Introduction to The Oil Barons
The Oil Barons is a casino slot from Betsoft where we drill for black gold. This game is part of the studio’s “The” series, which, if you don’t know about it yet, is all about using unique themes and settings, and we have to say, we can’t think of many other slots themed around oil drilling. In The Oil Barons, we’re taken back to the Wild West, as oil drilling started as early as the 1800’s, hence the older machinery and gun-toting features. Speaking of, when it comes to gameplay, it is, for the most part, all about bonus games, as the game comes with 3 different ones, ranging from the Struck Oil and Contract Duel Free Spins and the two-phase Gushers feature. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as while they can be quite simple, they can be quite volatile as well, especially the two-phase Gusher bonus game, thanks to being able to stack up Wilds and Multipliers before the real spins. So, while simple in both theme and gameplay, The Oil Barons still comes with a pretty interesting package, with a max win of 12,500X the bet.
Betsoft delivers on another game in their “The” series, this time about oil drilling in the Wild West, coupled with a handful of bonus games to help you in your search for the motherlode.
Theme, gameplay, & Payouts
The Oil Barons is a video slot from Betsoft with 5 Reels, 5 Rows, and 15 Paylines. You can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.2 and a Max.bet of 30. The Oil Barons comes with a slightly-above-average RTP of 96.29%, a hit frequency of 19.18%, medium volatility, and a good max win of 12,500X the bet.
The game is set out in an oil field, where, behind all the dust and dirt, there are only oil wells as far as the eye can see, desperately searching for black gold. While a bit different, the background isn’t very interesting, as it is mostly just the same color with a few structures. You can play the game on most notepads, mobiles, and desktops.
The lower-paying symbols are 10, J, Q, K, and A. Creating a win with 5 of the same symbols will pay out 1X the bet. The higher-paying symbols are a cigar, a clock, an oil well, a white-mustached man, and a black-mustached man. Landing a win with 5 of the same symbols pays out 5X to 20X the bet. Then we have the Special Symbols, which include Wilds, VS, Struck Oil, Contract Duel, and Gusher Symbols, but more on these in the next section.
Special Features & Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot The Oil Barons?
You can win up to 12,500X the bet.
What features are available in the slot The Oil Barons?
The features are Wild Symbols, VS Symbols, Struck Oil, Contract Duel, Gusher, and Feature Buy.
Wild Symbols
Wild Symbols help form winning combinations by being able to substitute all symbols except Scatter and VS Symbols. Wilds can appear on all reels.
VS Symbols
VS Symbols act as a Wild Symbol, and if part of a winning combination, will expand to cover the entire reel, revealing two Multipliers with values up to 100X. The Multipliers will Duel, randomly selecting one Multiplier to win, which will be the one that gets stuck together with the Expanded Wild VS Symbol.
Struck Oil
Landing 3 or more Struck Oil Symbols will trigger the Struck Oil Free Spins bonus game. During this feature, all Wild Symbols that land will be Sticky.
Contract Duel
Landing 3 or more Duel Symbols will trigger the Contract Duel Free Spins bonus game. During this feature, VS Symbols appear more frequently.
Gusher
Landing 3 or more Gusher Symbols will trigger the Gusher Feature, which starts with 3 Respins on a special playing grid. This playing grid can only have Wilds and Multipliers, which also reset the spin counter, and you can collect up to 20 Wilds and up to a 31X Multiplier. After the Respins are done, you will be awarded 3 Free Spins with the collected Wilds spread around the playing grid, moving for each spin, and a Total Win Multiplier corresponding to the Multipliers collected in the Respins.
Feature Buy
Through the Feature Buy, you can instantly trigger various bonus games for a price based on the current bet.
80X = Awards the Struck Oil bonus game.
200X = Awards the Contract Duel bonus game.
400X = Awards The Gusher bonus game.
Final Thoughts on The Oil Barons
Betsoft’s “The” series, to us, is a pretty hit-and-miss series, where some games very easily miss the mark on their presentation, be it through theme or gameplay, and fail to really capture our interest. The Oil Barons, while rather simple in its setting, did intrigue us because of its uniqueness, however, it doesn’t really do much else to keep us sticking around. Visually, the game looks like many other Wild Western releases before it, just now with a boring backdrop of a couple of oil wells in a barren wasteland, which it doesn’t really capitalize on, and we feel it could’ve been so much more interesting.
Gameplay-wise, there isn’t really much to speak of when it comes to the base game, as while there are VS Symbols present, they can feel a bit rare, and it’s more or less a waiting room until you trigger any of the bonus games, or skip the line through the Feature Buy. But, while the base game isn’t so fun, we actually enjoyed the bonus games, for the most part, as each bonus game definitely has its own potential for considerable wins. Even so, we do wish they had been a bit more interesting, as the Struck Oil and Contract Duel features can feel a bit too simple, as compared to the Gusher bonus game, which is the highlight of the game, they’re more or less just regular spins. The Oil Barons sadly falls into the same category as its many peers in the “The” series, where the theme may be unique, but the lack of interesting visuals or engaging features, in this case, a bit of both, leads to the game being rather forgettable.
The Oil Barons is another release in Betsoft’s “The” series, and while it may be the only oil drilling-themed release we’ve seen in recent times, its gameplay doesn’t leave a lasting impression.
