NetEnt brings you a sequel of its hit Miami Vice-themed slot, Hotline. Hotline 2 goes back to Eighties and reincarnates the popular crime busters Quinn and Riviera, along with the guest star, the champagne guzzling Kitty Weiss. Not much has changed from the original Hotline slot, except a design upgrade and a few features, which makes Hotline highly entertaining for die-hard fans of the original show and potentially profitable for anyone who plays with the detectives.
Also on the reels are a microphone-wielding dude and various gemstones and jewelry, which constitute the low paying symbols. Fertile minds might infer a narrative of a jewelry heist, which the crime-busters are trying to foil. The reels, set against a Miami beach-facing residential quarter bathed in sunset hues, give the screen minimalistic design elegance. Even the reels are not framed by any borders, which bestows a chic esthetic to the slot.
The wild is a car mnemonic, which can fill entire reels when it lands on the three center reels, unleashing the Hot Zone feature, which is one of the three features of the game. The wild can fill in the gaps to help create winning combinations just like jokers in card games. However, the wild cannot replace the bonus symbol, consisting of the scatter mnemonic, which activates the free spins feature when the other features also come into play.
Hotline 2 is played across a 5 reels 3 rows grid and offers 243 ways to win, which can increase up to 1,944 ways during the bonus games. Betting starts at 0.30 and can go up to a maximum of 150.00, which is a tidy proposition for casual and conservative gamers as well as the high rollers. Hotline 2 can be said to be a medium volatility slot, and though the sequel has a slightly lower RTP rate than the original, it is still a decent 96.05% when all the Hotlines are activated, as shall see.
Win combos are made from left to right when matching symbols land on at least three adjacent reels starting from the first. The symbols do not carry much value in the base game, though the bonus game features more than make up for it. The biggest wins come from the free spins rounds, which accounts for most of the game’s RTP. The theoretical maximum winning potential of Hotline 2 is 5,184 times your bet on a single spin.
The game takes its title from this feature, since it is central to game’s action. In the base game, the center reel is the Hotline Zone. Whenever the wild drops onto this reel, it expands turning the entire reel wild and the police car takes off on the chase.
However, you can even convert the 2nd and 4th reels into Hotline Zone by purchasing them. Double your bet per spin and reels 3 and 4 become Hotline Zones, while trebling your bet converts all the 3 center reels into Hotline Zones.
There is also a randomly activated Hotline feature. When it triggers, night falls on the reels and 1 to 3 reels inside the Hotline Zone become fully stacked wilds. You can end up by getting 3 entire wild reels on every spin.
There are neon flamingo-themed scatter mnemonics in the game. Land 3 of them anywhere on the reels simultaneously in the base and you trigger the free spins round. You get 7 free spins, which can increase as the round progresses.
The Hotline Zones and expanding wilds assume greater significance. The wilds still expand to fill the reels if they land in a Hotline Zone. They also add a row to the top of the reel, potentially creating big win combinations.
Remember, the win ways also increase up to 1,944 ways, which are triggered when the Hotline Zone reels expand to their maximum height of 6 rows. When this happens, you get 2 more free spins per expanded reel, making it 13 free spins, almost twice your original count.
Hotline 2 can be played on all Android and iOS devices, apart from those devices, which run on Windows Phone, and Blackberry, etc. The game’s mobile interface is compatible with all the major mobile operating systems.
The HTML5 mobile interface also restructures itself to the small screen. You can enjoy the game on the move in original HD clarity and sound fidelity. You might need headphones for the latter. Also make sure you have good internet connectivity at all times to ensure uninterrupted play in landscape mode, which is the optimal way to get the most from the game.
Well, anyone who enjoyed the first Hotline slot is sure to find the sequel refreshing. Players unacquainted with the original can get a taste of the Miami Vice theme. Sequels are usually disappointing because the original narratives have cast big footprints for them to fill. But that is not so with Hotline 2.
The new game retains the punch and flavor of the first one, but incorporates a range of features and design enhancements. This can make Hotline 2 as popular as its predecessor, if not more. The game play is highly entertaining and the slot has a good maximum win potential.
But the real success of Hotline 2 lies in the positive vibes it creates, particularly with the enchanting music that accompanies the Miami Vice narrative.