Jingle Spin

Over the years, we have seen plenty of Santas and Christmas-themed slots. But we have yet to see steampunk Santa and his oversized gift machine!

Who knew whimsical music could blend so well with a well-oiled production line of presents? We’re used to NetEnt putting interesting twists on existing slot ideas by now. It’s just a shame that the game itself isn’t as original as it first seems. Instead, it’s a copy of a 2013 NetEnt release, called EggOMatic.

Jingle Spin Review

Jingle Spin is played on five reels, with each reel being three symbols high. There are a total of twenty fixed paylines, which cannot be turned on or off. This, by proxy, means players cannot decrease their minimum bet any lower than set by the developer.

To win, simply collect three or more identical icons in adjacent positions, starting from the leftmost reel. These symbols must follow one of twenty existing winlines, or the cash prize will not be granted.

There are four special features that have been left as gifts to online gamblers by Santa. Spreading Wilds will transform adjacent icons into Wilds. Free spins will play a certain number of bonus turns. Coin win is a straight-up cash prize directly awarded to your balance. And finally, there’s the Surprise bauble that can award any of the previous three! But that begs the question. How do you activate your gifts and win big?

Theme & Symbols

We played lots of Christmas-themed slots, but we can’t say we ever played one like this. Most of them focus on the holiday cheer and are as generic as they come. We can guarantee that this game won’t have those issues! Santa’s design alone will probably stick with you for a while. There’s just something amusing about a dwarf tugging on a lever almost as big as he is!

The background image has been masterfully integrated into the playing field. At first glance, the elves sitting above the reels are just for decoration. So is Santa, tirelessly pulling the lever to make the reels spins. Instead, both of these elements are used to trigger special features! Santa’s machine hands the baubles to his helpers. And they, in turn, drop it down onto the reels when the time is right!

The visual side of Jingle Spin was almost perfect. The only thing we didn’t like were the symbols. In contrast to everything else, they’re as non-specific as they come. Playing card royals? Check. Typical Christmas decorations? Check. Cookies for Santa? Check. It’s a shame, but we understand why NetEnt decided to go this route. Mecha-Rudolph with a nose that fires lasers would be far too amazing for a Christmas-themed game.

How to Play Jingle Spin

If you’ve read our reviews, you know we’re not big fans of cloned releases. To us, this is the developer raising a white flag and launching the same slot with a different skin. You wouldn’t watch the same movie if the director went back and gave every character a wig. The same should stand true for games, as well.

While the entirety of EggOMatic’s gameplay has been copied, it’s most apparent with its special features. The bonuses aren’t similar. One is not inspired by the other, like how Invisible Man refined Jack and the Beanstalk’s Walking Wilds. No, this is a blatant, one for one copy of the original. They smacked on some pretty graphics, called it a day, and hoped nobody would notice.

Jingle Spin is played on 20 fixed paylines. You can play for as little as €0.20 per spin. Alternatively, high rollers can go all out and stake an impressive €200 on each spin. It’s above average compared to other NetEnt releases. But the developer could afford it by capping the jackpot at 1000x your total bet.

Bonus Features

All special features in this slot are activated the same way. First, Santa pulls the lever, which makes the large wheel behind him spin. If the arrow lands on a bauble, it will be handed off to the elves sitting above the reels. It starts above the fifth reel, and moves left by one position each time you spin. If you don’t catch it by the time it reaches the first reel, it completely disappears!

So how do you make sure the mean helpers don’t toss out Santa’s gift to you? Well, you have to land a Wild on the same reel as the bauble’s current location. It will then fall into the gift box, and activate the appropriate bonus. They include the following:

• Spreading Wilds

All symbols adjacent and diagonal to the Wild will also become Wilds. This special feature is activated through a red bauble.

• Free Spins

Between seven to fifty extra turns are played. The number of free spins is determined by the number on the activating green bauble.

• Coin Win

A direct coin win is credited to the player. How much is awarded depends on the number written on the yellow bauble.

• Surprise

This multi-colored bauble can grant any of the previous three special features. If it awards free spins or coin wins, the chosen number is random.

Jingle Spin Payouts

The game has a medium volatility and a jackpot worth 1000x your total stake. The RTP for this NetEnt release is 96.48%, which is higher than the current industry average.