Fire Tale Slot Review

Introduction to Fire Tale

Fire Tale is a casino slot from Quickspin, where you will explore a picturesque Asian scene telling a story of how fireworks came to be. Naturally, fire is one of the elements necessary for triggering the spectacular display of colorful blasts, but the main ingredient was gunpowder. Before this explosive was invented around 600-900 AD in China, hollow bamboo sticks thrown into the fire constituted the earliest fireworks, which produced powerful bangs intended to ward off evil spirits. Quickspin has woven this piece of history into the vibrant narrative packed with fiery references and a line-up of engaging features. After thoroughly exploring the demo, we enjoyed Nudging Wilds with potential multipliers in the form of strings of red firecrackers, as well as a bonus round where special symbols will merge into their more valuable counterparts, until they transform into massive Chinese dragons with the highest cash prizes. If you manage to form even a single one of them, it may reward you with the top jackpot prize of 5,000x the bet!

If you’d like to experience the power of spectacular fireworks yourself and find out how brightly they can shine, there’s a free demo available at the top of the article.

Theme, Gameplay & Payouts

Fire Tale is a video slot from Quickspin 5 reels, 4 rows, and 1,024 ways to win. You can choose your stake from a range of options, starting from a Min.bet of 0.04, which makes the game particularly affordable, up to a Max.bet of 100. The game offers a default RTP of 96.18%, which is on par with the industry standards, with three lower variants of 94.19%, 92.07% and 84.21% also released for the operators. The mathematical profile comes with high volatility, which focuses on less frequent but more sizable wins, and a max win capped at 5,000x the bet. You will experience the base hit frequency of 23.55%, with the max win being achievable at an impressive average rate of 1 in 193,070 spins.

The main scene of Fire Tale is permeated with an aura of peace and serenity, that is, before all those fireworks catch a spark and start blowing up in the air. Until then, you'll enjoy a beautiful natural landscape with a massive rock formation washed by cascading waterfalls on the right, and vast valleys spreading on the left under the night sky. On one of the boulders, a lonely man squats, his backpack full of various fireworks, gazing ahead at something we cannot see. Perhaps it's the elusive bonus round he's staring at with such a pensive expression, a place where every player would like to end up in. It's possible to start igniting the fireworks from any modern device, as the game is available on desktops, smartphones, and tablets alike.

In the paytable, two distinct sets of symbols form the payout hierarchy. Among the low-paying ones, we recognize flames in different shapes and colors, including blue, purple, green, yellow, and red, awarding 0.75x the bet for a 5-of-a-kind hit. A box of matches, an ancient lighter, a scroll, a bag of gunpowder, and a portrait of a man represent the mid-paying icons, delivering payouts of 3x the bet for a complete way. The top premium symbol takes the form of a man's portrait, worth 15x the bet when 5 instances align on a winning way. Alongside regular icons, there are also Nudging Wilds represented by a string of red firecrackers and Bonus symbols appearing as a firework dragon head.

Special Features & Slot Mechanics

What is the max win in the slot Fire Tale?

You can win up to 5,000x the bet.

What features are available in the slot Fire Tale?

The features are Wild Nudge & Fire Respin, Fusion Free Spins, and Feature Buys.

Wild Nudge & Fire Respin

Whenever at least one Wild symbol (available on reels 2, 3, and 4) lands partially visible on the grid, there's a chance it will nudge up or down to cover the entire reel. Also, when it does, it gains a +1 multiplier for every step it takes. Several Wilds participating in the same winning combination will have their multipliers added together before they're applied to the payout.

A fully-stacked Wild, whether landing directly or after nudging, awards 2 respins. If another Wild lands during the feature, one more respin will be awarded.

Fusion Free Spins

Landing 3, 4, or 5 Bonus symbols during the same base game spin awards 10, 12, or 15 free spins, respectively. The round is played with only 4 special symbols, each corresponding to a different payout level. Whenever 2 such symbols (below level 4) land adjacent to each other, they merge into a symbol of 1 level higher. Additionally, there's a meter that is filled with 1 unit whenever a merge occurs on the grid. Once it receives 4 charges, it releases 3 additional spins and increases its size by 1 spot. Then, 5 charges need to be added for the next retrigger of 5 extra spins to occur. The last meter stage consists of 6 spaces, awarding 7 extra spins when filled, and can be completed multiple times as long as the bonus round continues. When all free spins are used, all special symbols on the reels transform into cash prizes from their respective ranges.

Level 1 = 0.25x, 0.5x, or 0.75x the bet.

Level 2 = 1.5x, 1.75x, 2x, 2.25x, or 2.5x the bet.

Level 3 = 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x the bet, Mini (10x), or Major (25x) jackpot.

Level 4 = 50x, 60x, 75x, 100x the bet, Major (150x), or Grand (5,000x) jackpot.

Feature Buys

Players can trigger the most spectacular events by using multiple options in the Feature Buy menu, which offers enhanced spins and instant feature activation.

1.5x = Extra Bet, enabling Wilds on reel 5, thus increasing the chance of triggering Fire Respins.

15x = trigger a guaranteed Fire Respin.

40x = trigger Fusion Free Spins with at least 3 Bonus symbols.

75x = trigger Fusion Free Spins with 5 Bonus symbols.

Final Thoughts on Fire Tale

Fireworks are a significant part of every major Chinese celebration, so they often bustle about in online slots with traditional Asian themes, although there aren't many that put these exploding wonders in such a spotlight. There are a few that do, like Big Time Gaming's Fireworks Megaways or Wild Fireworks by Pocket Games Soft, but both focus rather on the light displays themselves rather than the origins of their creation. Fire Tale's subtle narrative, reaching back in time to the early days of fireworks, feels original, and it's something we highly appreciate. Instead of stepping onto the beaten track, Quickspin introduces a story component to immerse you in the journey much deeper, showing that there are multiple angles to explore when engaging in a theme generally labeled as "Asian". It's an altogether pleasant package that should appeal to a wide audience and one that skilfully connects a bit of history with an entertainment asset so commonly used in celebrations nowadays.

If you’re familiar with Quickspin's creations and online slots from other providers, you should quickly associate Fire Tale's base game feature with titles like Sakura Fortune and Nolimit City's xNudge mechanics. Stacked 4x1 Wilds will be your main source of higher wins during the base game, capable of nudging up and down while increasing their multiplier, while also awarding respins. We enjoyed the feature’s frequency and balanced win delivery during our testing and confirmed that it’s a solid addition to the base game mechanics that should prove to be plenty of fun. The bonus round brushes against the classic hold&win feature, although with an additional layer of upgrading special symbols by merging them together whenever they land adjacent to each other. We genuinely appreciated the fact that it’s also linked to the possibility of receiving more spins, making the feature in general come across as consistent and tightly-knit. Stats like 96.18% default RTP, hit rate of 23.55% and a max win of 5,000x the bet make the game's technical profile relatively standard, although the high top prize frequency of 1 in 193,070 spins deserves a highlight.

Fire Tale explores a different angle of Asian culture revolving around fireworks, while operating on well-known Nudging Wilds and an altered version of a Hold&Win bonus.