exactly the same game engine. Instead, it borrows the mechanics and maths from the popular Renoir Riches slot, albeit with a more frivolous and fun theme. This means that the 99 connected lines are displayed on a 5×3 reel grid where the symbols drop, rather than spin, into place. You can play those lines in several combinations if 99 is too much for your bankroll, or simply too complicated for you to follow. The options are 1,10,25,50 or 99 lines in play at any time. With an entry level bet of 0.01 credit per line and a max bet of 10.00 credits per line you can’t really ask for more bet range than this. The total width is an incredible 0.99 to 990.00 credits in play with all lines, serious high rollers will love that max bet.There’s a medium variance and decent RTP ascribed to the game so playing all lines and reducing bet size to control your bankroll is probably the most common strategy for players on this slot. Overall, it is more complicated than simple 3 reel slots like Double Diamond though easier to get to grips with than a complicated casino system like a craps game for example. Overall then, medium difficulty, medium risk, medium reward – open to a lot of different players and with simple controls which display well on both desktop PCs and mobile devices.
The faeries on the Secrets of the Forest slot are far more Tinkerbelle than evil seductive nymph. They are wearing some rather inviting expressions though and we can’t help feeling that might be aimed at enticing the male audience into what would otherwise be quite a cute and soft theme. The reel backdrop is a twilight forest, intermittently lit by fireflies and the reels themselves have shrouds of leafy vines linking the reels and rows. It’s all tied in with the magical forest theme very nicely and the audio, animations and sound effects are also light, entertaining and perfectly on key.
The pay-table on the slot is dominated by the big game logo, not just in visual impact but also in rewards. It allocates a massive 5000x line bet multiplier for a form of fixed jackpot on the Secrets of the Forest slot game. Not to be sniffed at when you consider that the maximum line bet is 10.00 credits – that’s a 50,000 credit jackpot! Below this and not to be too outdone sit the three faeries, with 1000x available for 5 portraits of the purple haired fairy queen. The Blonde and Brunette fairies manage only 400x and 300x each respectively – considering this is a 99 line game, it means you’ll only pick up 3 times your total bet even for the maximum five-of-a-kind combination of the bottom fairy. For the A, K and J symbol at the bottom it gets worse. With 100x for the A, K and 75x for five Jacks well, you are just getting your bet back with five of the first two and actually losing money with the Jack!
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What are the secrets of the forest, you ask? Well, to be truthful, I’m not sure that playing this slot will furnish you with answers.
Most of what the game puts forth are three nymphs.
What you have here then is a forest-themed slot with unusual features, including 99 paylines (a rare thing on a 5×3 reel slot), tumbling reels, a wild symbol, and a free games bonus feature.
So does this all add up to a hotshot slot, or can IGT not see the woods for the trees? Let’s find out.
Overview: Secrets of the Forest
Secrets of the Forest is a 5×3 reel slot that has up to 99 selectable paylines.
You can play one, 10, 25, 50, or 99 paylines per spin. You can also select from a variety of coin sizes to ensure you place the right size of bet for your bankroll.
The playing card symbols act as the low symbols in the game, and the three forest nymphs and the Secrets of the Forest logo are the higher value symbols. The latter of these offers a maximum payout of 5,000 times your line bet for five on a payline.
The slot also features a wild symbol and a Free Games scatter.
Who will the Secrets of the Forest slot appeal to?
Given its standard look and the fact that it has 99 paylines, I think this slot will appeal more to higher stakes players than lower. If slot theory states that all paylines should be played to maximize your chances of a win, playing 99 paylines means the cheapest spin is $0.99.
Therefore, I think those seeking the bigger prizes on this slot will likely be the higher stakes players.
However, it is possible to play with fewer paylines and smaller stakes and chase some of the bigger wins in the base game and free spins; it just doesn’t seem quite as good of a value.
Where to play Secrets of the Forest online in NJ
Slot makers sure seem to like the idea of a secret, but where to find this game if you’re a New Jersey player is no secret at all.
It’s at Virgin online casino, Tropicana online casino, and Golden Nugget.
It can also be found at Caesars, Resorts, and Borgata online casino.
Gameplay: Secrets of the Forest
At this point I have to be honest: I’ve seldom played a slot quite so infuriating as Secrets of the Forest, and what’s most annoying is that the mistakes are so easily avoidable.
First off, let’s get down to the positives.
There’s a fantastic jackpot of 5,000x your payline bet available to be won in the base game. You can play one, 10, 25, 50 or 99 paylines per spin and select from a wide amount of coin sizes to vary the size of your bet.
The symbols, especially the high value symbols, are beautifully realized, animated well, and fit the theme of the slot superbly.
Another positive is the tumbling reels feature, which can see you trigger additional wins from a single spin as symbols drop down from above to replace those that have disappeared from a winning payline.
