Joker Open’Em! Slot Review
A harlequin in a split red-and-gold bodysuit leans against the side of the reels, one hand on her hip, while five gift-wrapped boxes above the grid spit little orange sparks into the warm crimson light. Those boxes are the most interesting thing about Joker Open’Em!, and by some distance: strip them away and you’re left with a 7s-and-bells slot whose five-of-a-kind pays barely cover the stake.
It’s a Wishbone release, sitting in a catalogue that also includes Kingfisher, Dragon PrimeX and Hermes Bonanza. Underneath the costume is a 5×4 grid with 20 fixed paylines, 96.25% RTP, medium volatility and a win cap of 6,000x the bet. Stakes run from 0.20 to 40.00 per spin.
Base Game & Features
This is a classic symbol set given the full carnival treatment: 7s, bells, horseshoes, money and a run of suit icons from hearts to clovers. Wins pay left to right across the 20 fixed paylines, and only the highest combination counts on each line. Bonus wins and payline wins can land on the same spin.
Symbol pays are multiples of the total bet, and they’re modest by design. The money is in the feature, not the reels.
- 7 – 0.5x for three, 1x for four, 5x for five
- Bell – 0.4x for three, 0.8x for four, 4x for five
- Horseshoe – 0.3x for three, 0.6x for four, 3x for five
- Money/Cash – 0.2x for three, 0.4x for four, 2x for five
- Heart, Club, Diamond, Spade, Clover – 0.1x for three, 0.2x for four, 1x for five
- Wild – 1x for three, 2x for four, 10x for five
The wild substitutes for everything except the Scatter and the feature’s special symbols, and at 10x for five of a kind it’s the richest symbol on the grid. The Joker is the Scatter, it can land on any reel, and it carries two jobs: triggering the bonus, or paying the cap.
Land five Jokers anywhere on the reels and you’re paid the maximum win of 6,000x the bet outright. Five of a kind Jokers can’t trigger the bonus on top of that payout.
Joker Open’Em! Bonus Spins & Enhancements
Above each of the five reels sits one of those gift boxes, and each box hides a different enhancement. When a Joker lands on a reel, it may open the box above it. The boxes on reels 1, 2, 4 and 5 each hold a separate enhancement, and they combine when more than one opens on the same spin.
The box on reel 3 is the special one: it awards 19 bonus spins with every enhancement active, plus a chance to increase the enhancement values before the spins begin.
Opening the Boxes
Open one box, or several, in a single spin and you get 10 bonus spins for the first box plus 3 additional spins for each extra box opened, with those boxes’ enhancements applied. Reel 3 alone is worth 19 spins with everything running.
Once a box has been activated it can’t be retriggered within the feature, and if the reel 3 box goes off, no other boxes can be retriggered for the duration.
The Five Enhancements
Each enhancement does something different to the collection round, and each is fed by its own special symbol during the spins:
- Reel 1 – Multiplier: starts at x2 and climbs by 1 for every X symbol that lands, up to x5. Applies to value symbols during a Joker collection.
- Reel 2 – Adder: starts at 1x stake and adds 1x stake for every + symbol, up to 5x stake, added to value symbols on collection.
- Reel 3 – All Enhancements: everything active at once, with a pre-feature chance to raise the values.
- Reel 4 – Symbol Upgrade: the lowest-paying symbol is awarded a monetary value automatically, and each Arrow Up symbol adds value to the next lowest symbol and highlights another, up to five. Those values persist for the whole feature.
- Reel 5 – Respin Upgrade: each Heart symbol lights one of three Hearts, and the first is awarded free. Hearts fund the respin mechanic below.
Joker Collections and Respins
During bonus spins, symbols carrying values from 0.2x up to 1,000x the bet drop in alongside the upgrade symbols. Whenever a Joker is on the reels it collects every value in view, and any upgraded symbols pay their added amounts too.
When a Joker lands, it sticks along with every value and upgraded symbol while the remaining positions spin independently. Each spin that fails to land a new value or upgrade symbol burns one Heart, and the respin ends when the Hearts run out or the grid fills.
Values are collected at the end of the respin session, and no paylines are active while it runs. Winnings are worked out from the value of the special symbols at the end of each bonus spin and collected automatically when the Bonus closes. If the total reaches the 6,000x cap, the feature ends there and the limit is what’s paid.
Buy Feature
There’s a single buy option, and it goes straight for the top: activating it instantly triggers all enhancements, the reel 3 treatment, at a cost of 300x the stake. It plays at your current bet, and the RTP is unchanged at 96.25%.
The buy is available in the base game only, and it isn’t offered above a certain bet threshold.
Our Honest Verdict
Overall Rating: 7.2/10
Most of a session on Joker Open’Em! is spent waiting for the jester to open a present, and honestly, that’s the reason to sit down at this particular stage. The base reels are wallpaper: pretty, crimson-gold wallpaper, but wallpaper. A bonus round where every spin adds something to the next collection is the actual entertainment here.
At its best, that round compounds beautifully. The multiplier, the adder and the upgraded low symbols all feed the same Joker sweep, so a respin that keeps landing value icons can snowball from nothing into a serious result. That build is the strongest thing about the game, and the reel 3 box makes chasing it worthwhile.
The weakness is what surrounds it. Strip away the boxes and this is a five-of-a-kind-pays-5x slot, and there’s a lot of dead air between features. It suits players who enjoy a slow build with real moving parts, and it’ll leave anyone who wants their money’s worth spin by spin cold. For the patient type, the jester’s boxes are worth unwrapping.
Joker Open’Em! FAQs
-
What is the RTP of Joker Open’Em!?
The RTP is 96.25%, and it stays at 96.25% if you use the Buy Feature. -
Is Joker Open’Em! high volatility?
No. Joker Open’Em! is a medium volatility slot, with a hit frequency of 28.14%. -
How does the Joker Open’Em! bonus feature trigger?
A Joker symbol landing on a reel can open the box above that reel. One or more boxes award 10 bonus spins plus 3 extra spins per additional box, with those enhancements applied. The reel 3 box awards 19 bonus spins with all enhancements active. -
What does the box on reel 3 do in Joker Open’Em!?
It activates every enhancement at once, awards 19 bonus spins, and gives you a chance to increase the enhancement values before the spins begin. Once it’s active, no other boxes can be retriggered for the rest of the feature. -
Can the Joker Open’Em! bonus be retriggered?
Not in the usual way. Once a box has been activated, on entry or during the feature, it can’t be retriggered again. Non-active boxes other than reel 3 can still open during the feature, awarding 3 extra spins with their enhancement. -
How much does the Joker Open’Em! Buy Feature cost?
The Buy Feature costs 300x the stake and instantly triggers all enhancements. It runs at your current bet in the base game only, and there’s a bet threshold above which it can’t be bought. -
What is the maximum win on Joker Open’Em!?
The maximum win is 6,000x your bet. Landing five Joker symbols anywhere on the reels awards it directly, and if a Bonus Feature total reaches the cap, the limit amount is awarded and the feature ends. -
Who makes Joker Open’Em!, and what are the bet limits?
Joker Open’Em! is made by Wishbone, a studio behind titles like Kingfisher and Dragon PrimeX. It’s a 5×4 grid slot with 20 fixed paylines, and stakes run from 0.20 to 40.00 per spin.
