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Happy Holidays Slot
Christmas is easily the favorite holiday of millions of reel spinners the world over, so what better way to prepare them for the festive season other than offering them a Christmas-themed slot? This is precisely what major software provider Microgaming did with the early release of its Happy Holidays slot back in 2015.
This masterfully crafted slot is played on five colorful reels and provides players with 243 Ways to Win. The symbols on show are all very beautifully animated and include various Christmas-related scenes and items, such as snowmen, stockings filled with goodies, decorated trees, cookies, gingerbread houses, turkeys, and children opening their gifts, riding sleighs, or building a snowman.
All these beautiful reel symbols rotate against a background showing a peaceful village, nestled in the snow. The game indeed packs a punch with its detailed animations as you can even see smoke billowing upwards from the houses’ chimneys. Meanwhile, a relaxing music is playing in the background but you also get to hear cheerful Christmas carols when winning combinations are formed.
There is more to this festive Microgaming slot than perfect presentation. The game has much to offer in terms of additional features as players will benefit from free spins with an extra row added to the reels for more winning combinations, wild and scattered symbols and the fun Frosty Feature awarding various “mystery” prizes. There is a wide betting choice, with players being able to bet between $0.30 and $30.00 per spin.
The symbols on show in Happy Holidays are all special in a way because of their outstanding animations and beauty. Some icons, however, are special in the sense that they can trigger additional features and bonuses, which enable players to pocket higher amounts in profits. First off, there is a scatter symbol which contains a glittery gold bauble. Land three or more baubles anywhere on the reels and they will reward you with 10 free spins with an additional row of symbols and a snowman icon with a special functionality. Another advantage of landing the scattered bauble is that it pays in any position and both directions.
Another important symbol is the wild, which in this case, contains the logo of Happy Holidays against a background of a decorated Christmas tree. This wild symbol can substitute for all remaining icons in the paytable, the only exception being the scattered bauble and snowman.
There is also a symbol which shows a scene of two little children building a snowman. This symbol fulfills an important function for the duration of the free spins. Once the free spins feature gets activated, the symbol containing the kids with the snowman can transform into other higher paying icons – the kids on the sleigh, the massive Christmas tree, the girl with Father Christmas, and the two tiny tots opening their presents. It can even appear in the base game during the Frosty Feature where it may award players with the highest amount to be won in Happy Holidays.
| Symbol | Two on a Payline | Three on a Payline | Four on a Payline | Five on a Payline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Candy | 0 | 5 | 15 | 50 |
| Christmas House | 0 | 5 | 15 | 50 |
| Christmas Turkey | 0 | 7 | 30 | 100 |
| Christmas Sock | 0 | 7 | 30 | 100 |
| Christmas Tree | 0 | 10 | 40 | 200 |
| Christmas Sleigh | 0 | 12 | 45 | 300 |
| Christmas Snowman | 0 | 15 | 50 | 400 |
| Kids | 0 | 20 | 60 | 500 |
| Santa Claus | 0 | 30 | 150 | 800 |
| Happy Holidays Logo | 0 | 50 | 300 | 1500 |
| Scatter | 30 | 60 | 300 | 3000 |
Bonus Games and Features
Happy Holidays remains true to the Christmas spirit of generosity as it is packed with great bonus games and features, which aim at rewarding players with greater prizes. As was mentioned above, there is a round of 10 free spins and you need three or more scatter symbols to activate it. This is where the magic begins. An additional row of symbols will appear on the five reels to increase the number of ways to win from 243 to 1024. To boot, the snowman symbol sort of becomes wild for the duration of the free spins because it can mold into any of the four high paying icons and replace them. It may also award you the highest possible win.
The Frosty Feature is of equal interest but unlike the free spins, it gets activated at random and does not require any particular symbol combination. It consists of one spin where the five highest payers in Happy Holidays reward you with a bonus payout. But more importantly, you can unlock the round of 10 free spins with only one gold bauble during the Frosty Feature.
Conclusion
Happy Holidays is a great way to kick off the Christmas festivities, even more so if you succeed in collecting the top prize of 88,000 in credits. The game is visually impressive with its crisp graphics and incredible animations while the relaxing soundtrack playing in the background as you spin the reels will help you unwind and will get you into the Christmas spirit in no time.
While there is no bonus side game here, Happy Holidays compensates with a fantastic round of free spins where winning opportunities are increased dramatically with the addition of an extra fourth row. This way the number of ways to win swells from 243 to 1024, which makes this slot all the more appealing to reel spinners. The game also returns a decent percentage to players and offers a broad betting range with minimum bets at only $0.30, which makes it a great alternative for all bankroll sizes.