Finally, in terms of wins, although this is a higher variance slot, the wins are pretty fair to the player with smaller wins balanced with bigger wins.
I have experienced periods without a win and then played the game and hit several big wins in a relatively short space of time. That’s standard for a high variance game and would not put players off.
Now, onto the big gameplay problems.
First up, players are required to click the spin button endlessly. Click to start, click if you hit a winning payline to trigger tumbling reels, click again if you win on tumbling reels, and so on.
When you are used to slots automating this and running quickly, it is so frustrating to have to click at every turn.
Then, to make matters worse, in the autoplay mode, you need to click every time you land a win to trigger tumbling reels, thus rendering the autoplay feature almost entirely redundant.
It can also be too difficult to hit free spins, and it is maddening to land three free spins symbols across the reels, only to discover they are not on a winning payline (which are not clearly marked) and so you don’t trigger the five free spins bonus.
Special features: Secrets of the Forest
Tumbling reels
The tumbling reels feature sees winning paylines disappear, then replaced with new symbols dropping in from above.
This can include new symbols on the top of each reel, and this can in turn trigger additional wins from the same spin.
Free spins
Land three or more of the free spins bonus symbol on a winning payline (not across the reels) and you trigger five free spins.
Free spins cannot be re-triggered from within the bonus round.
Wild
The wild symbol is very easy to identify. It is labeled “wild” and it substitutes for all the higher and lower value symbols on the slot to create winning paylines as well as offering big wins if landed on a payline with other wilds.
What works?
Symbol animations
The three higher-paying forest nymph symbols are beautifully illustrated. When landed on a payline, the symbols animate very nicely indeed.
Along with the backdrop, this is the perfect setting for a forest-themed game.
Nice mix of wins
Given that this is a medium to higher variance game, wins are variable, but I’ve found them to be a solid mix of lower value wins interspersed with some very sizable wins.
That said, hitting free spins can prove tricky and time-consuming.
Tumbling reels
The tumbling reels feature is always a positive bonus as it can lead to multiple wins from the same spin. This too isn’t without its glitches; there’s nothing more frustrating than seeing a third scatter land on the reel during tumbling reels, only for it not to trigger one of the 99 paylines and not get you free spins.
What doesn’t?
Autoplay pause
Without doubt, the most frustrating aspect of the slot is the constant need to click the spin button, even when the autoplay feature is engaged.
I have never played a slot that plays so slowly, even with constant player involvement. This not only slows down the gameplay to a crawl, but also becomes utterly infuriating after a while.
Generic sound
The sound when the reels are spinning is quite basic and has been used time and time again on a number of slots.
Things improve when you hit winning paylines or other features, but the sound is a bit of a disappointment compared to the graphics.
Free spins via tumbling reels
When I played through this slot, I hit a winning payline with two free spins symbols on the reels. When they disappeared, a third free spin symbol dropped into view, but free spins did not trigger.
Without being able to see which of the 99 lines are in play, this is extremely annoying.
The scores
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Graphics and soundtrack: 2.5/5
The quality of the graphics and animations on the higher symbols are lovely to look at, as is the backdrop for the reels.
Unfortunately the sounds, especially in the base game, are entirely generic and totally at odds with the graphics.
Originality and creativity: 5/5
What you essentially have here is a 5×3 reel slot with a free spins bonus round, a wild, and tumbling reels. That adds a little excitement, as does the 99 paylines.
But not being able to see what the paylines are as you play hurts this particular New Jersey online slot game.
Play value: 3/5
Secrets of the Forest isn’t designed to be a low variance game so it plays a little tougher than some, but I’ve found it to be a fair slot.
Smaller wins are punctuated with some very nice wins both in the base game and during free spins. As such, this isn’t as heavy on the wallet as some medium variance slots.
Jackpot potential: 5/5
There’s an excellent 5000x your line wager available as the top prize for landing five of the Secrets of the Forest symbols on a payline.
That is a good-sized win, especially if you are betting larger amounts. However, covering 99 paylines does make this a more expensive game to play for higher rollers.
Repeat play: 2/5
Unfortunately, the slow gameplay and the constant requirement to click, even on autoplay, are the most notable things about the game. They will vex players after just a few spins.
That’s a shame as the Secrets of the Forest slot has decent depth to it and deserves a bit more attention. Its clunky user interface just does it no favors at all.
Total score: 17.5/25
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Secrets of the Forest is a real mixed bag. There are some positive points about this slot, but they are undone by horrendous clicking requirements and some infuriating oversights and glitches that can make a player feel irritated and a little cheated.
That’s a shame as beneath all that, there’s a pretty decent slot to enjoy.
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Are you into slot games with a furtive theme? If so, don’t miss our review of the Secrets of the Phoenix online slot.