Elevating in a hot air balloon is a dream of many, but unfortunately, not everyone can afford to take one such thrilling ride in person. But there is a rather feasible solution as Microgaming provides thrill seekers with the chance to experience the adventure of their lifetime by giving the reels of Hot Air a whirl. This is a five-reel slot, equipped with 30 modifiable paylines and a good range of extra features to render players’ spinning experience all the more engaging and rewarding.
As you can suppose, the theme of the game revolves around hot air balloon rides. The layout features colorful hot air balloons in mid-air while the reel symbols on show include picnic hampers, birds, retro airplanes, an aeronaut, and an air balloon that also operates as a scatter. Other useful features players can take advantage of include wild symbols, multipliers on the winnings, and a fantastic round of free spins along with dynamic multipliers that continue increasing when the right conditions are met. This review covers the historical Microgaming desktop edition. The archived screens below establish its rules and coin-based controls, not current casino availability or limits.
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Symbols and payout units
The pilot is the wild, replacing every symbol except the balloon scatter. When it substitutes in a winning combination, the rules triple that win. Five pilots have a separate listed award of 2,000 times the line stake. This is not 2,000 coins for every possible bet: multiply by the coins staked on the winning line, not by the total coins across all lines.
Ordinary wins run left to right on selected paylines. Balloon scatters pay anywhere, without needing a payline. The table below gives line-stake multipliers for ordinary symbols and total-stake multipliers for scatters. Only the highest win on each selected line is paid; wins on different selected lines and scatter wins are added.
| Symbol | Two on a Payline | Three on a Payline | Four on a Payline | Five on a Payline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 100 |
| 10 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 100 |
| J | 0 | 7 | 20 | 125 |
| Q | 0 | 7 | 20 | 125 |
| K | 0 | 10 | 30 | 150 |
| A | 0 | 10 | 30 | 150 |
| The Bird | 0 | 15 | 50 | 300 |
| Picnic Hamper | 0 | 15 | 60 | 300 |
| Retro Airplane | 2 | 20 | 75 | 500 |
| Passenger with telescope | 3 | 30 | 150 | 500 |
| Pilot wild | 20 | 200 | 1000 | 2000 |
| Balloon scatter (anywhere) | 1 | 5 | 20 | 100 |
Original game screenshots
The gameplay, paytable and rules below belong to the same 30-line Microgaming desktop edition. Its rules explicitly distinguish line awards from scatter awards.
Worked stake and payout examples
The pictured controls show 30 lines, 8 coins per line and a coin denomination of 0.01. BET 240 means 240 coins, or 2.40 currency units. The stake on each line is 0.08 currency units.
A qualifying three-bird line without a substituting wild pays 15 × 8 = 120 coins, or 1.20 currency units. If that is the only award, the net result after the 2.40 spin stake is a loss of 1.20. A qualifying three-bird combination with a substituting pilot would be tripled to 360 coins, or 3.60, for a net gain of 1.20 if no other awards occur.
Four balloon scatters instead pay 20 × 240 = 4,800 coins, or 48.00 currency units. Five pilots on one selected line pay 2,000 × 8 = 16,000 coins, or 160.00 currency units. Do not apply the substitution multiplier again to the five-pilot listed award. These examples are calculations from the rules, not wins shown in the screenshot.
Bonus Games and Features
Three or more balloon scatters anywhere trigger 10 free spins with all wins doubled. During these initial spins, every pilot collects an extra Hot Spin and every balloon collects an extra multiplier for the later Hot Spins. Hot Spins start with one spin at a 1× multiplier.
For example, collecting two pilots and three balloons during the initial feature would build three Hot Spins at 4×. These accumulated spins play after the initial free spins finish. The rules do not describe a new bonus trigger: the free-spins feature cannot retrigger. It retains the triggering game’s lines and bet, and feature wins are added to line and scatter wins.
The optional Gamble feature offers a card-colour choice to double an award or a card-suit choice to quadruple it if correct. This risks the selected award; it is not an additional guaranteed payout.
Hot Air FAQs
Does BET 240 mean a 240.00 cash wager?
No. In the screenshot it means 240 coins at 0.01 each, totalling 2.40 currency units.
Does the pilot multiply wins?
Yes. The original rules triple a winning combination when the pilot substitutes. The all-pilot award is separately listed in the paytable.
Are Hot Spins the same as retriggering the free spins?
No. They are accumulated during the initial feature and played afterwards. The rules explicitly prohibit retriggering the free-spins feature.
Are balloon awards calculated per line?
No. They multiply the total coins staked on the spin, and the balloons can land anywhere. A line multiplier uses only the stake on that selected line.
Conclusion
This historical edition combines 30 selectable lines with pilot substitution, an initial doubled-win free-spin round and a separate collection stage for Hot Spins. Read the coin controls and the full rules together: the same paytable number can represent a very different cash amount at another denomination or line stake. The archived screens do not verify a current operator’s availability, RTP setting or maximum stake.
