Introduction to King of the Barrels
King of the Barrels is a casino slot from Playtech that takes us to an ancient ruin right in the jungle, which a self-proclaimed king has made his kingdom. Almost as if it were a reference to the original Donkey Kong arcade game released in 1981, this gorilla has an infatuation with barrels. However, while that may sound strange, these Barrels are only one of the core features that make this game, which also includes Cash Prizes, Jackpots, and even bonus games. The gameplay loop follows the Gorilla, which acts as a Collector and Wild Symbol, as the main symbol, which, combined with either Barrel or Coin Symbols, can trigger either the Free Spins bonus game or Wheel feature, both of which are ways to help you hit bigger wins and reach the max win of 4,030X the bet. Or you could test your luck in the unique Go Bananas Mode, which cuts out all the unnecessary fluff, such as regular paying symbols. This is paired with pretty funky and interesting visuals, but that may not be enough to save the game’s straightforward gameplay loop and rather lacking stat lines. But, come along as we explore what the jungle has to offer, and see if King has what it takes to deliver on a great slot experience.
Playtech delivers a game with interesting visuals and a not-so-complex gameplay loop centered on collecting two types of Special Symbols and triggering two types of bonus games.
Theme, Gameplay, & Payouts
King of the Barrels is a video slot from Playtech with 5 Reels, 3 Rows, and 243 Paylines. You can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.1 and a Max.bet of 50. King of the Barrels comes with a lower-than-average RTP of 95.89%, medium volatility, and an okay max win of 4,030X the bet.
As mentioned earlier, King of the Barrels is set in an ancient ruin in the middle of the jungle, which has been taken over by a gorilla, as seen by the many bananas plastered around the old pillars. The king, a purple gorilla with a golden crown and jewelry, sits above the playing grid, perfectly encapsulating the funky vibes that the game’s colorful design aims for. You can play the game on most notepads, mobiles, and desktops.
You can create wins by landing 3 or more of the same symbols in adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel, creating a payline. The lower-paying symbols are J, Q, K, and A. Creating a win with 5 of the same symbols will pay out 1.2X the bet. The higher-paying symbols are a banana, a sacrificial dagger, a monkey totem, and a ruby gem. Landing a win with 5 of the same symbols pays out 1.4X to 3X the bet. Our Special Symbols also include Wilds, Barrels, and Coin Symbols, which we go over in the next section.
Special Features & Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot King of the Barrels?
You can win up to 4,030X the bet.
What features are available in the slot King of the Barrels?
The features are Gorilla Wild Symbols, Barrel and Coin Symbols, Bonus Prizes, Free Spins, Wheel Feature, Go Bananas Mode, and Ante Bet.
Gorilla Wild Symbols
Gorilla Wild Symbols may only appear on reel 3 and can help form winning combinations by being able to substitute for all other regular paying symbols, except Barrel and Coin Symbols. However, the Gorilla Wild Symbol does act as a Collect Symbol for Barrel and Coin Symbols.
Barrel and Coin Symbols
Barrel and Coin Symbols are unique symbols that can randomly trigger, and guarantee trigger, their associated bonus game, be it the Free Spins or Wheel features. Barrel Symbols come in two variants, the wood and gold versions, which can appear on reels 2 and 4, and if they land alongside a Gorilla Symbol, they can award a cash prize of 1X to 15X, a random Bonus Prize, or the Free Spins feature. Coin Symbols don’t have their own prizes.
Bonus Prizes
Bonus Prizes, also known as Jackpot Prizes, come in four variants, with their payouts being based on the current bet. These prizes can only be won through the Wheel feature if it was triggered with 2 Coin Symbols, except the Grand Jackpot, which can also be found in the Golden Barrels. The prizes are as follows:
Mini = Awards 20X the bet.
Minor = Awards 40X the bet.
Major = Awards 100X the bet.
Grand = Awards 1,000X the bet.
Free Spins
The Free Spins feature can trigger in two ways, either randomly by landing Barrel Symbols without Gorilla Symbols or by guaranteeing the trigger by landing Barrel Symbols on reels 2 and 4 alongside a Gorilla Symbol on reel 3. The Free Spins feature comes with 3 spins and is played on either a 3x3 or a 5x3 playing grid, depending on whether it was triggered by a Wooden Barrel or a Golden Barrel. If it was triggered by a Wooden Barrel, only Wooden Barrels and Gorillas can land on reels 2, 3, and 4, and the Golden Version only has Golden Barrels and Gorillas on reels 1 to 5. All Gorilla Symbols will stick onto the grid, and the bonus game ends when no more spins are available.
Wheel Feature
The Wheel feature can trigger in two ways, either randomly by landing Coin Symbols or by landing 1 to 2 Coin Symbols together with a Gorilla Symbol. You will be awarded a spin on the Bonus Wheel, which can award a Cash Prize ranging from 1X to 18X, or, if triggered by 2 Coins and a Wild Symbol, a Bonus Prize. If the feature is triggered randomly, then you get as many spins as Coins present when the feature was triggered.
Go Bananas Mode
The Go Bananas Mode is a special game mode that can be turned on between spins in the base game, allowing only Coin, Barrel, and Wild Symbols to appear. This game mode does not change your current bet, but disables the option to activate the Ante Bet.
Ante Bet
By turning on the Ante Bet, or known as the Extra Bet Mode, you turn all Barrel Symbols into Golden Barrels, but at the cost of increasing your current bet by 2X.
Final Thoughts on King of the Barrels
Playtech delivers a game with a fun theme and interesting visuals, and it is this presentation that caught our attention right away. However, while looking good, it also doesn’t leave that big of an impression on us as something such as Hacksaw Gaming’s Grug Make Fire did, and maybe it could be argued that Playtech could have taken an extra step to really seal the deal, as the rest of the game feels rather forgettable. We don’t think King of the Barrels is a bad release, however, it feels just like one of many other Cash Collect releases that Playtech seems to love, with a slightly nicer coat of paint and mechanics.
Speaking of its Cash Collect mechanics, King of the Barrels’ gameplay loop may not be for everyone, as its regular payline paytable is very weak, meaning you have to lean on the feature prizes for bigger wins. However, even many of these prizes, those being the Barrel Prizes and Cash Prizes on the bonus wheel, feel quite weak, capping out at 25X the bet. This means that if you’re looking for any bigger payouts, then you’ll have to be hunting the Bonus Prizes, which, while not the rarest thing, isn’t that fun to hunt. This is because, in our opinion, neither of the bonus games feels very original, and the game’s mechanics may seem interesting at first, but feel like just another Cash Collect formula. One thing we do want to give Playtech, however, is the addition of Go Bananas Mode, a unique game mode that removes all regular pay symbols, leaving only the Special Symbols in play at no additional cost. But while this does bring with it a pretty unique flair, we’re not so sure how effective it really is.
On top of this gameplay loop, we have a weak stat line and a pretty low max win, which is just another thing that makes King of the Barrels feel just a tad weaker as a whole. However, we do understand that this game might just land with certain players, as its formula feels quite inspired by older releases, which might just be the perfect audience for King of the Barrels.
King of the Barrels is a slot release that feels like it plays older than its visuals suggest. Its funky style brings a Cash Collect formula split between Barrels and Coin Symbols, each with its own feature, those being Free Spins and a Bonus Wheel.
