Exotic Cats from Microgaming: Slot Review - don't mess with these cats!

International Cats Day took place in early August and to celebrate software giants Microgaming decided to release this slot all about our feline friends. The cats in question here are not the ones you play with on a daily basis as they are the ones that inhabit jungles so it is definitely a case of look but don’t touch with these animals! The wild exotic cats in this online slot include ferocious lions, tigers, leopards, and menacing panthers. Join us as we step inside their den and hopefully escape this dangerous jungle in one piece with plenty of dough in our pockets!

Exotic Cats is a 5 reel slot with 243 ways to win and comes with Free Spins and Vertical Wilds.

Special Features

The first thing to highlight about this game is that it features a whopping 243 ways to win! Wins are formed from left to right for adjacent symbol combinations. With so many ways to win, players will have ample opportunities to land a big cash payout on the reels here.

The Wild symbol is represented by an image of the game logo. Like most standard Wild symbols, its main function is to substitute for all other symbols apart from the Scatter to help create winning combinations on the reels. Keep a very close eye out for this symbol when it appears as it is one of the most valuable symbols in the game. Land 5 Wilds on a winning payline and you will be awarded a nice payout worth 14X your total bet.

As you play the game, you will notice that above each reel is a name of one of the big cats. If a particular animal symbol lands on the same matching reel then the reel will become fully wild for that spin. This is known as the Vertical Wild feature. So if you were to land a Lion on reel 1, a Tiger on reel 2, a Panther on reel 3, a Leopard on reel 4, and a Cougar on reel 5, then you would turn all 5 reels fully wild and land the top prize worth 3,533X your stake!

The Scatter symbol is illustrated by a gold frame with a cat displayed inside. Land 3 of these symbols anywhere on the reels to trigger the Free Spins feature. Once activated, you will be awarded 10 Free Spins and if you manage to land 3 more Scatters during this feature then you will receive a further 5 Free Spins. The Vertical Wilds feature is also active here which makes it possible to land up to 5 Wild reels on every Free Spin!

Theme, Graphics and Sound

The graphics are slick and full of detail as the game takes place in a dense dark green jungle filled with an assortment of wild cats. Symbols are wonderfully designed and consist of a Lion, a Panther, a Leopard, a Cougar, a Tiger, a Native Lady, a Paw Print, and the standard Heart/Diamond/Spade/Club icons. The animations are neat as symbols zip up and down the reels at furious pace and enlarge nicely when part of a winning combination. In particular, I really like how each wild cat slowly appears at the top of their respective reels and gazes at you from time to time or when they slash the reel with their sharp claws when the Vertical Wild feature triggers.

The soundtrack is full of soothing jungle noises and animal sounds. It ties in really well with the theme of the game.

Win lines, Payouts and Jackpots

The game features 243 ways to win, a respectable RTP of 96.33%, and a top payout worth 3,533X your initial wager.

Below is a summary taken from the PayOut Table from the game. The amount won for each combination depends on the value of the bet when you spin the reels.

Bet Range: 0.15, 0.30, 0.45, 0.60, 0.75, 0.90, 1.05, 1.20, 1.35, 1.50, 1.80, 2.10, 2.25, 2.40, 2.70, 3.00, 3.75, 4.50, 5.25, 6.00, 6.75, 7.50, 9.00, 10.50, 12.00, 13.50, 15.00, 18.00, 21.00, 24.00, 27.00, 30.00

Based on a bet of 0.15:

• Scatter Symbol: 1.50 for 4X, 3.00 for 5X
• Lion Symbol: 0.05 for 2X, 0.15 for 3X, 0.25 for 4X, 1.50 for 5X
• Tiger Symbol: 0.05 for 2X, 0.15 for 3X, 0.25 for 4X, 1.50 for 5X
• Panther Symbol: 0.05 for 2X, 0.15 for 3X, 0.25 for 4X, 1.50 for 5X
• Leopard Symbol: 0.05 for 2X, 0.15 for 3X, 0.25 for 4X, 1.50 for 5X
• Cougar Symbol: 0.05 for 2X, 0.15 for 3X, 0.25 for 4X, 1.50 for 5X
• Exotic Cats Wild Symbol: 0.06 for 2X, 0.20 for 3X, 1.20 for 4X, 2.20 for 5X
• Lady Symbol: 0.01 for 2X, 0.05 for 3X, 0.20 for 4X, 0.50 for 5X
• Paw Print Symbol: 0.04 for 3X, 0.15 for 4X, 0.50 for 5X
• Heart Symbol: 0.03 for 3X, 0.15 for 4X, 0.40 for 5X
• Spade Symbol: 0.03 for 3X, 0.12 for 4X, 0.40 for 5X
• Diamond Symbol: 0.02 for 3X, 0.12 for 4X, 0.30 for 5X
• Club Symbol: 0.02 for 3X, 0.12 for 4X, 0.30 for 5X

Exotic Cats is produced by Microgaming and is a fine and unique way to celebrate International Cats day. It’s straightforward to play, features superb visuals, a massive 243 ways to win, and has just the right amount of bonus features to keep the action ticking over nicely on the reels. The Vertical Wilds feature is an excellent addition to this slot and triggered quite frequently the more I played. The Free Spins feature, on the other hand, took a bit of time to trigger and it’s nice that you can get up to 15 Free Spins here with the Vertical Wilds feature still in-play. It has to be said that it’s just fantastic that you can win up to 3,533X your stake on every base game spin or Free Spin just by turning all 5 reels wild! Variance-wise, I found this slot to be Medium so you will find that wins are evenly distributed the more you spin the reels. For slots with a similar feline theme, check out Not Enough Kittens and Copy Cats.

Explore a jungle full of wild and dangerous animals to find riches beyond your imagination when you play Exotic Cats!