Santa Hopper Slot Review
With Christmas right around the corner, Push Gaming is indulging us in all the bells & whistles of the festive season in Santa Hopper. Get ready to curl up in front of the fire, eggnog in hand, and play for up to 10,231x your bet in prizes…but have you been naughty or nice this year?
After a pleasant & warm welcome in Santa’s Vault, Push Gaming is lifting our spirits even higher with the release of Santa Hopper, which explores a Christmas wonderland like no other. In this game, Push Gaming focused its attention on incorporating dynamic features, making each spin unpredictable & captivating.
With the warming embrace of the Christmas theme, the Santa & Jingle Drop features build upon a thrilling and proven game format, ideal for players looking to enjoy the festive period. Each spin creates an unexpected twist of fun & excitement through the unique blend of components from several top-tier Push Gaming releases, including Jammin’ Jars, Fire Hopper, & Retro Tapes.
Each aspect of gameplay reveals the big strides Push Gaming has taken to create the ultimate Christmas slot release, right down to graphics & animations. With a fixed RTP of 96.35% and a mid-high volatility score, Santa Hopper can produce wins worth up to 10,231x your bet…but will it happen in time for the big day? Let’s find out…
Base Game & Features
Santa Hopper is a 7×7 video slot with a Cluster Pays mechanic. Winning combinations are guaranteed when 5-17 matching symbols land horizontally or vertically adjacent on the grid.
Stockings, Bells, & Sweets make up the game’s high-paying symbols, whilst Christmas Trees & several Baubles act as low-paying symbols on the grid. When a winning cluster has been confirmed on the grid, a fixed payout between 0.1x and 50x your bet is awarded.
Once all winning clusters have been confirmed & paid out, the Avalanche Feature removes them from play, allowing new symbols to drop in from above, filling all empty cell positions & potentially creating additional winning clusters in the same spin.
Santa Wilds
During gameplay, a single Santa Wild may appear anywhere on the grid, substituting for all symbols except Chimeny & Scatter symbols. Each time a Santa Wild hits, it will reveal a random Multiplier between x1 and x10.
When a Santa Wild is part of a winning cluster, its current Multiplier is applied to the payout, which increases by +x1 when it hops to a new position during the Santa Feature.
Santa Feature
Triggering the Santa Feature requires at least 1 Chimney symbol to appear in view, along with the Santa Wild. Once active, the Santa Wild will jump to the nearest Chimney symbol, leaving behind a Golden Present in its previous position, along with its respective Multiplier.
Instant Prizes
In addition to Santa Wilds & Chimney symbols, the grid may also reveal Instant Prizes in the form of Bronze, Silver, & Gold Coins. When an Instant Prize symbol hits, it will reveal a random value between 1x and 1,000x your bet, depending on the type of Coin.
On their own, Instant Prizes are essentially worthless, but when they create a cluster of 5 or more on the grid, their values are added together & applied to the win of the session. Please note that Instant Prizes can also be multiplied by a Santa Wild or Golden Present, so long as it appears adjacent to the cluster.
Jingle Drop Feature
The Jingle Drop feature is randomly awarded during any non-winning spin in the base game or Free Spins mode. Once active, 1 or 2 Mystic symbols will be randomly positioned on the grid, in sizes 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4.
Once in view, Mystic symbols reveal identical 1×1 symbols, which can either be high-paying, low-paying, or Instant Prize symbols. Furthermore, there’s a small chance for Mystic symbols to reveal Scatters or a Santa Wild.
Santa Hopper Free Spins
Landing 3, 4, or 5 Scatters anywhere in the base game triggers the Free Spins session, awarding 6, 9, & 12 Free Spins, respectively.
Before the session begins, the Santa Wild, Golden Present, Chimney, & Instant Prize symbols are carried over, along with their respective values. If the Santa Wild was not in play at the time of the Free Spins trigger, it will randomly appear on the grid, carrying an initial Multiplier of x2.
During this session, each empty grid position will spin through a series of symbols to reveal the following outcomes:
- Chimney Symbols
- Instant Prizes
- Wreath Symbols
- Blanks
Each Instant Prize symbol in view will remain so until the end of the session. When a cluster of 5 or more Instant Prizes forms on the grid, they are guaranteed to award their values at the end of the session. Otherwise, the Chimney symbol behaves in the same manner as it does in the base game.
The Wreath symbol awards an additional +1, +2, or +3 Free Spins once in view. Afterwards, the Wreath symbol will transform into an Instant Prize symbol with a random value between 1x and 1,000x your bet.
Bubble Feature
Throughout the Free Spins session, special Bubble symbols can appear from below the main grid, before each new spin. Bubble symbols are non-paying icons that reveal a value between 1 and 500, and remain in the same position until the next spin.
Bubble symbols will move up or down with each spin, either vertically or diagonally, appearing in a single or stacked state. If a Bubble symbol covers a Golden Present or Chimney symbol, it will add its value to either.
Alternatively, when an Instant Prize symbol falls beneath a Bubble symbol, it will combine its number with the respective value. On the final spin, all Bubble symbols are removed from the grid.
Push Bet & Bonus Buy
Players within eligible markets can purchase any of the following Push Bet & Bonus Buy options:
- Santa Wilds: For double your bet, each spin is guaranteed to land a Santa Wild on the grid (96.28%)
- Scatter Symbol: For 1.4x your bet, each spin awards at least 1 Scatter on the grid (96.37%)
- Wild Santa & Scatter Symbol: For 2.5x your bet, each spin guarantees a Santa Wild & at least 1 Scatter symbol on the grid (96.35%)
- Jingle Drop: Instantly triggers the Jingle Drop Feature for 20x your bet (96.26%)
- Jingle Drop & Instant Prizes: Instantly triggers the Jingle Drop Feature with guaranteed Instant Prizes for 75x your bet (96.38%)
- Random Free Spins: Direct access to the Free Spins session with 3, 4, or 5 Scatters for 100x your bet (96.40%)
- Random Free Spins & Chimney Symbols: Triggers the Free Spins session with 3, 4, or 5 Scatters & a random number of Chimney symbols in the first 3 spins for 350x your bet (96.36%)
Santa Hopper has a maximum win potential of 10,231x your bet. If a single session achieves this figure, the current mode ends, and the player returns to the base game with the qualifying amount.
Our Honest Verdict
Push Gaming takes all the best elements from Fire Hooper, Jammin’ Jars, & Retro Tapes to create the perfect concoction of gameplay, resulting in a compilation of Instant Prize features, Cluster Link sessions, & a distinguishable Free Spins mode, all centred around a charming Christmas theme.
The base game offers a steady pace of features & a good sense of momentum, although it still remains a challenge to connect Coin Clusters, as witnessed in games like Tricky Treats & Retro Sweets that offer a similar system. While this doesn’t come as a surprise in Santa Hopper, it does limit the overall appeal & potential of the game, in our opinion.
Even so, the Santa Feature still creates a sense of excitement & thrill on the reels, just as it did in Fire Hopper all those years ago, adding a level of unpredictability as the Santa Wild hops to new positions, leaving behind a trail of enhanced Golden Presents as it does.
Like the ultimate gift that keeps on giving, Santa Hopper stands out as a significant entry in the Christmas market, with Push Gaming reclaiming its rightful place within the iGaming industry. While there will always be a place for Fat Santa in our festive favourites, Santa Hopper definitely comes out on top, boosted by its 10,231x max win potential, making it a pretty compelling addition to Push Gaming’s growing portfolio.
*The images found in this slot review are currently from Demo Play. On average, our reviews are written prior to the initial release date and before real play is available.
