Introduction to Holly
Holly is a casino slot from Wicked Games that comes with a cozy Christmas vibe, set in a forest filled with snow-covered firs. If it wasn’t obvious by the first sentence, this is a seasonal Christmas release, but at the same time, it is also a reskin of a previous game, that being Ivy, released in mid-2025. When Ivy was first released, we had a good time with it, even if it felt a bit off at some point, especially surrounding its two different bonus games. Here in Holly, we kinda see the same problem, as while its holiday theme is nice and all, there haven’t been any actions to really change up the core system, and maybe even, to an extent, actually have made it worse, but more on that later. If you haven’t played Ivy, then let us tell you that Wicked Games added a pretty interesting mechanic with the Creeping Wilds features, which are Wilds that will creep in a random direction, forming a trail behind them of more Wild Symbols, and this feature is also present in Holly. Present is also the Wicked Games’ own Special Symbol, that being the Wicked Spin Symbol, which can land on any losing spin, instantly paying out 20X to 200X. Then we have the questionable bonus games, which start with the Free Spins feature, which comes with nothing except spins and a chance to trigger the Super Free Spins feature, where you can get a growing Win Multiplier of up to 4X. All of this comes together to a casual game with some simple, cozy spins perfect for the holidays, with a max win of 3,000X the bet.
Experience a winter wonderland with the latest release from Wicked Games. If you want to check out the game for yourself, then don’t miss out on the Holly demo.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Holly is a video slot from Wicked Games with 5 Reels, 3 Rows, and 25 Paylines. You can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.25 and a Max.bet of 500. Holly comes with an average RTP of 96.16% and a medium volatility, where wins will feel relatively stable, but you’ll always have a chance of hitting the max win of 3,000X the bet.
The game opens up in a snow-covered forest, where the decorated wooden-carved playing grid can be found. As it is a Christmas seasonal release, the game comes, of course, with some jolly soundtrack and some magical sound effects. You can play the game on most desktops, notepads, and mobiles.
The lower-paying symbols are 10, J, Q, K, and A. Creating a win with 5 of the same symbols will pay out 2X to 4X the bet. The higher-paying symbols are various snowflakes and the main character, ranging from the blue snowflake, the green snowflake, the orange snowflake, the purple snowflake, and Holly herself. Landing a win with 5 of the same symbols pays out 6X to 24X the bet. The Special Symbols are the Wilds, Creeping Wilds, Scatters, and Super Scatter Symbols, but more on those in the next part.
Special Features & Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Holly?
You can win up to 3,000X the bet.
What features are available in the slot Holly?
The features are Wild Symbols, Creeping Wilds, Wicked Spin Symbols, Free Spins, Super Free Spins, Feature Buy, and Ante Bet.
Wild Symbols
Wild Symbols help form winning symbols by being able to substitute for all symbols except Scatter and Super Scatter Symbols.
Creeping Wilds
Creeping Wilds act as normal Wild Symbols, but come with an arrow pointing up, down, left, or right. Any symbols in the direction of the arrow will be covered with a Wild Symbol. If a Scatter or Super Scatter Symbol is covered by a Wild Symbol, it will be uncovered before the round is assessed for the feature triggers.
Wicked Spin Symbols
Only appears on reel 5 and can appear on any non-winning spin to reveal an Instant Win Multiplier ranging from 20X to 200X.
Free Spins
Landing 3 or 4 Scatter Symbols will award you with 8 or 12 Free Spins. This bonus game can be retriggered by landing 2, 3, or 4 Scatter Symbols and will award +2, +4, or +6 extra spins. The basic Ivy Free Spins can be upgraded into the Super Ivy Free Spins by landing 2 or more Scatter Symbols along with a Super Scatter Symbol, which gives you additional spins and a higher starting Multiplier, depending on the amount of Scatter Symbols.
Super Free Spins
Triggered by landing 3 or 4 Scatter Symbols along with a Super Scatter Symbol will award you with the Super Ivy Free Spins, with a starting Multiplier of either 3X or 4X the bet. The bonus game can be retriggered the same way as the basic bonus game, which will also increase the current Multiplier, up to a max of 4X, depending on the amount of triggering Scatter Symbols.
Feature Buy
There are 2 Feature Buy options that allow you instant access to the two different bonus games, for a price based on the current bet.
60X = Guarantees a spin with at least 3 Scatter Symbols.
150X = Guarantees a spin with at least 3 Scatter Symbols and a Super Scatter Symbol.
Ante Bet
By turning on the Ante Bet, you increase your chances of triggering the Free Spins features and Retriggers, but at the cost of increasing your current bet by 2X.
Final Thoughts on Holly
Holly is a very weird release, as it wasn’t all too long before the release of this game that we saw the original, that being Ivy, and while Holly may look quite good, we feel like Wicked Games sadly fumbled on some other parts of the game. Seasonal releases are always a bit of a mixed bag, as sometimes they come out as their own game, just themed around a season, and sometimes they’re just a reskin of a previously released game, with Holly being the latter. This wouldn’t be all so bad if it weren’t for the fact that we saw the release of Ivy only about 6 months before, meaning it hasn’t really left our minds just yet, and its pros and cons are still pretty fresh. However, these cons sadly just grow larger in Holly, as there seems to have been some changes to the game that we feel are just not for the better, but to get down to that, we have to move over to the gameplay section.
Starting with the stats, we have a new RTP of 96.16%, which is higher than the original 96.12%, but with a lower max win of 3,000X the bet from the original 10,000X the bet, which just doesn’t feel good to look at. The typical base game plays very much the same, with the fun Creeping Wild Symbols helping you hit consistent wins, and if you ever find a Wicked Spin Symbol, you’re set for a solid payout. However, with the release of Ivy, we had an issue with how its bonus games were played, and that they didn’t really offer anything substantial outside of a Win Multiplier of up to 4X, but at least you got plenty of spins to play with. In Holly, these spins have been gutted, going down from up to 20 spins on the start of a bonus game, all the way down to 12, and the retriggers are even worse, going down from +20 extra spins to +6 extra spins at the maximum retrigger of 4 Scatters. Reskins can sometimes offer some variety and a fun new spin on a theme, but we’re questioning what the point of these changes was, as it just straight up looks like Holly is an inferior game, which is definitely disappointing to hear. We want you to know what to expect before going into the game, but if you want to check it out for yourself, then we highly recommend giving the Holly demo a try first.
Holly is a slot with a seasonal Christmas theme and comes with Creeping Wilds and Free Spins to keep you entertained.
