Introduction to Pulped: The First Cut
Pulped: The First Cut is a casino slot from Light & Wonder where slicing symbols can award juicy payouts. Let’s head into the kitchen and meet the chefs in this medium-volatility release. Among tropical palm trees and hot ovens, we find the Rat, Pig, and Duck Chefs, ready to slice symbols on the reels and create up to 15,120 ways to win. Although we enjoyed the groovy soundtrack, this was a more simplistic release than we expected. The retro design will perhaps attract a nostalgic audience, but for us, it feels outdated and far from today’s high standards. In terms of gameplay, the AnyWay mechanic can award some decent wins when multiple symbols get sliced, but it’s not enough to compete with better and stronger releases on the market. Try the Pulped: The First Cut demo at the top of the page.
Theme, Gameplay, & Payouts
Pulped: The First Cut is a video slot by Light & Wonder that features 5 reels, 3 rows, and 15,120 ways to win. You can select bet sizes ranging from 0.1 to 200, with a default RTP of 96%, which is considered around industry average. This game has medium volatility and offers potential wins of up to 5,530X your bet.
The game’s design is based on a fruit theme, featuring cartoonish chefs ready to slice and prepare a delicious fruit bowl. The 5x3 game grid is in the middle of the screen, with the Rat, Pig, and Duck chefs above the reels, collecting all Fruit Skewer Symbols in view. The Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand Jackpots are positioned on the left side, awarding 10X, 50X, 250X, and 1,250X the bet, respectively. If you want to boost the gaming experience for a cost, activate the Feature Buy button on the left side. All other buttons, including the Spin and Bet Size, can be found below the reels. You can play Pulped: The First Cut on all mobile devices, desktops, and notepads. You create a winning combination by landing 3 or more of the same symbol types on adjacent reels starting at the leftmost reel.
The lower-paying symbols are blueberry, grape, apple, orange, and lemon. Landing 5 of the same symbol type pays between 0.3X and 0.5X. The higher-paying symbols are a strawberry, a watermelon, a clementine, a burger, and Pulped. Landing 5 of the same symbol type pays between 0.8X and 4X.
The game’s Wild Symbol has the text “Wild” and can appear on reels 2, 3, and 4. The Scatter Symbol has the text “Bonus” and landing 3 or more will trigger the Bonus Game. The Fruit Skewer Symbol is a fruit bowl that can randomly trigger the Jackpot Picker whenever it lands in view. Let’s find out what kind of features this game has to offer.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot of Pulped: The First Cut?
The max win is 5,530X the bet.
What features are available in the slot of Pulped: The First Cut?
The features of this slot game are Wild Symbol & Any Way mechanic, Fruit Bowl & Jackpot Picker, Free Spins, and Buy Pass (Feature Buy).
Wild Symbol & Any Way mechanic
The Wild Symbol substitutes all symbols except the Scatter and Fruit Skewer Symbols and helps you create winning combinations. The regular Wild Symbol can land on reels 2, 3, and 4.
Whenever a Wild Symbol lands in view, it can trigger one of the Chef Wilds above the reels. One of the Chef Wilds will drop down to the reels and select adjacent symbols at random to split, producing more ways to win thanks to the Any Way mechanic.
A symbol cannot be split more than once in one spin, and regular Wilds, Scatter, and Fruit Skewer Symbols can’t be split. Reels 2, 3, and 4 split 2, 4, and 3 ways, respectively.
Fruit Bowl & Jackpot Picker
Whenever the Fruit Skewer Symbol lands on the reels, it gets collected in the Fruit Bowl above the reels, triggering the Jackpot Picker during the Base Game.
During the Jackpot Picker, you must match 3 of the same Jackpot Symbols to be awarded its prize. The Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand Jackpot award 10X, 50X, 250X, or 1,250X the bet, respectively.
Matching 3 golden Chef’s Hats in the Jackpot Picker awards one of the following modifiers:
X4 Jackpot = A 4X Multiplier is applied to all Jackpot Prizes.
Pick Again = After a winning Jackpot, you are awarded another chance to win again.
Continue picking until you are awarded a x4 Jackpot or 2 regular Jackpots. Each Jackpot can only be awarded once.
Free Spins
This feature can be triggered by landing 3 or more Scatter Symbols during the Base Game. Depending on whether you land 3, 4, or 5 Scatter Symbols award 9, 10, or 12 Free Spins, respectively.
During the feature, every normal Wild Symbol that lands on the reels will trigger the Chef’s Wild/Any Way mechanic, splitting randomly selected symbols in view.
Feature Buy
If you want to advance directly to the Bonus Game for a cost, use the Feature Buy options:
100X = Triggers the Bonus Game
Final Thoughts on Pulped: The First Cut
Pulpued: The First Cut offers a pleasant gaming experience but lacks an edge to compete with games with stronger payout power. Even though we blasted the groovy soundtrack, the design felt too outdated for our taste, reminding us of old-school video games. Don’t get us wrong, this is a charming experience, but it lacks the sharpness and visual quality we’re used to from better releases.
Looking at the gameplay, it revolves around the AnyWay mechanic, where Wild Chefs drop onto the reels, slicing adjacent symbols and boosting the win potential. We would love to see a complementary multiplier here, which would’ve added a much-needed edge to flat gameplay. While digging the music, we triggered the Jackpot Picker, which is a “Pick Me” Bonus, awarding wins from 10X to 1,250X, but with a chance to boost the values thanks to the x4 Multiplier Modifier. This is the most lucrative feature in the game, since the Free Spins just offer a slightly boosted version of the Base Game.
Overall, this is a charming release with a retro vibe and a fun soundtrack. In terms of gameplay, the AnyWay mechanic isn’t enough to get us excited, and the Jackpot Picker is a feature we’ve seen countless times before, resulting in an underwhelming experience. If you want more from Light & Wonder, we recommend Raging Rhino Mighty Ways and Squid Game - One Lucky Day.
Pulped: The First Cut is a slot where chefs slice symbols thanks to the AnyWay mechanic, but fails to create a lasting impression due to familiar features and underwhelming payout power.
